By Mbono Mdluli
MBABANE – Government, through the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, has officially launched the National Career Expo 2025.
The National Career Expo was launched at Nhlambeni Constituency Centre in the Manzini Region on June 23, 2025. This event is meant to bring together different industries in the country to speak about available career opportunities to school-going learners and out-of-school youth.
Currently, youth unemployment rate is at around 58% and research has shown that there is a mismatch between information given in educational institution and what is needed by industries. In other words, what is being taught in schools, colleges, and universities is not exactly what is needed by companies and other businesses that want to produce goods and services to improve people’s lives.
Renowned TV Personality John Pires, who was directing the proceedings of the event, said that was the main reason why the National Career Expo was launched in 2021. The expo is entering its 5th edition this year. The event was attended, among other important people, by Minister of Labour and Social Security Phila Buthelezi, Minister of Information, Communication and Technology (ICT) Savannah Maziya, and Minister of Education and Training Savannah Maziya. Legislators (such as Nhlambeni MP Manzi Zwane), academics, and other professionals were also present.
Minister Savannah Maziya’s emphasis was on women and taking opportunities in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) subjects. Maziya said STEM subjects would present an opportunity for them to be able to deal with the everyday challenges they faced. She said technology could place them at a situation where they would be able to deal with outbreak of most diseases.
Minister Owen Nxumalo encouraged the youth not to take vocational education for granted, as it could play a vital role in dealing with the challenges they faced. Nxumalo said in Russia, they identified skills of children early in their lives. Once those skills were identified, the children would then be linked with industries in order to avoid the skills mismatch that Eswatini currently faced.
Minister Phila Buthelezi said it was important for learners to be encouraged to be job creators, as opposed to being job seekers. Buthelezi said entrepreneurship was no longer a luxury, but a necessity, as there was a need to alleviate the unemployment rate. The career expo will now be held in all the regions of Eswatini, in an effort to bring the event nearer to all the learners.
Note: There is a picture with dates of the regional expos
(Courtesy Pic)
