Meet our team
Meet our team
We have carefully selected key business partners in order to provide an exceptional program of impact and high-level content. With over 36 years of collective experience in education, human resources, award-winning production and international communication, the value-add they can contribute to this team, the school, learner, graduate and job seeker is unmatched.
JENNI HIGGS
CEO
Having had over 20 years’ experience in the Recruitment and Human Resources sector she started to feel the shift in focus from business to people. People had always been important to her and in the following years when she joined various NGO’s such as Cotlands and Greenable, she felt the true social economic impact of the youth in South Africa. The time spent at Zoe-Life refined her search to assist the youth, when she began to get involved in career and skills development. Her personal motto is “Be strong, courageous and confident” which she has instilled in her family, and hopes to empower the youth with the same mentality.
TYRONE FARQUHAR
ANXIETY SPECIALIST
My life’s mission is to be instrumental in empowering teenagers and young adults who are anxious with invaluable skills and life-changing tools that they can carry throughout their lives. After being a high school teacher for some years I witnessed the unique challenges that youth face with today’s demanding societal expectations. This coupled with being a post-graduate psychology student, and years of personal experience in the field of mental health has led me to become a certified NeuroCoach specialising in anxious youth.
candice clark
TALENT ACQUISITION
I’m a curious, entrepreneurial, creative soul with a deep love for Jesus and healing in all its forms! I knew long before I finished school that I would be the master of my own destiny. My career and the life I was going to create for myself, was also front and center of mind. My deep love of people and relationships led me to completing an Honours degree in psychology, and shortly thereafter starting an incredible career in human resources and internal talent management.
darrin higgs
Lead Facilitator + TRAINEE COUNSELLOR (HPCSA)
For many years I got caught up in the corporate race of trying to prove my worth. I had tried to work in multiple industries from IT, Recruitment, Sales & Marketing never feeling like I belonged. As a student the career information I needed was not available, the confusion and pressure to choose what to study was based on external motivations rather than internal. I began studying Law and Journalism at one of the top universities in South Africa, only to drop out. One thing stood the test of time, and that was my passion for helping people which lead me further down the path of studying psychology and into my final year of becoming a professional counsellor, with the aspiration of becoming an educational psychologist in the not too distant future.
Tok Grobler
CEO (Bushbaby Communications)
After a career of ten years in broadcasting, producing more than 300 television entertainment, educational, documentary, youth and children’s programmes for different broadcasters in South Africa, he joined forces with three partners to start Promotion Communication and Advertising, an integrated communication agency. He is the founder and CEO of Bushbaby Communication and has played a pivotal role in developing the Independent Electoral Commission’s training material for two elections, listed on the United Nations list of international experts in this field. In 2009 he started specializing in the production of high-end career guidance content in conjunction with Maudie de Wit. He has since established himself in this specialized niche and has produced career guidance material of the highest technical and artistic standard for the career guidance platforms that Bushbaby has developed over the past nine years.
Maude de Wit
Career Development Specialist
Since 1992 Maudie de Wit personally took on the challenge to develop a leading approach towards integrated career guidance and training solutions. Effective working relations with the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). The Department of Labour and several industries i.e. Xstrata, Ingwe and BHP Billiton and the American Vocational Association contributed to her engineering a paradigm shift in career guidance education especially for less privileged learners. The result was the development and initiation of culture-friendly assessments and career exploration activities. She established her first Career Guidance Centre in 1993. The National Department of Science and Technology rewarded her with the “Acknowledgement of Creative Technology Implementation Award” in 1997. In the same year she was appointed as a Chief Education Specialist responsible for the development of a Career Guidance Service to the out-of-school youth.
THEA GROBLER
CAREER GUIDANCE CONTENT DEVELOPMENT
Thea heads the creative team that has successfully developed the interactive digital and printed content for South Africa’s flagship career guidance centres. These include the Piet Retief Career Guidance Centre that revolutionised the educational sector’s approach to career guidance. This Centre drew national and international attention as it introduced an innovative new era to career guidance.
She played a leading role in the content development for a number of leading edge career guidance centres such as:
- Boitjorisong Career Guidance Centre in Sasolburg (for SASOL),
- Osizweni Career Guidance Centre in Secunda for SASOL)
- Giyani Career Guidance Centre (for the Limpopo Department of Education)
- Blue Roof Career Guidance Centre in Durban (for Zoe-Life)
- University of Limpopo Career Guidance Centre in Polokwane and
- National Technologies Implementation Platform (NTIP) mobile career guidance systems for national student recruitment.
Lungelo Dakile
lead Facilitator
I’m passionate about creating discovery platforms for children and youth using the arts and I have over 10 years of working in such environments. Creativity has been a part of my journey from inception and my life’s goal is to create spaces for children and youth to find their purpose in life using creative, out of the box tools to reach their full potential. Many young people are not afforded the opportunity to research and explore as many career options as possible and are limited to what they see around them. I desire to give youth as much information and practical skills as to reach and be bold in their career choices and journeys.
