It was an eye-opening moment for grade 10 to 12 pupils who participated in PwC’s Take a Girl Child to Work Day last Thursday.

The initiative was started by Cell C in 2003, with the aim of empowering and enabling young girls to make informed decisions about their career choices.

PwC is an avid supporter of this great cause, as gender equality in the workplace is at the core of its values.

As part of the event, hosted by PwC, the girls were welcomed and introduced to what PwC is and what it stands for by Keri Wilson, an associate in the auditing division of the local office.

They were then introduced to Karen van Zyl, the partner in charge of the north-eastern region for PwC, including offices in Mbombela, Middelburg and Witbank.

Van Zyl shared her personal journey to success, as well as some very empowering and inspiring stories of other successful women.

The event was attended by girls from three schools, Hoërskool Nelspruit (NHS), Lowveld High School and Fundinjobo Secondary. A learner from NHS told Lowvelder that she learnt a lot during the event.

She learnt that it is possible to achieve all her dreams, and have realised the importance of a woman in the workforce. She also said that she is planning to study a BCom financial science at the University of Pretoria next year.

A learner from Fundinjobo in KaBokweni stated that she’s part of the top-10 learners in her school and her performance is the reason why she was chosen by her teachers.

She felt extremely honoured to be attending the event and that it is a great opportunity for her and her classmates. The young girl said before attending the career guidance she was not sure about how she would make her dreams become a reality.

All the girls had a great deal to say about how the career guidance changed their lives. The girls were treated to a tour through PwC’s new offices at Block 5, Riverside Office Park, after which they were addressed by Hester Augustyn, who shared with the girls the various routes to becoming a chartered or professional accountant.

The event was concluded with lunch, during which all the girls had an opportunity to speak to Van Zyl individually about the various career choices and bursaries that PwC offers.