Photo Credit - Independent (UK)
The Besana Mail Weekly Guest Show Onita Sibanda (OS) hosts Thandolwenkosi Nkomo (TN) to speak about life skills and young people. The conversation looks at the role of parents and mentors in guiding children’s career paths.
OS: I am thrilled to be joined by our esteemed guest expert, Thandolwenkosi Nkomo, who will share valuable insights and expert advice on this vital topic. As we navigate the complexities of preparing our children for the future, it’s essential to equip them with the right skills and guidance.
Welcome to the show Thando, and thank you for joining us today. May you kindly introduce yourself?
TN: Hello everyone and thank you for the opportunity to connect with you on this platform. My name is Thando Nkomo. I wear many hats including being a Lecturer at NUST, managing consultant for my research, strategy and training business, career coach, and board member for the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation. I enjoy helping youths and young adults realise their full potential through facilitating career development seminars and trainings and I believe this why I have been invited to this platform today.
OS: Thank you Thando. Your diverse experience and expertise are truly impressive. We are honoured to have you share your insights with us today. What are some essential life skills that children should develop to succeed in their future careers?
TN: A career can be viewed as a profession or work role that someone occupies over a long period of time. To succeed in a career goes beyond just having the right qualifications to get into a career path. Success means being able to achieve set goals, being able to perform well, and being able to withstand the pressures that come with a particular career. To succeed, children should develop life skills such as time management, communication, teamwork, adaptability, creative and critical thinking, financial literacy, and resilience. These are some of the critical skills that are necessary for children to develop.
OS: You have hit the nail on the head. Your definitions of a career and the importance of developing essential life skills for success are spot on. How can parents and guardians encourage children to explore different career paths and interests?
TN: Firstly, parents and guardians need to help their children identify their various talents. This can be done through observing skills and attributes that stand out in their children. Common talents include cooking, writing, public speaking, playing a particular sport or even being able to fix things at home. Once talents have been identified, parents can then help children get opportunities to use their talents and where possible support the development of these talents through education. For example, a child gifted in cooking can then specialise in subjects that will allow him or her to get to college and study to be a chef. A child talented in fixing things can be helped to choose subjects that possibly lead him or her into a career in engineering.
OS: That’s a great advice Thando! I like how you provided practical examples of how parents can support their children’s talents, whether it’s through education or extracurricular activities. What are some effective ways to help children set and achieve career-related goals?
TN: A good way to help children set and achieve career related goals is to help them from a tender age to practice setting and achieving goals. Simple things like helping them to set savings goals, helping them to set school related targets such as passing with good grades can be building blocks for ensuring your child can set and achieve bigger goals. Once this is in track, you can then help them start setting goals around developing soft skills and then ultimately you help them set goals related to specific target like going to University, developing a personal statement, developing a CV etc.
OS: That’s a brilliant approach! Teaching children to set and achieve goals from a young age sets them up for success in all areas of life. Siyabonga Thando. Points taken.
How can children develop a growth mind-set and overcome obstacles in their career journey?
TN: As a parent you can be a role model for your child, showing them how to grow by taking of career growth goals and tasks. Children learn by observation so as they see you grow; they will have a growth attitude. Secondly, expose your children to Mentors who exemplify a growth mindset. Mentors play a critical role in motivating and guiding children and adults so they grow in their career path. Also, teach your children to embrace challenges and to see failure as an opportunity to learn. This will help them to have a failing forward attitude.
OS: You’re absolutely right! I also appreciate your emphasis on the importance of mentors and teaching children to view challenges and failures as opportunities for growth. This resilience and growth mindset will serve them well throughout their lives.
What role can mentorship play in helping children make informed career choices?
TN: Great question. Mentors serve as guides to give children a glimpse of what the future looks like in a particular career path. Through job shadowing opportunities, Mentors can give children a real-life experience of a career path or job, thereby allowing them to make informed decisions related to career path. A child who spends time with a mentor in a real life work environment can make an informed decision on whether they would like to be in that career path or not.
OS: Great point! Can you share on how parents or caregivers can go about finding mentors for their children, and what are the qualities for a good mentor?
TN: Finding mentors can be difficult because not everyone who is successful can be a mentor. My organisation can help you find mentors. But before that, as a parent you need to figure out what kind of mentor you want for your child. Then from there you can start looking. So start of by writing down say 5 to 6 qualities you want in a mentor and then we take it from there.
OS: I appreciate your offer to help find mentors through your organization. The exercise you suggested, writing down 5-6 qualities of a desired mentor, is a fantastic starting point. This will indeed help parents clarify what the are looking for in a mentor. Taboka kasa. What are some innovative ways to make learning fun and engaging for children?
TN: Using games is a great way to make learning fun. Children learn a lot through play. So as parents allow your child to play. It’s unfortunate that a lot of play time is lost in watching TV and playing games on phones, but it’s important to ensure kids play so they develop life skills they can use in their career growth. Playing games like Chess promotes strategic thinking, playing dodge ball can promote resilience and team work. Role playing different careers promotes awareness of different career roles.
OS: Profound! It’s great that you are highlighting the importance of balancing screen time with interactive play. How can children develop essential skills like critical thinking, problem solving and communication?
TN: Developing these skills starts at home. It means that as a parent, you need to talk to your child in ways that encourage critical thinking. Allow your child to solve problems at home as a way of practising. For example, if something is broken or loose, challenge your child to fix it. That way they develop critical thinking and problem solving skills for the future. Don’t always give your kids solutions to challenges they face at home or at school, challenge them to solve the challenges and only assist when necessary.
OS: I like the example you gave about challenging children to fix something broken or loose at home. This kind of hands-on learning experience can be incredibly empowering for kids. Allowing children to struggle and figure things out on their own can be difficult for parents, but it’s an important part of building resilience and self confidence.
How best can your organization collaborate with media houses like The Besana Mail to support children and young people?
TN: We are available to tailor make career guidance solutions that effectively meet the needs of children and young people served by Besana Mail. We can collaborate in hosting seminars and producing materials that can be used by children and parents in their career development. Perhaps we can collaborate on a Career Builders Conference targeting children and youth in Hwange. It’s something that has been on my mind for a few years.
OS: That sounds like an amazing initiative A Career Builders Conference in Hwange could have a profound impact on the children and youth in that community. Your last words?
TN: The sky is the limit for parents and their children. What is needed is a bit of effort in learning and innovating around what we can do collaboratively in helping each other realise our full potential.
OS: I strongly agree! Your words are truly inspiring and motivating. Let’s continue to work together to unlock the limitless possibilities for our children’s futures. Thank you.
