SANZAF Careers Day 2026: Opening Doors to Skills, Trades and Opportunity
SANZAF Careers Day 2026: Opening Doors to Skills, Trades and Opportunity
A successful future does not follow only one path.
For some young people, that journey may lead to university. For others, it may begin in a workshop, kitchen, construction site, technology environment or small business. What matters is that young people are given the opportunity to understand the choices available to them and develop the skills needed to build sustainable futures.
On 5 September 2026, our Durban team hosted its Careers Day at the NMJ Islamic Centre in Morningside, Berea, creating a space where young people could explore practical career pathways, meet training providers and employers, and discover opportunities within South Africa’s vocational and artisan sectors.
From 8:00am to 1:00pm, the Careers Day connected students directly with the people and institutions that could help turn their interests into qualifications, skills and ultimately employment or entrepreneurship.
Exploring Careers Beyond the Classroom
A central objective of the SANZAF Durban Careers Day was to expose young people to skills development, vocational training and artisan careers.
With youth unemployment remaining one of the challenges facing young South Africans, it is increasingly important that learners understand that there are multiple pathways into the world of work.
Students had the opportunity to explore career and training opportunities across a diverse range of fields, including:
- Agriculture
- Air conditioning
- Auto electrical
- Barista training
- Carpentry
- Chef training
- Electrical
- Information Technology (IT)
- Mechanics
- Panel beating
- Plumbing
- Sewing
- Spray painting
- Welding
The variety of careers represented allowed young people to consider their individual talents, interests and ambitions while learning more about industries they may not previously have considered.
Learning What It Takes to Build a Career
The programme began with a welcome from Shabeer Nhleko, followed by a Quran recitation by Hafez Junaid Akoojee, setting the tone for a day centred on knowledge, purpose and personal development.
Throughout the morning, students heard from speakers who approached career development from different perspectives.
Moulana Junaid Kharsany explored The Muslim Tradesperson, highlighting the importance of character, responsibility, integrity and excellence within one’s profession.
The Re-focus and Upliftment Foundation (R.A.U.F) addressed substance abuse and the consequences it can have on young people’s lives, choices and future opportunities.
Ms Karodia discussed the qualities of a successful tradesperson, while Sajedah Ebrahim explored an important question for learners considering their futures: Why choose a vocational or occupational career?
Students also heard from Chris Milton about career opportunities within technical and vocational trades, providing insight into the possibilities available through skills-based industries.
What Do Employers Look For?
Having a qualification or technical skill is only one part of becoming workplace-ready.
Aziz Choonara helped students understand what employers look for when recruiting young people, highlighting the importance of professionalism, workplace readiness, technical ability and personal qualities.
The programme also introduced participants to entrepreneurship within agriculture. Ms Snothando’s presentation, Farming to Enterprise, demonstrated how agricultural skills can potentially develop beyond employment into viable entrepreneurial opportunities.
The programme concluded with a representative from Hypercheck, who explored pathways to employment, apprenticeships and further training.
Together, these conversations helped young people see the connection between training, employability, entrepreneurship and long-term career development.
From Career Advice to Real-World Exposure
One of the most valuable aspects of Careers Day happened beyond the formal presentations.
Students had the opportunity to network directly with training providers, employers and industry professionals.
Instead of simply hearing about a career, they could speak to people working within the sector, ask questions about training requirements and better understand what different occupations involve.
Live demonstrations brought some of these careers to life.
For a young person still deciding what comes after school, seeing a practical skill demonstrated and speaking directly to someone within that profession can make an unfamiliar career feel achievable.
The Careers Day therefore became more than an information session. It created a bridge between young people, skills training providers and industry.
Skills Development as a Pathway to Opportunity
SANZAF believes education and skills development are important tools for sustainable empowerment.
Vocational and occupational training can provide young people with pathways into employment while also creating opportunities for entrepreneurship and self-reliance.
A qualified plumber, electrician, welder, mechanic, chef or artisan does not simply possess a technical skill. That skill can become the foundation for employment, a small business and eventually the ability to create opportunities for others.
The Careers Day reflected this broader vision by bringing education, vocational training, employers and community organisations together in one space.
Most importantly, the event opened the door for continued mentorship, skills development and training opportunities through SANZAF.
Thank You for Investing in Young Futures
A sincere thank you goes to every student, speaker, exhibitor, training provider, employer and partner who contributed towards making the SANZAF Careers Day possible.
Your participation created an environment where young people could ask questions, challenge assumptions about careers and begin thinking differently about what their futures could hold.
Every conversation mattered.
Every demonstration created exposure.
And every new career possibility discovered could represent the beginning of a young person’s journey towards greater independence.
The journey towards a career begins with discovering what is possible.
Missed SANZAF Careers Day?
The opportunity to explore your future does not end with the Careers Day.
If you were unable to attend, you can still contact participating training providers and organisations directly to learn more about artisan training, vocational courses, apprenticeships, chef and barista training, welding, skills development and support services.
Artisan Development Academy
Email:
Tel: (+27) 31 468 1510
Samson Welding School
Email:
Tel: 073 694 6643 / 031 563 1906
GMK EDU Skills Training
Email:
Tel: 060 811 4809
SANZAF Chef School & Barista Training
Contact: Sajedah Ebrahim
Tel: 031 309 6786
Umbilo Training Specialist
Email:
Tel: 085 408 437
Abethu Training Centre
Email:
Tel: 031 309 4309 / 074 459 5134
R.A.U.F – Substance Abuse Support
Email:
Tel: 031 269 3662
Sponsor a Skill. Feed a Future.
SANZAF remains committed to helping young people access skills development, vocational training, mentorship and pathways to employment.
But creating these opportunities requires collective support.
Your contribution can help a young person gain a practical skill, access training and take another step towards employment, entrepreneurship and greater self-reliance.
Sponsor a Skill. Feed a Future.
Support SANZAF’s education and skills development initiatives and help us turn potential into skills, skills into opportunity and opportunity into sustainable futures.
For more information about Durban’s skills development and youth empowerment programmes, contact our Durban office on 031 309 6786.
