Christelle Elson - 

Twenty five young SAYes Mentoring mentees, aged 17-23, and their mentors met at Thomson Reuters’ offices in Century City last Saturday to explore various career options, master their CV writing skills, learn how to shine in a job interview, and refine their budgeting abilities.

Some of the participants already had an idea of what career they would like to follow. Others, however, did not have a specific occupation in mind, as they may not have had many opportunities to explore their career interests, or may need some guidance to access the right employment opportunities.

The first activity for the day was indeed a networking game, since networking is the single most important skill that we need through our work life, yet it’s rarely taught in career training programmes or during tertiary education.

It was followed by a career panel, which saw five Thomson Reuters employees presenting each their previous occupations: tourist guide, hospitality specialist, land surveyor, journalist, and cruise ship crew member. They highlighted pros and cons, explained how to access these industries, what to expect in terms of salary and professional development.

Two of the panelist are Italian: Annalisa Contrafatto and Manuela Donatone.

Before joining Thomson Reuters, Annalisa worked as a tourist guide. She explained how to get all the necessary qualifications to operate as an official guide and uphold the laws and regulations required by the tourism industry. Checks and controls are runned constantly and there is a different qualification  for each level of guiding, from site to Provincial, to National. Guiding can be an extremely rewarding occupation; it requires solid knowledge, high levels of energy, curiosity, and problem solving abilities. On the downside, guides work when everyone else is on holiday, and this may have an impact on family life and relationships in general.

Manuela - before moving to Cape Town - worked in the hospitality business; although her current occupation is not directly related to hospitality, she continues having a strong passion for it! She shared it with the mentees and tried to give a realistic picture of this industry. The main challenges have to do with the flexibility required to work shifts and the patience to deal intensely with the public, sometimes putting on a happy face with difficult clients that one would rather not deal with. On the positive side she states that it is very rewarding and gives good opportunities of career growth, even to people that could not study much. Studying is always a plus but it is not mandatory in this industry, where hard work and drive are recognised and rewarded.

Many of the career options presented by the panelists involved tourism and hospitality. With 1.5 million tourists attracted in 2016, these industries are strongly contributing to economic growth, so it is highly probable that  some of the mentees will find career opportunities in this vibrant sector, should they feel inclined towards it.

The lunch break that followed this session was the perfect opportunity for the mentees to practice their networking skills by approaching the panelists to ask further questions, which they did with interest.

After lunch the work continued with a session on personal finances and budgeting, which covered topics such as compound interest, the meaning of paying oneself first, the importance of comparing options before making financial decisions, and much more. The gist was that minor changes to our financial habits may have long-lasting implications, and that we need to be aware of their impact in the long term. This highly interactive session was keenly attended and appreciated by some of the volunteers as well.

A parallel session focused on shameless (yet honest) self-promotion through CV and interviews. Compiling a good CV takes much effort, but this almost pales compared to the stress of going for a real interview! To ease the situation a bit Thompson Reuters volunteers shared tips on how to prepare as much as possible and how to be a confident candidate.

The event was concluded by a presentation of MOOCs, which stands for Massive Open Online Course, a recent development in distance learning, aimed at unlimited participation and open access via the web. Access to MOOCs is free in most cases, making it easy to learn new skills and advance your career.

“What made this event even more interesting was the extreme diversity among participants. During the ice-breaker I met a young woman from Rwanda, I mentioned that I grew up in Italy, and we briefly talked about both being from elsewhere. Sharing a story of migration was a powerful connector,” said Annalisa, one of the volunteers involved in this initiative. “I was one of the panelists in the career session and I was pleasantly surprised to see such a multicultural panel: two Italians, a Portuguese, a Brazilian, and a Surinamese, sharing experience and knowledge to give back to our adoptive country and its people.”

“We are thrilled to partner with Thomson Reuters. Through the partnership, SAYes mentees can access a wealth of knowledge and hands-on opportunities for career planning,” said Michelle Potter,  Executive Director & Co-Founder, SAYes Mentoring, “Through initiatives like the Quality Education day, Thompson Reuters has set a precedence for community engagement, social purpose and the important role companies can play in supporting youth.”

Thomson Reuters and SAYes Mentoring organised this event to celebrate the first anniversary of their partnership. SAYes Mentoring is a non-profit organisation specialised in promoting meaningful social change through transition-focused mentorship for under-served youth. In 2017 they were introduced to Thomson Reuters’ employees, finding many enthusiastic volunteers that are now involved in the program as mentors, while others, who are not currently mentoring, contributed specifically to this event.

Focus of the program is on under-served youth who are transitioning from high school to adult life, providing an opportunity for young people to connect with the broader society. Surely the work on career choices and opportunities will continue after this event: the mentors will share the participants’ perspectives, delve deeper in the factors influencing their decisions, and help them to unpack their perception of jobs in the future, and their personal interests.