The 2026 Rocking Future Career Expo took place at Sacred Heart College.

The Rocking Future career expos are dedicated to helping South African school leavers choose the best career path, to develop their skills and find employment in a country with a critically high youth unemployment rate. The event took place on February 4.

For 26 years, the Rocking Future expos have been helping South African high school learners to discover the exciting opportunities that await them once they leave school.

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This can be a very daunting time for learners, especially those unsure what to do and how to find a job when they finish school.

Through the career expos, the 3RC team, together with a top-class selection of tertiary educational organisations, help learners to understand the options available and to decide what careers suit their personality, skills and ambitions. The expo is 100% free for learners and schools to participate in.

“This journey has been nothing short of spectacular. The level of engagement from learners and educators exceeds our expectations year after year. The feedback is overwhelmingly positive, affirming the expo’s role in shaping future careers,” said Kay Cheytanov, 3RC founder.

Cheytanov added that they track career interests every year, and business studies always seem to trump the choice.

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“What we have experienced in the last few years are study choices that will allow these learners access to international markets. Finance, nursing and teaching, these are always skills needed all over the world.”

She said they have also seen an uptake in careers that didn’t exist 10 years ago. Things like social media management and marketing, game design and UX and UI design.

They also observed that learners are more open to niche careers like cybersecurity, stock trading and cloud development.

The Rocking Future expos are touring Johannesburg and Cape Town and distributing the Future Guide Magazines, which are targeted to matric learners. It is packed with useful information to educate, motivate and inspire the readers.

By presenting the learners with a wide variety of choices from private tertiary institutions, 3RC removes the barrier to entry that they face when applying for state university slots. Private tertiary institutions, although certified with the same qualifications, have less red tape and can place learners in study choices according to their needs.

They also offer skills development courses all the way up to Master’s Degrees. Most of the institutions 3RC represents are also accredited overseas, and that opens more doors for their learners.

“The biggest challenge is placing these learners into the job market when they have completed their studies, and that is where our private institutions excel.”

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Cheytanov said that during their studies, learners are introduced to potential employers. Learners complete practical studies within these companies. All of this adds to their work readiness and helps these learners excel in their future career paths.

“The message I would like learners to take away is that success does not have a straight line. Instead, life will take you on a path of discovery, and if you are a lifelong learner, you will always win.

“I also want them to know that if they don’t get into the state university of their choice, that life does not end. There are so many other options available to them. Trust the process and make sure the decisions made are well researched and understood,” said Cheytanov.

Learners can visit www.swiwel.com to experience the inspiring 3D immersive online career expo.