JEFFREYS BAY – Following the success of last year’s inaugural event, preparations are underway for the next Kouga Careers Expo, which aims to further expand opportunities for learners and young people across the region.
This year’s expo will run from 23 to 24 April at Mentors Country Estate in Jeffreys Bay.
The first Kouga Careers Expo, held in April 2025 at Mentors Country Estate, marked an important milestone for youth development and employment opportunities in the Kouga region.
Inkanyezi Events member, Deon Engelke, said organisers are building on the strong foundation established during the inaugural event.
“The exhibition already provides additional world-class resources free to all visiting learners such as the Career Guidance Workbook/Textbook and Online Career Testing, which the initiative will build on,” said Engelke.
He added that the long-term vision is to further expand the programme to support both learners and teachers.
“The aim is for the event to eventually include a programme to equip Life Orientation teachers and to mentor learners. Existing and new ideas all require funding and a wider range of organisations, including the Coastal Six, a group of wind farms in the region, who are enabling this vision at the beginning of 2026,” said Engelke.
Engelke said the Kouga Local Municipality and Mentors Country Estate remain key partners in the initiative.
He said that the sponsors play the leading role in achieving the initiative’s objectives, which have an impact on the Kouga region’s socio-economic growth.
Engelke further said that feedback from schools and exhibitors who attended the first expo has also shaped planning for the upcoming event.
“Based on the resounding positive feedback from schools and exhibiting entities, the successful recipe for career guidance through the initiative will largely be maintained,” said Engelke.
He explained that this year’s event will include more interactive features focusing on technology and entrepreneurship.
“The idea is to showcase technology, including 4IR, in practice as a means of exposing learners to areas including Virtual Reality and Robotics that they may have had limited exposure to,” said Engelke.
He emphasised that entrepreneurship is an important focus area for young people as it has the potential to make many school-leavers self-sufficient and is an essential aptitude to foster.
In addition, Engelke said that self-employment is a key aspect of dealing with the scourge of unemployment, not only in Kouga but also across the country.
The expo is expected to once again attract learners from across the region.
“The target remains every high school in Kouga, while this year we plan to invite schools from surrounding areas, including those in the Langkloof and Tsitsikamma,” said Engelke.
“It is hoped that the wider community and unemployed youth will also attend, taking the numbers to above 2,000 people. We are working with the host partner, the Kouga Local Municipality, and exhibitors such as the Department of Labour and Employment to make the community outside of schools aware of the opportunity.”
Up to 15 high schools are expected to attend the event, where learners will engage with around 50 exhibiting organisations, including educational institutions, government departments, SETAs and businesses.
Among the exhibitors will be organisations representing various industries.
“There are several new exhibitors representing different sectors, for example, Bay Radiology is keen to use the initiative to build a skills pipeline of radiologists,” said Engelke.
He further said that the relationship with the Kouga Local Municipality has strengthened since the first expo.
Engelke said that the municipality, including Executive Mayor Hattingh Bornman, has taken ownership of the event.
He said that without their support, the initiative would not have started in Kouga.
Engelke added that the municipality has committed to hosting the event for three years to ensure its growth and continuity.
“Since the successful pilot initiated by the KLM, the municipality has agreed to play the role of host partner for a period of three years, which enables continuity and growth, providing a great base to build on,” said Engelke.
Looking ahead, organisers hope the initiative will continue to grow in impact.
Engelke said that the aim is for the event to eventually include a programme to equip Life Orientation teachers and to mentor learners in Kouga with the aim of ensuring that 80% of Kouga matrics have a clear and confirmed study or training path before they leave school.
He further said that the success of the expo will ultimately depend on how learners use the opportunities available to them.
“The success of the event will be determined by the extent to which learners are motivated to source information with open minds and use the available resources to move into action. The table is set,” said Engelke.
• For more information, visit the Working World Expo website at www.workingworldexpo.co.za.
