Careers VX for the future generation

Frank Steffen



Last Friday, the My Zone-team held its career fair – known as Career VX – on the University of Namibia’s (Unam) main campus in Windhoek. The name for this expo was the result of the Covid-19 pandemic, when Network Media Hub (NMH) ensured via My Zone that learners had access to relevant career guidance and information about post-school opportunities despite the lockdown.



This time, several schools and training institutions made the journey to Unam not only to attend the opening, but also to explore and get a first-hand impression of the event. It was made possible through the financial support of Standard Bank and the provision of facilities by Unam.



At their stands, Standard Bank Namibia, Synergi Marketing, Network Television (NTV), Unam, Limkokwing University, Yyeni AI, Medicos (the internationally renowned board game for medical students), Labyrinth Gap Year, Namibia National Students Organisation (NANSO) and, of course, My Zone provided visiting learners the opportunity to gain insight into the career opportunities available to them. This was further enhanced by internet offers and interactive access to further providers.



Youth-focused programme



Since its inception more than nine years ago, My Zone has been fundamentally run by young people who gained entry into the media world through its youth-focused programme. The aim has always been to help learners who lacked the means or opportunities to further their education.



Since 2015, NMH has invested more than N$30 million into this project, not only creating jobs but also enabling numerous young people to find a suitable career path. This is to a large extent possible thanks to the diversity of the NMH group, which was formerly Namibia Media Holdings but was recently renamed Network Media Hub as an affirmation of the changing media landscape in which the company plays a leading role.



Connected through the investment company Emeraldsand, the NMH group (multilingual reporting and design) and its sister organisations – NTV, Network Sports Hub (sports and events) as well as Synergi Namibia (diverse marketing, including the sub-division Network Media Events with its events booking page E-Ticket), Intouch Interactive Marketing (online marketing and automation), Print Media Hub (printing), Logistics Hub Namibia (transport), and finally Enjoy (promotion of small and medium-sized hospitality businesses) as well as Tourismus Namibia – make up a fully-fledged and diverse multimedia group, allowing young people to embark on versatile career paths via the Network Media Academy, which My Zone now falls under.