The morning freshness in the lungs reminds one of the new season we are in, very different from last unless you are in the NUZ region and the turning globe makes no difference to the shorts you wear daily. Some have had to quickly go thrifting ko dunusa for that extra thick layer, whilst some of us looked in the cupboards only to find ijazi which somehow has shrunk since packing it away in October…like kanjani because I last washed it with MAQ bathong!!!!!

Like the changing seasons, pivoting and trying new things for our careers can unlock so much potential. Although it feels so yesterday, ChatGPT is shaking how we perform our daily tasks, and if used effectively gives us extra hours a day to try new things. AI is here to stay, and how we embrace it and work with it (ja, I know I be preaching to the choir right here) will open new opportunities for you and your career pathway. A number of us at Umuzi too have been looking at how best to use AI, and our Tech Team as well as Learner Experience have really put it to the test. See how we’re using AI to prepare learners for work experience and job interviews using AI.

UNLOCKING MY POTENTIAL THROUGH ONLINE LEARNING

The journey to Umuzi/ACN of many learners is one which recentres a listener, should one take time to listen. I recently caught up with Letsiwe Nhlapo, an ACN graduate who is currently completing her 3 month internship at Umuzi. Lestiwe is no stranger to our community, having followed Umuzi for a number of years, collaborated with Alumni from back in the days of the photography qualifications, and did unsuccessfully apply to join Umuzi once or twice.

“Online learning took away the excuse for me to have an excuse to not make it to campus”

— Letsiwe

Wabona, this is now where I love algorithm, because whilst enjoying a moment online, boom, an opportunity of Women In Tech appears in the feed, looks once, looks twice, akadlale amadise but clicks the link and halakasha, she is in digging deep and finding all the right cues! No Nomawelele moments to look away as this was a real opportunity not to be missed, especially as Letsiwe had been looking to pivot her career.Having spent a number of years in the client support career pathway, Letsiwe had come to learn how to empathise with a user who required a solution. The Meta Social Media Marketing pathway resonated with her, and although she was still in full time employment, the remote nature of the ACN opportunity became even more attractive as not only was she able to dedicate a few minutes daily over lunchtime, she was also able to use her time on leave from work to complete the course and successfully complete her industry certification, to become a Meta Certified Digital Marketing Associate.

Some have asked the question about “community” in the online learning space. Letsiwe reflects how in preparation for the certification exam, using existing ACN platforms such as Discord, she and her peers were able to formulate small study groups which translated into peer groups. And in classic ACN nature, these groups were very diverse and represented the international ACN community. One of the takeaways of her learning journey was the Employability Sprint as put together by Learning Experience. This helped Letsiwe put together a great online portfolio, follow the right career posting pages, and that’s how she saw the internship opportunity at Umuzi.

If you’d like to learn more about how you can further upskill, please drop Ntate Hloni an email on hloni.letuka@umuzi.org to explore how we can support you.

RECOMMENDED Listening

Storytelling, and especially knowing your audience, is key to the growth of your hustle and business. Grab a cuppa, get some sun rays on your back, and listen here to how Tyler Perry and Ted Sarandos took insights from their own community to scale their businesses.

The Millennials' Corner Podcast, hosted by Guy Maluleke (CH16 - Copywriter) explores a number of topics and interviews some very interesting guests. Phathu Ramakhanya (CH16 - Data Science) who loves numbers boldly declares “Men should stop assuming that women have no money”. Being Mr Moneymaker myself, I really love this statement.
Chill with the crew here and catch-up with Phathu as she unpacks her journey as a data scientist.

GET CONNECTED, STAY CONNECTED

Coming around the final corner of this edition of our newsletter, this is a call-you-in moment in light of the watering of roots we mentioned earlier on.

Do you have an article, thought-piece or something to share with us?

Do you want to re-immerse in Umuzi or an initiative like Beyond Umuzi?

Do you want to connect with us regarding collaboration, partnership or any other opportunity?

Do you just miss us and want to say hi?

Drop us a line, we can't wait to hear from you.

We are doing cool things in the world that we want you to know about,, and we have NO DOUBT that you are doing cool things out there, and we want to know about it! If you don’t already, give us a follow on our social media platforms and tag us in, quite literally, anything you want. It’s a great way for us to stay connected and shout you out :)
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