College of Human Sciences

Blending career guidance and cybersecurity awareness

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The Career Guidance and Cybersecurity Awareness (CGCA) initiative is an engaged scholarship project led by the Department of Psychology in the College of Human Sciences. Aimed at providing career guidance and promoting cybersecurity awareness, the project targets youth aged 18 to 35 in marginalised communities. By partnering with local non-governmental organisations (NGOs), the CGCA project has begun its work in the North West and Mpumalanga provinces, where the team recently engaged with communities.

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The CGCA team from the Department of Psychology, Anza Ndou and Dr Kyle Bester, led by Dr Bongani Mtshweni, recently visited the Makapanstad Rural Development Centre (North West) to host a workshop on career guidance and cybersecurity awareness.

Salaminah Letsoko, project manager at the Makapanstad Rural Development Centre, opened the recent workshop by commending the Unisa CGCA team for its commitment to youth development. She expressed the hope that attendees would benefit from the initiative, using the knowledge gained to improve their lives and futures. 

Introducing the project, Dr Bongani Mtshweni addressed the persistent challenges faced by youth in rural areas, particularly their lack of access to career-related information. He emphasised that this barrier to information often prevents talented individuals from pursuing higher education or seizing opportunities for upward mobility to which all South African youths are entitled.

Mtshweni attributed this inequality to systemic marginalisation, which deprives poor communities of crucial career information. His presentation outlined the key pillars of career guidance, urging youth to reflect on these before deciding about their futures. The CGCA team also distributed an open educational resource (OER) manual on career guidance, developed specifically for the project.

During the workshop, Anza Ndou led a session featuring career guidance self-assessment activities. She encouraged participants to engage with the OER manual, which included exercises designed to help them make informed career choices.

The event also featured a session on cybersecurity awareness, facilitated by CGCA team member Dr Kyle Bester. His presentation highlighted the importance of cyber hygiene and the awareness of potential cyber threats in everyday life. Bester stressed that information security is only effective when individuals adopt safe online behaviours, treating the digital space as an extension of the physical world. He shared practical advice on how to recognise and respond to cyber threats, emphasising that increased knowledge in this area can help youth navigate cyberspace safely and responsibly.

The workshop concluded with Letsoko thanking the CGCA team and encouraging the youth to continue participating in such workshops, which contribute to their personal and professional development. Both the CGCA team and the Makapanstad Rural Development Centre expressed a commitment to ongoing collaboration, aiming to host further career guidance and cybersecurity awareness sessions for the community.

* By Katlego Pilane, Department of Psychology

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Publish date: 2024-10-07 00:00:00.0

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