A student enquires about job opportunities at Great Eastern, one of 60 companies that participated in UCSI University’s Career Fair this year

Participants of UCSI University’s Career Fair 2010 at the ribbon cutting ceremony to officiate the opening of the event

Visitors filling in job applications

Kuala Lumpur, 19 March 2010 - Maintaining high employability for its students is one of the priority goals of UCSI University. With this in mind, the University’s Student Affairs Office recently organised one of the largest Career Fairs on campus to introduce students to 60 reputable companies, including Glaxo Smith Kline, Prudential, Parkson, Malaysian Institute of Accountants, Great Eastern Life Assurance and Accenture. The three-day event drew almost 1000 students and members of the public who visited booths, attended talks given by industry professionals and took personality tests to discover which careers they are more suited to.

More than 200 jobs were on offer during the fair, with about a dozen interviews conducted on site. This was among the new initiatives taken by the University’s Student Affairs Office, which gave students an opportunity to have on-the-spot interviews, as well as experience a real interview process conducted by personnel from high-profile companies.

The Career Fair is also an avenue for UCSI University students who will be pursuing their Co-Operative Industry Placement (Co-Op) programme, to interview for internships with companies that offer job openings. The Co-Op programme enables students to conduct internship at least 2 months every year, beginning from their first year of studies. About 200 curricula vitae were submitted during the fair.

According to Mr. Moses Ling Wei, UCSI University’s Vice President of Student Affairs, there are many plans in the future to expand the University’s network to include more companies in the Co-Operative Industry Placement Programme. “Currently, we have more than 800 industry partners, and the Career Fair is just one of the annual events we have lined-up to introduce students to the industry and vice-versa.” He added that they are also looking into producing their own publication to showcase UCSI University students who have made it in their respective industries as well as be a handy guide to students who are looking for employment.

Currently, plans are underway to organise a bigger Career Fair next year, with participation by more companies.