Oman Tourism College career fair offers job, training opportunities

Muscat: Second career fair organised by a consortium of five colleges, and held at the Oman Tourism College, concluded on Tuesday on a positive note.
The career fair, held under the slogan ‘Your way to Labour market,’ was jointly organised by the Modern College of Business and Science, the Oman Tourism College, the Arabian Open University, the Waljat College of Applied Sciences, and the Muscat College.
The fair saw the participation of more than 30 companies and agencies from the government and private sector. Together they presented more than 300 job possibilities, in addition to offering over 150 training opportunities across disciplines. The career fair was inaugurated by Sheikh Mohammed Ghalib Ali Al Hinai, advisor (Human Resource Planning) at the Ministry of Manpower.
Many workshops were held as part of the fair, including workshops on CV writing, professional ethics, and other soft skills that are crucial for students to succeed in the job market.
Efficient platform
Addressing the gathering, Sheikh Al Hinai said: “Career fairs offer one of the most efficient platforms for employers looking to hire talented graduates. I’m heartened by the presence of a number of private and government companies, offering a range of opportunities not just for jobs, but training as well. This is a fine example of the successful collaboration between academic institutions and the industry.”
He also pointed out that one of the major challenges related to employment is to align the academic qualifications and skills with the needs of the labour market; and as such the academic institutions in the Sultanate have a big mission, which is to train graduates in such a way as to make their skills relevant and useful for the labour market. This approach will go a long way in raising the percentage of Omanisation in the private sector, which is considered as the main source for jobs.
Dr. Abdulkareem Al Mughairy, the dean of Oman Tourism College, noted that “the second employment fair had succeeded in accomplishing its goals. The fair saw the highest participation from the student community, and also the industry, with a good number of government and private firms across the travel, hospitality, banking, IT and business sectors opening up a world of career possibilities for the graduates. Also, the workshops contributed to enhancing the graduates’ employability skills.”
Stressing on the importance of properly guiding the graduates to make them succeed in the job market, Dr. Ismail Baki Muhammad, psychological consultant at the Waljat College of Applied Sciences, said: “The fair reflected the colleges’ keen interest in supporting the graduates by showcasing as many training and jobs opportunities as possible for them. The role of academic institutions is not just to train the youth, but to introduce them to the labour market and help them succeed. The fair presented great job and training opportunities to the graduates.”
Badr Al Busaidi, assistant director at the Arab Open University (Oman), praised the participating companies for their positive approach towards supporting graduate job seekers. “The most important responsibility of academic institutions is to ensure that educational qualifications help graduates in getting hired.”
Commenting on the career fair, Prof. Ahmed bin Mohammed Al-Naamany, dean of Modern College of Business and Science, said such fairs helped graduates understand the real employment needs of the industry, and also allow them to interact with potential employers.