POLOKWANE – Bet-Shalom Christian School hosted their very first Career Day on Monday 3 May on their school premises, where the learners gathered outside at the assembly point. They were all dressed according to people or role models they would like to be when they grow up.
They have invited various guests pursuing different careers to mentor, inspire and educate the learners about various career paths. As the guests went on stage to speak on different careers, the learners had the opportunity to ask questions at the end of every session.
Among the guests was female pilot, Tebogo Mangena, who is a Commercial Helicopter Pilot and Flight Safety Officer at South African Police Service (SAPS). She got the young ones excited about aviation.
Tebogo describes herself as a passionate, driven, reliable and safety concerned aviator. With a positive attitude, Tebogo says she’s a naturally hard worker with the ability to learn quickly.
She gave the learners a few tips on aviation and how the industry works.
“In aviation, we have both helicopters and aeroplanes. Aeroplanes are the ones with fixed wings and we call them ‘fixed-wings’ because they’re attached to the body of the plane. Helicopters have blades on top, which can be extremely dangerous, and that’s why we avoided the trees when we landed,” Tebogo said.
She further explained that there are different licences within the industry. “We get licences for helicopters, and we also get different licences for aeroplanes. It’s not like vehicles where one can get a driver’s licence and will be able to drive any car.”
She further explains that you need over 70% to pass all the exams to be a qualified aviator, motivating the learners to work hard and take their education seriously.
Other guests during the day included a former soccer player, John Mangena who played for provincial soccer teams. Willem Naudé, who is a registered snake catcher and remover elaborated on the different types of snakes and journalist, Anne Molope, from Polokwane Review who explained more about journalism and working with media as a whole.
Read more about them in the next printed edition.
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