The Co-operative Education unit at the Durban University of Technology (DUT) hosted its annual World of Work (WoW) 2025 Career Fair, which took place at the Fred Crookes Sports Centre at the Steve Biko campus in Durban from Wednesday, 20 August 2025 and Thursday, 21 August 2025. The fair concluded at the Indumiso campus in Pietermaritzburg, last Friday, 22 August 2025,
The World of Work 2025 Career Fair is designed to help students bridge the gap between education and employment by gaining practical insights into today’s professional environment.
The final day at Indumiso campus was a drawcard to a crowd of students who had converged to the Indumsio hall to learn about what some of the various industries such as Clover SA, SARS, Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife, and the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) had to offer in terms of internships and careers.
Dr Nonhlanhla Mthiyane, Campus Director of Midlands Campuses, welcomed everyone to the World of Work (WoW) 2025 Career Fair, stating that the event marked a bridge between academia and industry. She expressed gratitude to the industry partners for sharing their expertise and opportunities with the students, mentioning that their participation demonstrated their commitment to growing their organisations and empowering the students.
She encouraged the students to engage, ask questions, learn as much as they could, and establish connections with potential employers, emphasising that the event was a platform for them to nurture their future careers and become the next generation of leaders and changemakers.
Students engaging with the exhibitors.
“We recognise that the world of work is evolving rapidly. At DUT, we aim to equip students with the skills to thrive in this dynamic environment. We encourage students to use this platform to build connections, foster collaborations, and learn from industry experts. As we celebrate 21 years of innovation and entrepreneurship, we are excited to see the impact of our students and industry partners working together,” shared Dr Mthiyane.
Dr Themba Msukwini, Director of Co-operative Education, happily thanked Dr Mthiyane for welcomed the organisations and students to the 2025 World of Work Career Fair.
“The students were excited to be exposed to the organisations that would be their future employers as well as to interact with them. Furthermore, we had arranged venues for organisations to make presentations to the students who had been listening and asking questions,” he shared.
Lusanda Zondi, a third-year student studying towards his Diploma in Civil Engineering, emphasised the importance of the World of Work (WoW). He highlighted its role in exposing students to the inner workings of the industry. “As a third-year student, I’m eager to maximise my learning experience. I’ve got my sights set on a dream company I would love to work with in the future. It’s a valuable chance to gain practical insights and experience that will shape my future career,” he said.
The excitement was visible among students as they expressed their gratitude for the opportunities that the World of Work (WoW) had provided, enabling them to gain skills that will enhance their employability.
Excited Clover SA exhibitor, Thobeka Malunga, is a proud DUT master’s student in Human Resources Management. She is part of the Clover’s Pro-Star Young Professional Development Programme which offers talented graduates and diploma students the opportunity to gain valuable work experience for a period of one year.
“About 98% of the time all those who are part of the Clover Pro-Star Young Professional Development Programme are brought in permanently to the organisation because you gain a lot of skills and practical work experience where you are now put into the field,” she said.
Malunga shared that this is her second time being part of the World of Work (WoW) 2025 Career and her first time showcasing at Indumiso campus.
“My role is to speak to the students about the dynamic role Clover SA plays and to speak about the opportunities that also exist at this prestigious company. As an exhibitor, we want to build a talent base and to showcase the programmes to the DUT students like the Yes learnerships, and Pro-Star Young Professional Development Programmes which are on offer at Clover SA. Every year we post opportunities that are available at Clover SA because most of the talent have been taken from DUT,” she highlighted.
The South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA), is a government entity that is responsible for implementing and overseeing South Africa’s National Qualifications Framework (NQF), and ensuring the quality and comparability of educational and professional qualifications within the country.
SAQA’s Navin Vasudev, who was at the World of Work, shared that SAQA is working closely with DUT, especially with international affairs which is directed at DUT.
“We are thoroughly enjoying talking to the students. It brings life to all that we do at SAQA. The questions we are asking if the NQF is really helping to navigate students’ career paths, and is there anything that students’ require so that we at SAQA can actually help with,” he said.
Dr Msukwini further relayed how the World of Work had impacted the DUT community as a whole.
He elaborated that the World of Work 2025 Career Fair aligned with ENVISION2030, adding that there is vital need for such an event to increase networking of relevant industries covering all sectors and other quad-helix partners, and to provide opportunities for student engagement.
“An engaged university and productive citizens will establish mutually beneficial partnerships and embracing creativity that leads to mutually beneficial collaborations, the practical application of knowledge and future-ready graduates. The overall objective is to develop graduates with the acumen to initiate and/or respond to change,” he said.
DUT’s Co-operative Education unit at WoW.
Dr Msukwini explained that Indumiso campus housed 51 employers with the event have gained momentum with Council for the Built Environment (CBE) organisation from Gauteng to join the event in Pietermaritzburg. He said that two staff and seven learners from the Mfolozi TVET in Richards bay had travelled to Pietermaritzburg to observe the World of Work 2025 Career Fair. They commented they it was their first time being exposed to such a number of employers in one room. He happily shared that the learners have further indicated that they will apply for registration at DUT in the future.
“On behalf of the Co-operative Education unit I want thank the DUT Executive Management for their unconditional support, our staff and graduates, Pietermaritzburg HODs, lecturers, WIL co-ordinators, administration staff as well as the Cleaning Services and Protection Services. I want to appreciate the Pietermaritzburg DUT Maintenance unit for sponsoring the marquee for the presentation venue as well as the Office of the Director Midlands Campuses,” said Dr Msukwini.
He stressed that the World of Work 2025 Career Fair was growing from strength to strength which saw the Indumiso hall full to capacity in terms of exhibition stands.
“Next year, 2026, we aim to occupy the hall and marquee and have community engagements with the local Midlands schools, who will form part of the sterling, forthcoming event,” highlighted Dr Msukwini.
Pictured: Dr Nonhlanhla Mthiyane, Campus Director of Midlands Campuses and Dr Themba Msukwini, Director of Co-operative Education, at WoW.
Waheeda Peters/Phiwayinkosi Sibiya
