Sheikha Bodour with officials during the inauguration.

Gulf Today, Staff Reporter

Sheikha Bodour Bint Sultan Al Qasimi, President of the American University of Sharjah (AUS), inaugurated the AUS Career Fair 2023 on March 15 on the AUS campus in the presence of 1,500 students and alumni. The students in attendance were eager to explore the variety of career and internship opportunities made available by 65 international and national participating organisations.

Organised by the Office of Advancement and Alumni Affairs (OAAA), the popular event connected students and alumni with top recruiters who were actively seeking to hire talented individuals. Amena Saad, Senior Industrial Engineering Student at AUS, said: “I was pleasantly surprised with the variety of employers that took part in this year’s event.

A common experience I had with all the companies I met with was that they were all very welcoming, friendly and highly approachable which I appreciated a lot and was very comfortable as well. My main goal from attending is to seek an internship and I am very hopeful that I will manage to do so based on the interactions that I had today which have been generally very positive."

The AUS Career Fair was preceded by the AUS Career Forum that was held virtually on March 14. Students and alumni had the opportunity to benefit from a workshop on the dos and the don'ts of CV writing which was delivered by Crescent Enterprises, the event’s strategic partner. “The annual Career Fair is one of the most important opportunities AUS offers its students and alumni to explore employment and internship opportunities, expand their network and get comfortable with professional settings.

We are proud this year to see that the number of participating recruiters has increased, with new organisations joining us this year in the AUS Career Fair. AUS is committed to supporting and preparing students for the future, and we are proud to be working closely with industry partners to launch our students into the world,” said Dr. Susan Mumm, Chancellor of AUS. Speaking about the importance of the AUS Career Fair, Tushar Singhvi, Deputy CEO and Head of Investments at Crescent Enterprises, said: “At Crescent Enterprises, we recognise the importance of empowering students with the necessary skills and guidance to succeed in their future careers.

We believe that investing in the next generation of talent not only benefits our organisation but also contributes to the development of a skilled workforce for the broader economy. According to research, the MENA region must create over 33.3 million jobs by 2030 to reduce overall unemployment to 5%. As a strategic partner of the American University of Sharjah Career Fair, we have the opportunity to connect with talented individuals and present them with the support they need to achieve their professional goals, providing them with opportunities to showcase their skills, network with potential employers, and gain valuable insights into the job market.

Our commitment to empowering young talent is a key part of Crescent Enterprises’ mission to drive innovation, growth, and progress in the communities we operate in and beyond.” The AUS Career Fair was supported by AUS institutional advancement sponsors BEEAH Group, Crescent Petroleum, EMAAR and Sharjah National Oil Corporation (SNOC).

The event’s other sponsors included the platinum sponsor ADNOC; gold sponsors Abu Dhabi Accountability Authority | Supreme Audit Institution, Nestle and Procter & Gamble; silver sponsors Dubai Multi Commodities Centre (DMCC), COTY, MARS, Network International, Salama Bint Hamdan Al Nahyan and United Engineering Consultants (UNEC); and bronze partners Cummins Arabia, Gulftainer, HP Enterprise, L’Oreal Middle East, Mercer, National Food Products Company (NFPC), PwC, Transmed, Unilever and Wacker Chemicals. On March 10, the American University of Sharjah (AUS) celebrated its annual Global Day, a festival of culture and colour.

Sheikha Bodour Bint Sultan Al Qasimi, President of AUS, inaugurated the event, which is one of the university’s most anticipated celebrations of the cultural heritage of the AUS community. The AUS is a close-knit community that embraces diversity, providing a rich and supportive environment to its students to thrive as they become outward-looking and responsible individuals ready to join the world. This has earned AUS a place among the top five universities with the highest percentage of international students, according to the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings (2022).