By Mokgonyana Tumelo
The University of Limpopo’s Centre for Student Counselling and Development (CSCD) recently hosted the 2025 Work Readiness Workshop, a valuable initiative designed to prepare final-year and postgraduate students for life after graduation. The workshop was conducted over three days in a face-to-face format, with the second day specifically tailored for students from the Faculty of Management and Law.
Graduate Placement Coordinator Alucia Ngobeni, the organizer, stressed the importance of equipping students with practical skills to transition confidently into the workplace. “We want to focus on work ethics, CV writing, and interview preparation,” she explained. “Students must also learn professionalism, time management, and how to apply academic skills in real-world situations,” Ngobeni added. “I encourage participants to be innovative and see themselves as problem solvers who can also create opportunities,” she said.
Alucia Ngobeni (CSCD) – Graduate Placement Coordinator welcoming students and explaining the goals of the Work Readiness Workshop. Photo by: Unarine Mudau
Representatives from the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) and Department of Employment and Labour presented opportunities available for young people. “The agency offers enterprise development, life skills training, and grant funding ranging from R8,000 to R100,000,” explained NYDA’s Mathekga Maoto. “We encourage students to think beyond job-seeking,” Maoto added.
Mathekga Maoto (NYDA) – Discussing enterprise development, life skills, and funding opportunities for young entrepreneurs. Photo by: Unarine Mudau
Rodney Baloyi, a career counsellor from the Department of Employment and Labour, demonstrated how to complete the Z83 application form and stressed that graduates should “brand themselves professionally.” “Many graduates lack skills or make mistakes in their applications,” he highlighted, “but internships and leadership programmes remain open opportunities.”
Rodney Baloyi (Department of Employment and Labour) – Guiding students on completing the Z83 application form and branding themselves professionally. Photo by: Unarine Mudau
Fostering a spirit of entrepreneurship, Maoto Kgahliso from the Department of Business Management inspired students to redefine their career paths. “Let’s focus on being job creators, not just job seekers,” Kgahliso encouraged. She then introduced Advocate Mabasa, a former student and ENACTUS leader who had turned his innovative ideas into reality. Mabasa, now an intern at the University of Limpopo’s Office of Alumni and Convocation, shared his remarkable journey of founding a project that recycles used diapers into coal. “Knowledge only works when paired with attention and action,” he emphasized. “Don’t limit yourselves by your backgrounds or degrees the possibilities are endless.”
Advocate Mabasa (Alumni & Convocation Intern) and Maoto Kgahliso (Business Management) – Encouraging students to be “job creators, not just job seekers” and sharing insights on entrepreneurship and creating opportunities. Photo by: Unarine Mudau
The workshop proved to be a truly eye-opening experience for the students. “It helped me discover opportunities I didn’t know existed,” said Elelwani Munyadziwa, a third-year BCom student. “It encouraged me to think about starting a business instead of only waiting for employment.” Her classmate, Unarine Nemavhundi, echoed similar sentiments, “It showed me that presentation and discipline are as important as academic results.”
As the event drew to a close, clinical psychologist Heirness Mojalefa from the CSCD delivered a reassuring message, “Counselling and career support services are always available on campus,” she reminded students, offering a sense of ongoing support as they embarked on their future endeavors.
Heirness Mojalefa (CSCD) reminding students about available counselling and career support services on campus. Photo by: Unarine Mudau
