By Simon Nare
Deputy Tourism Minister Makhotso Magdeline Sotyu has lauded the National Tourism Career Expo as a perfect platform to inspire young people to taken up careers in the tourism sector.
Sotyu told hundreds of learners gathered at the new Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane that there were plenty of careers in the sector which young people were not aware of and must use the exhibition to explore these career paths.
Sotyu opened the three-day exhibition in the Limpopo capital where various workshops and engagements will take place to inspire learners from around the province and country.
The exhibition is targeting learners from Grade 9 to 12 as well as technical colleges, universities and school dropouts to encourage them to choose careers in the sector.
Sotyu said the department needed to improve its communication strategy to communicate not only career opportunities but also its achievements.
The deputy minister, who has only been in her portfolio for three months, told Inside Travel on the sidelines of the exhibition that she was shocked when she started her job.
There were officials who had no idea what was going on in the department and the sector.
She said a decision has now been taken that she will crisscross the provinces to ensure a communication strategy is in place to communicate opportunities that are there.
“When I went back to the department, I discovered that there was a lot that the department is doing, and they are good things, but unfortunately that information is only in the department and it’s not out there.
“You get some businesses that are women-owned and in 2019 they collapsed and when you listen to the stories then you discover that those were issues that if we knew about that we would have assisted them,” she said.
Sotyu said expo programme was going to continue under the Government of National Unity and stressed that it would be even more relevant.
She said she had discovered that the Western Cape, which has been governed by the DA, was not part of the programme.
She said she could not understand why the province was not part of the programme and now that the DA was part of the GNU, the province should participate to benefit young people in that province.
The deputy minister agreed that the programme would have to be reviewed going forward to ensure that it was relevant in terms of providing skills for the youth.
Sotyu told learners that the tourism was one of the fastest growing sectors, not only nationally, but globally, and continued to adapt to new trends positioning it as a core economic driver.
“To optimally capitalise on this revival of tourism, we need an inclusive and transformative approach to ensure that all, in particular the youth, women and persons with disabilities enjoy the benefits of the successes of the sector.
“As government, specifically the department, our approach is to assist people to upskill and future-proof themselves in this changing work environment to make an impact in elevating poverty, unemployment and inequality,” she stressed.
The deputy minister said the tourism budget speech had put a lot of emphasis on youth skills development and over 1900 young people have so far benefitted and 276 SMEs have been trained on safe tourism operations.
She encouraged the youngsters to use the platform to discover new experiences and opportunities.
She said many of them may be asking themselves questions like where to from here?
“The NTCE 2024 offers you an opportunity to get the exposure you need and educate yourselves. The country needs young people to grow their skills base, and more importantly become entrepreneurs who innovate new approaches, adopt and set new trends.
“The sector needs young people who are committed to the growth of the sector and its potential to create jobs and grow our economy. Passion is key to career growth in this sector, whether it is about culture or nature, history or travel and working with people, passion will help your career to flourish,” she said.
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