Denis Opudo
STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) career expo invites recent graduates and students in the fields listed above to exhibit and pitch their ideas on 27th to 28th July 2018. The event will give them a chance of getting mentorship, guidance, and financial support. STEM career expo is under the sponsorship of First National Bank (FNB), RoTinto, Britehouse, Dimension Data, Accenture and Rand Water.
The event in partnership with the Space generation advisory council, the South African Department of Labor and the South African National Space Agency (SANSA), aims at addressing the shortage of tech startups in South Africa. The country has a wide technical gap in the market. It also seeks to encourage students to go on with their pursuit of joining the field. The event also serves as a recruiting platform for big or small companies to hire technical ability. It also offers a platform for graduates to market their professional skills.
According to CEO of STEM conference and Career Expo, Eric James Wright, the body believes in assembling students and graduates in the same room with top firms that are looking to give scholarships, bursaries, and internship. This takes place with the aim of bridging the wide gap between employment opportunities and technical skills. He added that the body aims at encouraging STEM-based entrepreneurs. They are also looking forward to highlighting the importance of possessing a degree from the STEM and that one can use it to do anything.
The event will have various speakers including Welakazi Cele, Muimeleli Mutangwa among others. Cele is an engineering technologist and regional director at Hatch. In 2016 Mutangwa gave a mathematical model at the International Conference on Sustainable Chemical Product and Process Engineering (SCPPE) in China. He is also the owner of Tailor Klinik, a shoe cleaning company that uses cleaning detergent. Mutangwa is the manufacturer of the detergent used. There will be several topics for discussion that include ‘How to Recruit the Right Millennial.’ They will also talk about ‘What Water Shortage’ and ‘How to Recruit the Right Millennial’ among others. The event which will take place in the Ticketpro Dome in Johannesburg, South Africa will be for free for any interested graduates or students.
