The Office of Career Services participated in the USIU Career Fair for 2019 themed Anticipate, Create, Actualize Career Opportunities on Thursday 25^th July, 2019. 35 Student Career Ambassadors attended the symposium a

The event was aimed at enabling knowledge sharing as well as to expose students to the changing trends in the world of work. As part of the career Fair activities, USIU held a symposium for students to challenge their thinking as they plan their transition into the world of work.

In her opening remarks, the USIU-Africa DVC Student Affairs, Prof. Wangari Mwai emphasized on nurturing careers, creating opportunities to learn more and actualizing of a career.

The keynote speech for the symposium was delivered by Ms. Stella Atela, the Senior HR Business Partner at the World Food Program. Stella spoke about students transitioning to the world of work which is evolving rapidly. Technology is a key force of change that has re-shaped every job and work is now increasingly augmented by technology. From her Keynote address, Ms. Atela indicated that according to a 2019 LinkedIn report, the top 5 employability skills employers look out for include Creativity, Persuasion, Adaptability, Time Management and Collaboration. Students were encouraged to apply for the WFP Internship and UN Volunteer program six months before or after graduation.

A panel discussion moderated by Michael Oyier discussed the topic ‘Decoding the future of work: Exploring the Gig-Economy’; self-employment and traditional career pathways’.  The panelists were Lorna Kanyuga (Gig Economy), Tei Mukunya (Azuri Health), Roy Gitahi (Art at Work), Adams Tuva and Victor Mulindi. A common factor of all the panelists is that they are all entrepreneurs and gave real life practical skills and experiences to the students on how to begin and run their businesses.

From the panel discussions, students were encouraged to plan their career lives, know their passion and strive to become experts in their areas of interest. Despite the fact that it is tough getting a job in Kenya today, if one is prepared for the world of work, is open minded and works smart, they are likely to secure an opportunity in the job market.

This opportunity to participate in the USIU-Africa Career Fair and symposium opened up the minds of the students and it is hoped they will tap into the advice given to focus on building their skills to secure a job or begin their own businesses.