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Talented UFS students attract potential employers to career fairs

16 March 2023 | Story Lunga Luthuli | Photo Sonia Small

UFS Career Fair — University of the Free State students listening attentively and taking tips to help them navigate growth in their chosen careers during the Career Fair held in the Callie Human Hall on the Bloemfontein Campus.

For the first time since 2020, we saw the return of in-person career fairs to the University of the Free State (UFS). The fair was presented in the Callie Human Hall on the Bloemfontein Campus for companies looking to recruit university talent and selling themselves to top institutional talent on offer.

During the career fair, Career Services invites companies to interact and share information with students without the added pressure of an actual application, interview, and recruitment process.

Belinda Janeke, Head: Career Services in the Division of Student Affairs, said: “Companies jump at the opportunity to sell themselves to top talent, and are always eager to share information with students and to answer burning questions about position requirements and prospects.”

Janeke said the first of four career fairs planned for the year emphasised local opportunities and talent. The Career Services Office encourages students to explore the excellent career opportunities available in South Africa and the Free State and promotes local talent to potential employers.

All the sessions presented at the UFS Career Fair are recorded for on-demand viewing on the UFS website. The career weeks are hybrid events, with the option to attend online or in person. Janeke said Career Services also visits the Qwaqwa Campus every semester for face-to-face engagements with students.

“Career fairs are common practice for educational institutions globally, and during the COVID-19 lockdown, such events were not possible. We are excited to be hosting a physical fair again, and this made us realise that students have a need to meet potential employers in a physical setting to ask questions that may not always be appropriate for discussion in an interview,” added Janeke.

Janeke said students can look forward to the SAGEA Virtual GradExpo in May, July, and August and the AgriCareerConnect, which usually generates a lot of interest among students. Janeke said, “This year’s AgriCareerConnect will focus on animal science, horticulture and crop sciences, and integrated disciplines.”

Other career week and career fair dates to look forward to include:

Faculty of Law: Career Week 22 March-24 March 2023 and Career Fair on 23 March 2023

Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences: Career Week 2 May-5 May 2023 and Career Fair on 4 May 2023

Faculty of Education: Career Fair on 24 July 2023

Faculty of the Humanities: Career Week 31 July-4 August and General Career Fair on 3 August 2023

Faculty of Theology and Religion: Career Fair on 16 August 2023

Pictured second and third from the right are Career Service’s Yolisa Xatasi, Administrative Assistant, and Nobesuthu Sonti, Senior Student Relations Officer, in a jovial mood with career ambassadors – a reminder of the value of face-to-face gatherings after the Career Fair has been hosted virtually for the past two years.
(Photo: Sonia Small)

News Archive

Nine Kovsie students awarded NAC bursaries

2015-02-19

The UFS is proud to announce that nine of our Drama and Theatre Arts undergraduate students have been awarded National Arts Council (NAC) bursaries for their studies in 2015.

From the left in the photograph, these students are:

• Mbuyiselo Nqodi (first year)
• Marike Jonker (second year)
• Monique de Klerk (second year)
• Aldine van der Merwe (third year)
• Kado Cloete (third year)
• Rondo Mpiti (third year)
• Magnus McPhail (third year)
• Olivia Wyngaard (third year)
• Marica Laing (second year)

This year the amount awarded for the NAC busaries is R70 000.

Since 2005, the NAC has given bursaries to the UFS for the last 10 years. The amount varies from year to year.

“The number of undergraduate students who benefit varies depending on the amount allocated each year,” said Prof Nico Luwes, Head of the Drama and Theatre Arts Department at the UFS.

“Some years, the NAC prescribes how many students will be awarded a bursary and provides a profile of gender and academic prerequisites. Other years, such as the present one, there is no prescription and the UFS was able to cater for the applications submitted, and the number of students who will benefit, within the amount awarded. Normally, it is divided between successful candidates.”

The criteria according to which NAC bursaries are awarded to students every year include academic merit and, of course, their financial situation.”

“The full information of applicants from the Department of Drama and Theatre Arts is checked by the selection committee – all permanent members of staff in the department. The names are then sent to the NAC for approval.
UFS Finances ensures further that the bursary money is paid into the student’s class fees account. During the year and at the end, I report to the NAC on the progress shown by bursary holders. This, in turn, contributes to the excellent co-operation with the NAC so that the following year’s application is then generally successful,” says Luwes.

Bursary monies cover mainly registration and class fees for some or all modules, depending on the amount awarded.

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