JUNE - Department of Defence

focus on youth
A fire-fighter to be reckoned with
Article and photo by Seaman J.G.
Grant, Int Com BPRO Simon's Town
A
ble Seaman Kariem Steyn, a firefighter
working at SAS SIMONS-
BERG, can be found hard at work at
any time of the day. This vivacious 22-
year-old has enjoyed many sports, eg
hockey, squash and rugby. She is an
all-rounder because, in addition to
being athletic, she holds many academic
certificates.
She is Fire-Fighter Part I and II
qualified and has completed her
Hazardous Material Awareness and
Operational Course. She is also a qualified
Basic Administrative Assistant.
Able Seaman Steyn is in her second
year of volunteering her free time to
the False Bay Emergency Medical
Services.
This well-motivated fire-fighter
was born in Pretoria and grew up with
her twin brother in Polokwane. After
matriculating at Piet Retief High
School, they both applied for and did
their military basic training at SAS
SALDANHA. Not only has she found
doing these courses enjoyable and
Able Seaman Kariem Steyn.
pleasant, but it has also empowered her
to save the lives of the average person
and prevent loss of life or damage to
equipment.
The fireman course is imperative for
the SA Navy fire fighters because it
equips them with the necessary skills to
combat potentially devastating damage
(fire and other hazards) to key units and
installations. The SA Navy is there to
fight at sea, to win at sea and to be
unchallenged at sea. To realise this mission
and vision, the Navy requires competent
sailors ashore who
will ensure the safety of
land-based units so that
there is still a place for the
sailors to return to.
Able Seaman Steyn
joined the SA Navy in 2004
and has since then also
become a junior leader. Her
studies and resulting qualifications
have taken her to
many places over the years.
A very memorable experience
for her was her voyage
to the UK during which she
served as an extra hand.
Though she enjoys these learning
opportunities, it comes at a price. She
often misses the simple pleasures and
comforts of her own flat.
She can be found on various days
performing her 24 hour, round-theclock
duties, throughout the year. She
believes that in order to gain something,
she has got to be willing to sacrifice
something. In this case it is her
time. It is a great comfort to know that
our safety at work is in such capable
hands.
Career Portfolios for
MSDS Trainees
42
By Capt J.J. Snyman,
Designer COLET
The Military Skills Development
System (MSDS) allows
young South African adults,
mainly school leavers, to
undergo military training
and utilisation, and provides
them with an opportunity to
develop personally and professionally
through exposure to a variety of military
working environments. Before
long MSDS trainees have a host of
training and work experiences, giving
them new knowledge and skills, which
S A S O L D I E R J U N E 2 0 0 7
makes them more valuable as potentially
productive SA citizens. To keep track
of this frenetic period of personal and
professional development, MSDS
trainees need a frame of reference, or a
tool and some guidelines, to manage
their career history and evidence of
achievements.
A career portfolio (CP) offers a simple
and rewarding tool for managing
personal career achievements and information.
It develops valuable skills and
can be a helpful marketing tool in further
military - or alternative career choices.
More importantly, the task of portfolio
creation, which should be a life-long
one, offers trainees the precious opportunity
to know themselves better and
to realise that learning never stops.
Those who take the trouble to keep an
accurate, concise, logical and visually
appealing portfolio of evidence as a
reflection of their experiences and
achievements (POE being a term well
familiar to the current younger generation
exposed to outcomes based education),
may have a decided advantage in
future career endeavours because they
offer hard evidence of work performance
and skills mastery - not only
fancy words, unsubstantiated claims or
imaginative embellishments.