ARID NEWS

World Youth Skills Day At Augrabies Falls National Park

By Christine du Plessis

AFNP - World Youth Skills Day workshop

World Youth Skills Day, on 15 July, aims to equip youth all over the world with skills to be able to find employment, have decent jobs and be entrepreneurs.

Having noticed the poor state of CVs that are handed in for park positions and the fact that people arrive totally unprepared for an interview, it was decided to provide essential information and practical support in this crucial stage of a job application.

In recognition of World Youth Skills Day 2021, the SET officer conducted a workshop with the Park staff who fall into the Youth category, including Tourism and Environmental monitors.

The focus of the workshop was on providing the staff with essential and practical information regarding the compilation of an appropriate Curriculum Vitae and how to prepare for a job interview.

A mock interview was also conducted and an indepth discussion held afterwards.

The staff were very grateful and the information was well received. During interviews conducted the next day for a vacant position in the park, there was already a marked improvement.

It is hoped that the workshop will also be done with the Youth in the surrounding communities later on, as it is evident that this is a crucial area where information and skills are lacking.

Also with Youth Skills Day in mind and In the light of improving skills, the two Nature Conservation students, Nokwanda Zulu and Samukelisiwe Mathenjwa, who are busy with their Work Integrated Learning (WIL) training in the Park, were also given the opportunity to do a power point presentation about the Park for the Management and Staff.

They had to present as if the staff were tourists and a question session was held afterwards. Although it was a nerve-wracking experience for them at first, they were really proud afterwards that they had managed to do it well, even though they had very limited experience in presenting.

They appreciated all the constructive advice that they received. They realised that they still had plenty to learn, however, they were motivated and encouraged by the staff to keep learning more about the environment and the park.