RUJobReady is a webinar series that is annually managed by members of the fourth year class of the School of Journalism and Media Studis (JMS) at Rhodes University. The series was first conceptualized and piloted in 2024 by students who were then in their fourthyear. This year, students from the current JMS4 class is building on these achievements by producing a follow-up series. These students are currently completing the final year of their BJourn degree in the School of Journalism and Media Studies (JMS) at Rhodes University. The class is hosting the webinar series in collaboration with the Professional Provident Company (PPS).

The context

The project responds to students’ recognition that when they graduate and leave University they will enter a challenging and complex job market, characterized both by uncertainty and vitality. On one hand, the news industry has become profoundly unpredictable and the availability of formal employment in both print and broadcast media continues to drop. On the other hand, communication and media practice continues to be a crucial aspect of the South African social space, and the digitization of media has generated new audiences and opens up new opportunities for employability. The project begins from recognition that as much as possible should be done during students’ final year of study to prepare them for this environment, so that they would be well placed to meet the challenges and respond to the opportunities. The RUJobReady webinar series is a contribution towards such preparation.

The purpose of the webinar series
The webinar series aims to serve as a platform where final year students in JMS as well as recent JMS graduates can learn more about what it takes to find their feet in the working world of media. There will be four sessions in the series. The first webinar will be hosted by the PPS, and its purpose will be to generally introduce students to aspects of financial literacy and also to share with them support systems that are available to them through PPS. The remaining three webinar sessions will be hosted by the JMS4 RUJobReady team.  Each of these webinars will include a panel of guests, who will address one key conversation of relevance to establishing oneself as a professional media practitioner in the contemporary media world. Panel members will include JMS alumni who have successfully established themselves in the working world of media and representatives of media organisations who are interested in employing JMS graduates. In addition, for each of these three sessions, there will be input from a guest from PPS who will  share resources and skills of relevance to the chosen theme of the webinar.

The target audience for the webinar series

RUJobReady aims to benefit the JMS4 class as a whole as well as all other students who are about to graduate from the School of JMS. This includes students who will complete the BA Degree in JMS; the Postgraduate Diploma in JMS; the Honours Degree in JMS; the Postgraduate Diploma in Media Management (PDMM); the MA in JMS and the PhD in JMS.  In addition, the webinar series is available to students who have recently graduated from the School of JMS and are already navigating the world of work beyond graduation.

The collaboration with PPS

PPS is a financial services company. They build relationships of service with students at South African universities in NQF Level 8 courses (which would be at Honours or postgraduate diploma level), especially in professional courses. They host workshops and webinars with the goal of educating such students about financial planning and financial literacy and also offer bursaries and sponsorships. Their aim is to capacitate these cohorts of students for the purpose of employment. They have agreed to assist in the hosting of the RUJobReady series because they recognise the role that it can play in preparing students at JMS for the world of graduation, and because it provides them with a space in which to share their resources with such students.

Last Modified: Wed, 12 Nov 2025 10:52:34 SAST