45th AUC Employment Fair.

Summary: The American University in Cairo recently held its 45th AUC Employment Fair, which offered more than

The American University in Cairo recently held its 45th AUC Employment Fair, which offered more than 1, 800 job opportunities in various fields, including banking, teaching, business, engineering, diplomacy and computer science, through nearly 100 local and international corporations. David D. Arnold, AUC president and Ashraf El Fiqi, vice president for student affairs addressed the corporate representatives at the fair's opening reception. Arnold provided an overview of the new the developments taking place at AUC, including the establishment of three new schools, the School of Business, the Graduate School of Education, and the School of Public Affairs.

As a regular sponsor of the event, Hatem Dewidar, CEO - Vodafone Egypt, indicated that "Vodafone seeks to recruit the best and actively participates in the regions' premier employment fair." He noted that the talent they attract helped them to "become Egypt's ideal employer for 2009. He added that Vodafone's growth plans require investing in future talent for Vodafone Egypt and Vodafone group.

Most of the Fall 2009 Employment Fair companies are returning participants, such as Schlumberger, which has attended the fair since it started in 1986. Wael Sharabash, recruiting manager of Oilfield Services, East Africa and East Mediterranean (EEG) - Schlumberger said that they consider their participation to be of great value for both Schlumberger and AUC. "It is truly an investment for the future of our employment force and is definitely an excellent opportunity for the company to identify potential interns. It is also an opportunity for AUC students and graduates to learn more about the oilfield services business and available openings for them," he said.

First time participating companies also regarded the event as being successful. "This is our first time here, and we would really like to be back next year in order to establish a relationship with AUC alumni," said Suzan Huntington, officer in charge, outreach and career development section at the United Nations. Huntington showed interest in AUC graduates for the UN growing peace-keeping operations. "I am really impressed with the quality of candidates especially that a lot of them have participated in Model United Nations (MUN) at AUC," she added.

The employment fair is one of the many services that the Office of Career Advising and Placement Services (CAPS) offers to AUC students and alumni. Introduced in 1986, it was the first employment fair to be held in the region. According to Maha Guindi, executive director of the CAPS office, the fair not only generates career opportunities to AUC students and alumni, but also serves as a channel for building a network with the corporate community. Around 50 percent of the overall jobs communicated at the fair were for entry-level positions, 40 percent were for middle management and the remaining 10 percent were senior level positions.

According to Maha Fakhry, director of recruitment services at the CAPS office,Although the economic crisis did have an effect on the number of job opportunities offered this year, it did not create a major drawback where last fall there were around 150 companies participating in the employment fair, compared to 91 companies this semester. Established in 1991, the office of Career Advising and Placement Services (CAPS) at AUC is the first university career center in the region to provide comprehensive career and recruitment services to students, alumni and employers.

The American University in Cairo (AUC) was founded 90 years ago and is a major contributor to the social, political and cultural life of the Arab Region. It is a vital bridge between East and West, linking Egypt and the region to the world through scholarly research, partnerships with academic and research institutions, and study abroad programs. An independent, nonprofit, apolitical, non-sectarian and equal opportunity institution, AUC is fully accredited in Egypt and the United States. 2009 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)

2009 Al Bawaba (Albawaba.com)

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