Sharing their experience

 

At an Alumni Career Empowerment Workshop, alumnus Lionel Eksteen, currently a practitioner at the NWU’s People and Culture department, gave students useful tips about writing a curriculum vitae and sailing through a job interview.

 

Adele Croucamp, who is the owner of an organisational management consulting company, told the students what to expect in the work environment.

 

From the lively engagement and networking among the speakers and alumni, it was clear that both speakers hit their mark.

 

Alumni Lionel Eksteen (at the back, third from left) and Adele Croucamp (next to him) spoke to students about the realities of work life. With them are some of the students who attended the workshop in Potchefstroom.

At these events, alumni received information about the NWU and also “paid it forward” by advising current students on what to expect in the world of work, for instance at an event held on the campus in Potchefstroom on 25 July.

 

At that Alumni Career Empowerment Workshop, two of our alumni advised 90 master’s and honours students about bridging the gap between theory and practice.

 

Find the ideal job

 

The roles were also reversed: instead of alumni empowering students, the NWU also empowered alumni who are still trying to crack the job market.

This empowerment happened on 2 August at the campus in Vanderbijlpark during an Alumni Career Day organised in partnership with the NWU’s Career Centre.  Absa Vaal and Teleresources/Only the Best, a recruiting company, informed the yet-to-be-employed graduates about job opportunities.

 

The next day, on 3 August, alumni from the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences gathered at the Emerald Casino in Vanderbijlpark to talk about what the future may hold.

 

Hitting the road

 

Then, on 16 and 17 August respectively, it was time to hit the road to Bloemfontein and Gariep in the heart of the Free State. This first-ever alumni event at Gariep – and in particular the effort made to meet with our alumni in more distant areas like this – was much appreciated, with alumni from as far as East London attending.

 

In addition to alumni, parents of prospective students also attended the events – one held in the beautiful surroundings of the Bloemfontein Botanical Gardens and the other on the banks of the tranquil Gariep Dam.

 

Having breakfast in Parys

 

Another waterside event took place on 29 August when alumni gathered for a breakfast near the Vaal River in Parys. During this event at the ArtLovers Guesthouse, alumni from the Vredefort Dome area listened attentively to Prof Fika Janse van Rensburg, the NWU’s vice-principal and deputy vice-chancellor for employment equity and campus operations in Potchefstroom.