Ashesi University held its first ever Career Fair on Saturday 4th November at their campus on 2nd Norla, Labone. In attendance were Ecobank, Barclays, Newmont Ghana, PriceWaterHouseCoopers, Ernst & Young, CDH Insurance, Rancard Solutions, Land Tours, Nestlé, Origin8 Saatchi & Saatchi, Explainer DC, Busy Internet, Combert Impressions, Life Link, Alisa Hotel and Business & Financial Times. The event was held courtesy of the University’s Career Services Center.
“We at Ashesi believe in giving our students ‘post university care’--it is our way of bridging the gap between the corporate world and the school environment," said the University’s Career Services Director, Ms. Lebene Ledi. “Career Services is about enabling our students to make a successful transition from school to work,” Ms. Ledi said.
The presence of these 16 companies was instrumental in assisting the university to give students concrete tools to use in the workplace by providing them with appropriate guidelines relevant to their area of study. These guidelines were carefully outlined in individual half hour Power Point presentations made by nine of the participating companies. Topics discussed included the recruitment process and manager trainee programmes. Company representatives also had the chance to interact with students and answer questions. Students were happy about openness of the representatives.
“Not only did the career fair help me to understand the business objectives and the aims of some of the biggest companies in Ghana but it also provided me with key contacts in the business world and an exciting day out,” says Kwabena Owusu-Adjei, a freshman.
Company representatives were equally happy with the interaction and turnout of the students, as the venue was buzzing with over ninety percent of the student population participating.
“The students of Ashesi have an incredible edge over their friends in other universities and this fair greatly attests to it,” Rolland Djan Jr., the HR Manager of Ecobank.
Highlights of the fair included appearances of Alumni from the previous graduating class who were happy to share their working experience with current students. Also featuring at the event was a CV Clinic run by faculty members, Dr. Suzanne Buchele and Janice Litchman. Several students took advantage of this and came away from the sessions brandishing a revised CV that better advertised their backgrounds and abilities, as well as informative brochures on how to make this process easier in the future.
By the end of the day no one left empty handed. Students went home knowing more about the background of participating companies and how they could utilize their education to efficiently contribute to the workforce. Each company left with a CV portfolio from the graduating Class of 2006 and a better understanding of what to expect from students that complete an Ashesi education.
“This has been a mutual learning experience and a totally enlightening one. We expect a lot from our friends here at Ashesi because they understand what it takes to succeed,” said Comfort Ocran, of Combert Impressions.