The Moses Kotane Institute (MKI), an entity of the KwaZulu Natal Provincial Government through the Department of Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs (EDTEA) hosted a Curriculum Change Symposium & Graduate Career Fair at the Durban ICC on the 21st of October 2022, which the EThekwini Maritime Cluster (EMC) had the privilege of attending.
The Moses Kotane Institute intervention brought together under one roof graduates, jobseekers, industry stakeholders, government, and academia to help align the curriculum with labour market demand. The objective of the symposium was to analyse the issues of youth unemployment in KwaZulu Natal from the curriculum in higher learning institutes through to the job market.
“We have recently completed research on the challenges faced by the unemployed graduates, and we will be disseminating the findings by hosting the Curriculum Change Symposium and Graduates Fair on the 21st of October 2022, at the Durban ICC. The objective is to address high graduate unemployment in KwaZulu Natal and to catalyze discussions between industry, government and academia to align the curriculum with labour market demands.” Said the Chief Executive Office of MKI, Dr. Thandeka Ellenson, as she invited the KZN leaders who are in industry, government and academia.
The MKI has a mandate of driving economic growth and development through research and development by providing practical solutions to socio-economic challenges. The symposium, therefore, presented an opportunity for the attendees and the panelists to engage with the current burning topics and discuss solutions to economic growth and development for the young people in our country.
The topics that were covered in the discussions and presentations of the symposium were The Complexities and Challenges of Graduate Unemployment in KwaZulu -Natal: South Africa which was presented by Dr. Simphiwe Buthelezi (Executive Manager for Research & Development) and Strategies to Address High Graduate Unemployment: Lessons from Thailand which was presented by Mr. Shakeel Ori (The Director of the Durban Universities Co-Operative Education Department).
Mr. Nhakanipho Nkontwana, KZN EDTEA Head of Department, was also present at the symposium and provided words of acknowledgement. “My view is that we deal these issues through engagement. As a province we have a whole committee that is focused on job creation, and I have served under that particular committee. We will be going to cabinet on the 16th – 18th November 2022 and one of the issues that will be discussed is the issue of job creation and how do we take them [the youth of South Africa] into the influence of direct economy. Especially the ones who do not have qualifications, it is important for them to be found in the direct economy,” said Mr. Nkontwana.
In addition, there were panel talks during the symposium from the government, business and industry, and youth empowerment. Each panelist was required to address the issues that were given to them while also thinking about potential solutions as part of the panel discussion’s mandate. “The reason we are here today is so that we try to bring solutions. Therefore, this session is not structured to talk a lot about the challenges that we are facing. However, it is tailored to bring solutions as we are a solution driven entity. We know what the problems are, research tells us what the problems are but today, we ask for all speakers to provide a solution for the society.” Said Dr. Ellenson.
At the exhibition booth set up for the benefit of the graduates, the event gave visitors the chance to network and interact with potential employers. Leading organizations from the public sector, private sector, and academia, including Toyota, Transnet, and the Durban University of Technology, were present at the exhibition booth, and attendees were free to speak with representatives of these organizations to get all the information they required.
