On March 22, 2019, Academic City organized its maiden
Career Fair to create a platform for students to network with companies from different
industries across the continent and to secure internship opportunities, which
will grant them the experience they need to be successful in their professional
lives.
The fair, which helped students to gain a greater
appreciation of the professional opportunities available to them to develop their
career potential, was organized by the Career Services department under the Office
of the Student and Community Affairs and welcomed representatives from 28 companies
including General Electric (GE), Ecobank, Vodafone, Kosmos Innovation Center,
Databank Financial Services, MainOne, Unilever, Growth Mosaic, Primetime,
Universal Merchant Bank, and many more.
“My first impression of the school was extremely
positive,” said Eli Adadevoh, Senior Commercial Manager at GE Power.
“I like
the fact that Academic City organized an event like this. I schooled at KNUST,
and during my four years there, I admit that there was no such opportunity for
me as a student. I’ve worked in organizations over the years and I have seen
the value that some of these events bring to students. So, kudos to Academic
City for putting this together,” Mr. Adadevoh added.
Prior
to the Fair, students had undergone a series of career-readiness sessions to prepare
and equip them with the know-how and tools they need to present themselves promisingly
and seek internship opportunities successfully at the Career Fair. These
included sessions such as a CV writing workshop, developing their elevator
pitch, interviewing, identifying their preferred jobs and places of employment,
and cleaning and boosting their social media and professional profiles.
“Academic City’s students are
very brilliant,” said Clara Asempapa, a representative from the Corporate
Affairs Department at Kosmos Innovation Center. “Although most of the students
I spoke to were in their first year, I was impressed by their CVs, which showed
that aside schooling, they were engaged in several meaningful extra-curricular
activities.”
The fair also featured a talk by Mr.
Abubakar Sulemana, Chief Information Officer of General Electric (GE) Africa
and CEO for GE Ghana, who shared some personal lessons about hard work,
humility, and goal-setting that have helped him to chart his successful career.
GE works with governments, corporate customers, and other stakeholders to find
solutions to infrastructural challenges in power, healthcare, oil and gas, and Mr.
Sulemana’s work at GE has focused on driving technology solutions to provide
better services for clients through IT while also generating revenue. As the
CIO for Africa, he drives GE’s strategic IT programs on the continent.
“Hearing Mr. Sulemana speak about
his journey and his focus on hard work and relationship-building inspired me
to cherish the opportunities I have here at Academic City, and to work hard to
build strong networks before I leave,” said freshwoman Harriet Fiagbor, Computer
Science and Engineering.
“I think this Career Fair has
been a good initiative by Academic City to help students like me to have an idea of what is waiting for us out there once we get out of university,” said
Isaac Thierry N’Kouka, a sophomore studying IT.
“Although I don’t have much on my
CV, I quickly realized that what really mattered was the first impression I
made,” said freshwoman, Mary Gaewu, Computer Science and Engineering. “The whole experience was amazing because I got to learn more about each company and
what they do, to help me to figure out my career path,” she added.
“Our maiden Career Fair went very well; we received positive
and exciting feedback from the companies that attended, and the students looked
content with the outcome”, said Giselle Osei, Academic City’s Careers Services
Manager. She added that “Although the students were a little nervous (as expected)
because this was their first experience at a Career Fair, they quickly overcame
that nervousness and turned it into confidence, recalling all the workshops
that they had attended as preparation for this important milestone.”
“Students were able to discuss with the companies their
skills, ask relevant questions and inquire about possible internship
opportunities. I believe the company representatives also made it fun and
engaging for our students during the interactions. Overall, it was a
successful event, and we look forward to a bigger Career Fair next year,” Mrs.
Osei said, beaming.
Academic City plans to host similar, and larger career fairs
on an annual basis. To follow up from this event, the Career Services department
will now embark on achieving the next milestone of converting the fair’s
interactions into actual internship opportunities for students for summer 2019.
