WoW (World of Work) Career Festival: an interview with Daniel Galloway

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Images: Canva (left) and Unsplash (right)

Daniel Galloway talks to Naomi Meyer about this year’s World of Work Festival.

Daniel, it is good to talk to you again. After the Fugard Theatre sadly closed down, you were appointed at the Cape Town College of Magic. Now you are involved with a similar exciting-sounding project: the WoW (World of Work) Career Festival. Please could you tell our readers the background of this festival?

Hello, Naomi. It is lovely to connect with you again! The deep impact of the closure of the Fugard Theatre still sits close to the surface for me, as with so many others, no doubt – what a tragic loss for all of us South Africans. Yes, it was a joy to work with the College of Magic as their interim CEO for a short six-month period in 2021. They are a remarkable organisation doing such important work, and they deserve all the support they can get. Similarly, another current client of mine, the Zip Zap Circus Academy, works fiercely in the space of making young South African lives better through the truly magical medium of the circus arts. I am equally delighted to work with FutureMe, as their general manager of The World of Work Festival. The festival, simply put, aims to connect grade 10-11 learners from the Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal with real jobs and careers across diverse industries, from retail to healthcare, engineering to agriculture, manufacturing to finance, and so much more.

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The festival is held as a one-day event. We work with the Department of Education to bring schools, learners and employers together. Our goal is to empower learners, expanding their study and career horizons so that they can make informed decisions about their futures. We shine a spotlight on lesser-known, high-demand careers, unlocking new possibilities and fostering knowledge and awareness.
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The festival is held as a one-day event. We work with the Department of Education to bring schools, learners and employers together. Our goal is to empower learners, expanding their study and career horizons so that they can make informed decisions about their futures. We shine a spotlight on lesser-known, high-demand careers, unlocking new possibilities and fostering knowledge and awareness.

The young people of this country really need hope and opportunities. But there are so many challenges as well. Do you believe that there is hope for high school learners to find careers in this country?

Absolutely, and perhaps now more than ever! I was part of a fascinating webinar the other day, where the host so beautifully reframed the unemployment challenge we face in South Africa, especially among young people. Of the young people unemployed in the Western Cape, not only do 350 000 of them have a matriculation certificate, but many of them have some form of tertiary qualification, too – local employers need to move fast to snap up this remarkable young talent before it is too late! There are hundreds of thousands of jobs out there, and we have the passionate talent and skill to fill those positions. Companies like FutureMe work in the space of trying to help bridge that gap in the middle – and the festival is a great platform for it.

Sadly, crime pays – and sometimes it pays more than legal jobs. How does a festival like this one showcase various opportunities for today’s young people, who may not always be growing up in positive environments with parents working hard and earning proper salaries for the jobs they do?

The festival allows companies from a vast array of various industries to come together under one roof, for one day, and have access to 3 500 grade 10s and 11s. These companies’ employees are able to tell their inspiring stories, which creates meaningful hope for those young people attending on the day. One of the greatest catalysts of the festival is that it broadens horizons for those who might never have known that a career in logistics, or eventing, or catering, or agriculture, or finance, was even a possibility. This, in part, motivates a focus in the hearts and minds of the learners, which leads to a positive, gainfully employed work life ahead.

Careers are changing, aren’t they? Some jobs vanish and new ones emerge. What new and old careers will be showcased at this festival? And how will this festival work – will there be stalls on display?

The World of Work Festival runs, essentially, in the form of an expo – a large room filled with many, many stalls which house various organisations, companies and so on. The festival covers all sorts of opportunities, from radio work to recycling, education, critical services, health, finance and so on. The idea is to offer as many possible career paths as possible.

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The festival covers all sorts of opportunities, from radio work to recycling, education, critical services, health, finance and so on. The idea is to offer as many possible career paths as possible.
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Practicalities: can people arrive on their own, or do schools know about this festival? What are the costs and the opening hours?

The festival in Cape Town on 31 August is 100% fully subscribed, with 3 500 learners from WCED schools set to attend. Remarkably, we had to close the registration almost two months ago, which gets my brain thinking about an extended version in years to come. So, while the school slots are all booked up, there is plenty of room for passionate employers and company owners out there to get involved by becoming an exhibiting partner with us on the day. They are welcome to get in touch with me on daniel.galloway@futureme.org.za.

Also read:

Press release: World of Work (WoW) Career Festival for GrandWest, August 2023

Press Release: Cape Town's College of Magic conjures Daniel Galloway as new Interim CEO

Closure of Fugard Theatre: an interview with Daniel Galloway

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