Hard work scores former student, permanent employment

Transforming his dreams to reality is Njabulo Manqele who is affectionately known as ‘Rangozee’. Most know him for his cheerful spirit during College events where he would cheer students during competitions by singing and dancing to his “Shatini” tune. However, he has proved that there is more to him than that.

Manqele who seemed to be a jack of all trades during his time at the College now proudly occupies a position as a Stores Assistant for uMhlathuze Municipality. After being placed by the College WBE Office as an intern at the Fleet and Transportation Department in 2016, Manqele worked extremely hard to secure permanent employment.

According to Manqele what set him apart from some of the students was his excellent time management skills, being innovative, dedication, a clear understanding of his work scope, being a team player and volunteering to assist during internal events.

“I used to go the extra mile during events by volunteering to be the MC and eventually there was no need to hire one and also became involved in special projects. I was always willing to learn and did all the tasks regardless of whether they fell under my work scope. Today my vision to be permanently employed has become a reality,” explained the former Transport and Logistics student.

However, the young lad points out that it wasn’t easy and there were challenges which required him to prove his ‘institutional’ knowledge. “I was young and still fresh out of school but was expected to carry out supply chain management tasks, do some administrative work which involved a lot of paper work, I had to be very careful and strategic when doing my work which I enjoyed doing.”

Manqele who hails from Esikhawini enjoys working with children and the youth. His weekends are dedicated to assisting children in speech and drama, musical lessons with the aim to develop and expose their minds at an early stage to art. Manqele who is still passionate about uMfolozi hopes to take the College to another level in terms of poetry and drama.

Manqele thanked Esikhawini Campus Manager, Mr Khaya Zulu and his former Computer lecturer, Mrs Lihle Ndlovu for encouraging him to work hard and to grab every opportunity. His message to students; “Wake up every day with the eagerness to learn, use your opportunity to study smartly. You are lucky that the College is able to provide practical exposure for you before you complete your studies so use that to your advantage!”

Hospitality students attend Hilton Hotel Expo

Amongst other TVET Colleges, Esikhawini and Eshowe Campus Hospitality students attended a fruitful Career Expo hosted by Hilton Hotel on Monday, 14 May 2018.

The students were educated about the various career paths available at the hotel. They were also motivated by people who started small in the industry but now hold big positions. Esikhawini student, Mbali Msomi said attending the Expo was a huge eye-opener for her as she learnt that Hospitality is a diverse field with a vast of opportunities. "The future surely looks bright for me as I can choose from a number of positions to work in after obtaining my Diploma. Thanks to the College and our lecturers for affording us the opportunity to visit Hilton, I learnt a lot," added Msomi.

Esikhawini Campus, Business Studies: Senior Lecturer, Thuli Mngoma said the trip to the hotel helped them to further educate the students about Hospitality. She went on to say, “We wanted to give them the platform to unlock their minds to hospitality, to know that it’s not only about cooking, housekeeping and waitressing. They should know that after completing their studies there will be a lot of occupations to choose from.”