Getting a degree might not be good enough to get a job.
Thousands of graduates are without work, and many are sitting around in the Eastern Cape.
That’s the hard reality for many graduates stepping off campus, said experts yesterday.
Graduates have to prise open space in the market where they can put their academic skills and knowledge to work, said Zazi Dlamini, business analyst at the SA Graduates Development Association (Sagda.org.za), a Section 21 company in Johannesburg which registers unemployed graduates and tries to find them internships.
Sagda was started in 1997 by a group of unemployed graduates.
Graduates are expected to “paddle their own canoe”, said former Walter Sisulu University (WSU) spokeswoman, and now education communications consultant, Angela Church.
WSU was facing student ructions and was not able to respond to questions yesterday.
Rhodes University business school’s Professor Matthew Lester, who has been involved in trying to inspire graduates to find work, said yesterday: “There are many, many similar cases (to that of Avuyile Bene), but we have no numbers.
“Unfortunately, for so many, the reward for staying in the Eastern Cape is to sit in the Eastern Cape. The EC is the second poorest province and the number of good jobs for graduates is very small.
“Unfortunately, the best prospect is to look elsewhere, get some experience and perhaps study further.
“And then look for opportunities to return to the Eastern Cape later. It’s sad but true.”
Dlamini said numbers on their books doubled from 1500 to 3000 recently, but many more graduates were out there looking for work in SA.
Graduates had to humble themselves and find any way to get a “foot in the door” in their areas of specialisation, even if it meant working “in reception”.
Dlamini felt companies could be more creative in creating jobs for graduates “but they fear having to pay them”.
“We find lot of graduates want to start their own businesses.”
About 35% of graduates placed in internships by Sagda “return to us” as companies did not want to hire.
“It’s a long shot, but try recruitment agencies,” she said.
On the prospects in the Eastern Cape she said: “It’s a little bit dry down there.”
Degree not enough in job search
Thousands of graduates are without work, and many are sitting around in the Eastern Cape.
That’s the hard reality for many graduates stepping off campus, said experts yesterday.
Graduates have to prise open space in the market where they can put their academic skills and knowledge to work, said Zazi Dlamini, business analyst at the SA Graduates Development Association (Sagda.org.za), a Section 21 company in Johannesburg which registers unemployed graduates and tries to find them internships.
Sagda was started in 1997 by a group of unemployed graduates.
Graduates are expected to “paddle their own canoe”, said former Walter Sisulu University (WSU) spokeswoman, and now education communications consultant, Angela Church.
WSU was facing student ructions and was not able to respond to questions yesterday.
Rhodes University business school’s Professor Matthew Lester, who has been involved in trying to inspire graduates to find work, said yesterday: “There are many, many similar cases (to that of Avuyile Bene), but we have no numbers.
“Unfortunately, for so many, the reward for staying in the Eastern Cape is to sit in the Eastern Cape. The EC is the second poorest province and the number of good jobs for graduates is very small.
“Unfortunately, the best prospect is to look elsewhere, get some experience and perhaps study further.
“And then look for opportunities to return to the Eastern Cape later. It’s sad but true.”
Dlamini said numbers on their books doubled from 1500 to 3000 recently, but many more graduates were out there looking for work in SA.
Graduates had to humble themselves and find any way to get a “foot in the door” in their areas of specialisation, even if it meant working “in reception”.
Dlamini felt companies could be more creative in creating jobs for graduates “but they fear having to pay them”.
“We find lot of graduates want to start their own businesses.”
About 35% of graduates placed in internships by Sagda “return to us” as companies did not want to hire.
“It’s a long shot, but try recruitment agencies,” she said.
On the prospects in the Eastern Cape she said: “It’s a little bit dry down there.”
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