The Co-operative Education unit at Durban University of Technology (DUT) is hosting its annual World of Work (WoW) 2025 Career Fair, attracting many students on its first day. The first day of the event took place at the Fred Crookes Sports Centre at the Steve Biko campus in Durban on Wednesday, 20 August 2025. The fair is expected to conclude on Friday, 22 August 2025, at the Indumiso campus in Pietermaritzburg.
The aim of the World of Work 2025 Career Fair is to equip students with the essential skills and mindset required to succeed in the modern workplace. The World of Work is designed to help students bridge the gap between education and employment by gaining practical insights into today’s professional environment.
Dr Themba Msukwini, Director of Co-operative Education, opened the World of Work 2025 Career Fair on Wednesday, 20 August 2024, welcoming 142 participating organisations. He extended a warm welcome to students and officially declared the event open.
“This event is for strengthening relationship with the organizations for the benefit for DUT students and graduates. Furthermore, the opportunity for postgraduates to engage with the employers for industrial research,” added Dr Msukwini.
Some of the DUT students gathered outside the Pedros Chicken stand.
Giving more insight into the World of Work Career Fair was Ms Shireen Singh, Acting Manager at the Co-operative Education unit. She stated that the participating organisations would be offering various job placement opportunities, including work-integrated learning (WIL) and graduate placements. She added that the unit’s goal was to support students in becoming workplace ready and confident in navigating their next steps, whether that involved employment, further training, or entrepreneurship.
“The programme overview includes interactive workshops, real-world case studies, and opportunities for reflection and skills development across areas such as communication, teamwork, time management, and career planning. We are excited about what lies ahead and look forward to seeing the contribution and growth of this event in full support of adaptive graduates,” she said.
Ms Singh stated that she was proud to see that DUT adaptive graduates were making a mark in organisations. She added that organisations often praised DUT students, saying they stood out from students at other universities. She expressed happiness that organisations consistently sought out DUT students, recognising the difference in their calibre compared to students from other institutions.
DUT student Ezra Krishna, a third-year Bachelor of Technology in Chemical Engineering student, shared that the World of Work career fair was highly impactful, providing him with the opportunity to meet companies that aligned with his career aspirations. He added that the exhibitors shared practical skills that informed and prepared him for his future career prospects.
In engaging with students, Nomcebo Zungu, Deputy Student Representative from the Women Engineering and the Built Environment (WEBE) organisation, shared her thoughts on the World of Work programme, describing it as an incredible experience. She indicated that the programme provided an amazing opportunity to engage in industry related discussions, to participate in hands-on activities, and to get noticed by top companies for future opportunities.
As the Worlf of Work career faired, the students showed great interest in engaging with industry professionals, eager to learn about career opportunities and to network with potential employers.
Day one was followed by the World of Work gala dinner, which took place at the Greyville Convention Centre.
Welcoming the guests to the exhilarating dinner was Director: Advancement and Alumni Relations, Mr Zwakele Ngubane who spoke on behalf on the Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research, Innovation and Engagement: Professor Fulufhelo Nemavhola. Mr Ngubane shared that the World of Work is a stable feature in the calendar of events at DUT which brings together students and the industry in a meaningful and impactful manner. Some companies shared their highlights with Ms Drinnie Ferguson, Learning and Development Business Partner at Pedros speaking about the SPARKS internship in partnership with DUT which has 28 interns, offering them a unique opportunity to gain real-world experience in the fast-paced environment of South Africa’s fastest-growing chicken franchise.
Adding to the conversation was Mr Sipho Mkhize, a Manager in the Office of the Mayor at the iLembe District Municipality. He shared his talk how his public relations and communications career stemmed from his work integrated learning, teaching him how to respond to challenges in this dynamic field. Giving more insight into the world of technology was Mr Nathaniel Zhang, Director of the Huawei KZN region, who elaborated on Huawei’s aim to push the boundaries of technology further, reaching out to the villages to empower the disadvantaged communities as well as to offer internships to universities.
“We have interns from DUT. Huawei is a good brand to showcase, and students show a great interest in technology,” he said.
Mr Andile Sipengane, Head of uMngeni Water Services: subsidiary of uMngeni-uThukela Water Board.
This was followed by the much-anticipated talk by keynote speaker, Mr Andile Sipengane, Head of uMngeni Water Services: subsidiary of uMngeni-uThukela Water Board. He expressed that the World of Work is shifting rapidly, with economic change drivers such as technology, innovation, and globalisation. He went on to say that yet at the heart of it all remains the people, who are young, brilliant, and innovative, who will drive economic growth and development and shape the future industries, the communities, and the country,
“DUT and some industry players have always been in the forefront in a mission to link academic excellence with industry. It is against this backdrop, that more partnerships and collaboration is encouraged as one amongst others of the fundamental key driver creation of access and success into employability and entrepreneurship innovation for our unemployed youth and graduate throughput,” he said.
Mr Sipengane shared his sincere gratitude to the industries, industry bodies, professional associations, Quality Assurance institutions i.e. CHE, QCTO, SAQA, SETAs, SASCE, WACE, Department of Employment and Labour through Labour Activation Programmes (LAP), the National Skills Fund (NSF), that partner with institutions of learning and skills development service providers and industry to support initiatives driving employability, community development and entrepreneurship. “The skills development system is real and working for our country,” he expressed.
Mr Sipengane concluded by urging all stakeholders to share their experiences, to enhance the various partnerships and collaborations, ensuring its building from strength to strength.
The evening concluded with prizes given to lucky guests by Co-op’s Dr Msukwini and Ms Singh, at the Greyville Convention Centre venue. The World of Work event will continue on Thursday, 21 August 2025, and come to close on Friday, 22 August 2025, marking its final day at DUT’s Indumiso campus.
Pictured: The DUT Co-operative Education staff excited about hosting its annual World of Work (WoW) 2025 Career Fair.
Phiwayinkosi Sibiya/Waheeda Peters
