AUC’S 56th Employment Fair Reflects Growth of Job Market in Egypt

May 7, 2015, Cairo – The Career Center at The American University in Cairo (AUC) organized its 56th Employment Fair earlier this week in the New Cairo campus. The fair hosted 81 local and multinational companies operating in Egypt and the Gulf region. In her opening speech, AUC President Lisa Anderson said, “With the increase in the number of participating companies over last November fair and the announcement of more than 1200 career opportunities in today’s event, we are optimistic to witness those positive indicators as a sign for the regaining of the job market strengths.”The students and alumni had the opportunity to network with more than 400 company representatives, offering career opportunities in various industries, including banking and finance, engineering, fast moving consumer goods, retail, transportation and shipping, and information technology. “The Employment Fair has been and will always be a key job market place where the graduates who are seeking employment can connect easily with employers looking for talent,” said Vice President for Student Affairs, Kahled Dahawy. Addressing employers, Anderson added, “In line with our vision as a global university in the heart of Cairo, we are committed to equip our graduates with the required global employability skills that address the needs of the global community.”  Commenting on the required skills, the Managing Director of Unilever Mashreq, Ashraf Bakry said, “There are general standard skills we look for like leadership, teamwork and other customized skills like how to react and be resilient, and have a high level of adaptability.” AUC’s Career Center was established in 1991 as the first University career center in the Middle East that provides comprehensive employment and recruitment services to students, alumni and employers. For many years, the Career Center has educated students and alumni for lifelong career planning, providing assistance in identifying professional objectives, designing and implementing job-search strategies, as well as exploring experiential learning, employment and postgraduate opportunities.  “The career center plays an important role in facilitating the transition of students from the university life to the labor market through contributing to their career planning process, equipping them with the required job search skills, and generating job shadowing, internship and job opportunities,” said Maha Guindi, executive director of the Career Center. She added that AUC’s Career Center is capitalizing on its expertise in the area of career guidance and is contributing to the establishment and operation of three employability and career development centers – with funding from the United States Agency for International Development, at Suez Canal University and Ain Shams University’s main campus and faculty of engineering.