Taylene Safedien
CAREER GUIDANCE CONTENT DEVELOPMENT
My name is Taylene Safedien, I am in my mid-twenties and I’m on a fascinating journey of purpose and growth. I am passionate about youth and skills development, entrepreneurship and health. One of my life goals is to use my skills and voice to empower and direct children and youth into becoming all that they are created to be. This can be done by providing a space for young people to uncover their best qualities and then help them discover new ones. I feel this is a message that should be spread across the nations. I see myself as a learner and a leader. I want to provide youth from all walks of life a fair opportunity to become a change agent and lead our country into a safer and better future. By providing career guidance, we would be opening up a new world of opportunities that young people can thrive in.
JENNI HIGGS
CEO
Having had over 20 years’ experience in the Recruitment and Human Resources sector she started to feel the shift in focus from business to people. People had always been important to her and in the following years when she joined various NGO’s such as Cotlands and Greenable, she felt the true social economic impact of the youth in South Africa. The time spent at Zoe-Life refined her search to assist the youth, when she began to get involved in career and skills development. Her personal motto is “Be strong, courageous and confident” which she has instilled in her family, and hopes to empower the youth with the same mentality.
TYRONE FARQUHAR
ANXIETY SPECIALIST
My life’s mission is to be instrumental in empowering teenagers and young adults who are anxious with invaluable skills and life-changing tools that they can carry throughout their lives. After being a high school teacher for some years I witnessed the unique challenges that youth face with today’s demanding societal expectations. This coupled with being a post-graduate psychology student, and years of personal experience in the field of mental health has led me to become a certified NeuroCoach specialising in anxious youth.
candice clark
TALENT ACQUISITION
I’m a curious, entrepreneurial, creative soul with a deep love for Jesus and healing in all its forms! I knew long before I finished school that I would be the master of my own destiny. My career and the life I was going to create for myself, was also front and center of mind. My deep love of people and relationships led me to completing an Honours degree in psychology, and shortly thereafter starting an incredible career in human resources and internal talent management.
darrin higgs
TRAINEE COUNSELLOR (HPCSA)
For many years I got caught up in the corporate race of trying to prove my worth. I had tried to work in multiple industries from IT, Recruitment, Sales & Marketing never feeling like I belonged. As a student the career information I needed was not available, the confusion and pressure to choose what to study was based on external motivations rather than internal. I began studying Law and Journalism at one of the top universities in South Africa, only to drop out. One thing stood the test of time, and that was my passion for helping people which lead me further down the path of studying psychology and into my final year of becoming a professional counsellor, with the aspiration of becoming an educational psychologist in the not too distant future.
our partners
our partners
STUDENT CAREER MANAGEMENT PORTAL
Career Central enables students to complete modules on their skills, personal qualities, career values, interests and work exposure as well as access career quizzes and build a CV all on one platform. Students can also undertake future-focused planning around subject selection, post-school courses and study, employability skills, goal setting, and school leaver readiness. School staff have full administrative access, report building and messaging functionality.
DATABASE/EMPLOYABILITY PORTAL
An online space where people help people. A space to explore work offers, training and tools of the trade. A space to expand, extend and exchange. DreamXchange have helped over 9 million unemployed people in South Africa into self- empowerment and self-employment. A space that connects opportunity seekers to opportunity providers, building a peoples economy.
Collaborative partner with both on-site and outreach/holiday events Impacting the youth space in the area of leadership and personal development training. Career Connect Group partners with TLT doing the career development and employability component.
CAREER GUIDANCE CENTRE DEVELOPMENT
Bushbaby Communication represents a new breed of career guidance specialists with a fresh, avant-garde approach to this key educational niche. The company’s offering is built on the effective use of innovative, digital interactive platforms and techniques for effective, content-driven career guidance.
BUSHBABY COMMUNICATIONS
CGC Design, Installation & Commissioning
Provides the design, content of the models for Career Connect Group. There is a MOU drawn up between Bushbaby & CCG that designs ideas are exclusive.
TOMORROW’S LEADERS IN TRAINING (TLT)
Collaborative partner with both on-site and outreach/holiday events Impacting the youth space in the area of leadership and personal development training. Career Connect Group partners with TLT doing the career development and employability component.
DREAM XCHANGE
Database/website portal
An online space where people help people. A space to explore work offers, training and tools of the trade. A space to expand, extend and exchange. DreamXchange have helped over 9 million unemployed people in South Africa into self- empowerment and self-employment. A space that connects opportunity seekers to opportunity providers, building a peoples economy.
CAREER LINX
Social upliftment education partner
Provides training and accredited education for the unemployed youth
CAREER CENTRAL
Student Career Management Platform
Career Central is transforming the way career education is delivered by empowering schools and career educators to better guide students through career navigation by providing schools and students with learning modules, assessments and guidelines relevant to their school year. The digital career management platform is fully customisable which allows schools to monitor and track students interests, make changes to suit their unique needs and to address key areas to improve student learning.