Swaziland Careers Fair presents high school students with UN career options

The 2017 fair, which marked the 10th anniversary, was held on the 26th of July at Mavuso Trade and Exhibition Centre and was supported by the Government of Swaziland and education sector parters, companies,  institutions of higher learning, media and various organisations, including the UN. "What exactly does the UN do?" was the single common question asked by all student groups who visited the UN stall. The fair represention of UN entities in Swaziland during the fair made educating the students about the UN easier.

Students showed interest in various career-related UN programmes including internship and volunteer programmes. The diversity in the UN, some 41,000 staff from 193 Member States, was presented as one of the reasons students who aspired to join the UN would have an oppportunity to work in multi-cultural teams with people from all backgrounds and cultures who have wide perspectives, experiences, expectations and approaches. 

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) face of the stall gave the UN an opportunity to create awareness and educate both teachers and students about the SDGs and what they mean to the youth in Swaziland. Students had the opportunity to own one of many SDGs promotional material upon corrently answering SDGs questions, including, "Why does the world need sustainable development goals? Who is going to pay for the SDGs? What can Swazi people do to help the country achieve the SDGs?"

In addition to being an SDGs forum, the Careers fair provided high school teachers with various SDGs information resources to help increase awareness, integration and framing of education’s role in strengthening sustainable development. As the country ensures inclusive and equitable quality education and promotes lifelong learning opportunities for all through SDG 4, the Swaziland Careers Fair remains an important forum for students to improve their competencies in career planning.