Vote for Best Employability/Work Readiness Initiative Table

The University of Pretoria introduced the UP Mentorship Programme in 2019, initially involving under 30 mentees and mentors spanning across 2 faculties. Since then, this platform has undergone remarkable evolution and expansion. Presently, it plays a pivotal role in supporting over 1400 students as mentees, while boasting an impressive pool of more than 1700 mentors within its database.

Focused on cultivating student growth, the Career Services Mentorship programme is a cornerstone of this initiative. Aimed primarily at final year students, it is designed to provide them with invaluable insights into the practical realities of the professional landscape. The dedicated Career Service Team facilitates connections between students and industry experts, thereby ensuring a meaningful exposure to the dynamic world of work. Through a structured approach, students engage with their mentors across four informative sessions, enabling them to gain a comprehensive understanding of their chosen career paths and fostering a smoother transition from academia to the professional sphere.

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The Student Influencer Volunteering Programme 2023:
The programme offered and coordinated by the UJ Career Services Office, provides students with valuable opportunities to engage in meaningful community service projects and career related projects. Through this programme, students develop essential skills, build networks and contribute to social causes while enhancing their CVs. The programme offers a wide of volunteering activities allowing students to be involved in projects that align with their career interests and goals. These activities and projects include the following; facilitating work-readiness workshops, coordinating work-readiness training, event coordination, community engagement projects and administrative assistance. As student influencers they also had a big involvement and responsibility in executing the career fairs public relations and communication. The programme runs throughout the year, every academic year.

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The University of Pretoria introduced the UP Mentorship Programme in
2019, initially involving under 30 mentees and mentors across two faculties.
Since then, this platform has undergone remarkable evolution and
expansion. It plays a pivotal role in supporting over 1400 students as
mentees while boasting an impressive pool of more than 1700 mentors
within its database.

Focused on cultivating student growth, the Career Services Mentorship
programme is a cornerstone of this initiative. Aimed primarily at final-year
students, it is designed to provide them with invaluable insights into the
practical realities of the professional landscape. The dedicated Career
Service Team facilitates connections between students and industry
experts, ensuring meaningful exposure to the dynamic world of work.
Through a structured approach, students engage with their mentors across
four informative sessions, enabling them to comprehensively understand
their chosen career paths and foster a smoother transition from academia
to the professional sphere.

Please login to view.

The Graduate Competency Development Programme (GCDP) is a special project of the DVC: SDS aiming to enhance workplace readiness for UWC students through structured internships within Student Development and Support Services (SDS).

This pilot initiative echoes the first and fourth SDS key strategies of holistic student experience and co-curricular opportunities, and the promotion of professional excellence and transformation imperatives for both students and staff, respectively. The programme further resonates with the following Goal Areas of the UWC Institutional Operating Plan (IOP), 2016-2020 and 2021-2025.

GCDP aims to
Provide a structured platform for UWC graduates to attain work experience and foster their employability skills;
Provide graduates with opportunities to apply knowledge and skills learned in the classroom in a real workplace context thereby placing them at a competitive advantage.
Expose graduates to learning about organisational and workplace culture and fit and provide opportunities for networking in their field, and
Create a recruitment pool of potential employees

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The mission of UCT Careers Service (UCT CS) is to enable students to own their future through career development education and employability development. Our entry for the Best Employability/work readiness initiative describes how UCT CS enable students to track their career progress towards employability through the learning they gain about themselves, their career options, employability assets and what it takes to be successful in the world of work. This progress from Discovery to Focus to Action further reflects the impact of UCT CS’ offerings in the distance travelled from Discovery (being uncertain) towards taking Action (being clear/certain).

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The 6PM club invites all signed students in our pipeline to a monthly upskilling session. These sessions are a combination of technical and human skills and has an emphasis on better preparing for the world of work. In recent years, senior at the organisation identified skill sets that new joiners need to have or are lacking in. This programme aimed to bridge that gap to ensure new trainees are well equipped with the skills they need to thrive in a professional services organisation.

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CAPACITI stands at the forefront of workforce development in South Africa, delivering a transformative work readiness programme that goes far beyond conventional digital skills training. As a non-profit organisation, CAPACITI is deeply committed to enabling Africa’s graduate workforce by merging early talent with innovative, demand-driven development models that are co-funded by public and private sector partners. Over the last five years, CAPACITI has raised over R500 million in stipend funding and in secured salaries for the tech talent supported by our initiative. Our mission is made possible through the partnership between us and corporate partners such as Old Mutual, FNB, Absa, Salesforce, Clickatell, BSG, iOCO, Ardagh and EXL. Our work readiness programmes demonstrate our ability to create talent pipelines where early talent land in their jobs with success, support business growth and forster new ways of thinking!

With over 1000 early talent youth supported year on year, we are currently on track to deliver both workplace readiness and AI training to over 800 youth this year who will enter the job market and corporate career space with an enhanced self of ability, fit-for-purpose skills and the eagerness to contribute to our local economy and the tech industry at large.

What sets CAPACITI apart is its holistic, multi-faceted approach to candidate development. The programme integrates technical competencies with human skills such as emotional resilience, mentorship, and career readiness, ensuring that graduates are not only employable but also impactful from day one.

This model has proven to:
– Increase retention and completion rates by addressing emotional, social, and logistical barriers that often hinder youth engagement and success in the workplace
– Bridge critical skills gaps in the South African labour market by aligning training with real-time industry needs, as validated through host partner feedback and curriculum adaptation sessions and evidenced by repeat work readiness solutions and initiatives for some of the largest corporations in South Africa
– Empower graduates for long-term success, equipping them with the agility to grow, adapt, and lead in dynamic work environments
CAPACITI’s curriculum is anchored in global standards such as the SFIA Skills Framework, and includes modules on communication, time management, leadership, personal branding, and emotional intelligence. The programme is delivered through a blend of virtual workshops, asynchronous online learning, and in-person engagements, ensuring accessibility and flexibility for diverse learner profiles.

Moreover, CAPACITI’s impact is amplified through strategic partnerships with funders like YES for Youth, National Treasury Jobs Fund, Naspers Labs, and others, enabling scalable implementation and rigorous monitoring. The initiative also demonstrates a strong commitment to inclusivity, with tailored support for neurodiverse candidates and a focus on building a future-ready workforce that reflects South Africa’s diversity.
In a landscape where youth unemployment remains a pressing challenge, CAPACITI offers a proven, scalable, and deeply human solution. Its graduates are not just job-ready, they are career-ready, community-minded, and poised to drive Africa’s growth.

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Bowmans Bridge: Campus to Corporate
An accelerated development and work-readiness programme for Candidate Attorneys and bursary recipients, designed to equip future professionals with the skills, confidence, and workplace insight needed to transition seamlessly into their roles at Bowmans. Through structured workshops, simulations, and practical engagements, the programme builds key competencies, enhances professional readiness, and gives participants a competitive edge before they officially join the firm.

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At the University of Pretoria, we recognise that academic knowledge alone is not enough to guarantee graduate success in today’s rapidly evolving job market. Career Services has implemented a comprehensive Work-Readiness Programme explicitly tailored for final-year students to bridge the gap between the classroom and the professional world. This initiative—the Final-Year Drive—equips students with essential employability skills, fosters strong industry connections, and prepares them holistically for the transition from student to professional.

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