AUC Launches Two Career Centers at Ain Shams University, Trains Youth

Committed to helping Egyptian youth meet job market demands, AUC’s Career Center launched two Employability and Career Development Centers (ECDCs) at Ain Shams University’s main campus and Faculty of Engineering.

“The ECDCs at Ain Shams University (ASU) aim at supporting ASU students in their career planning process, offering an array of services including résumé writing techniques, interview preparation, career planning assistance and job search guidance,” said Maha Fakhry, director of recruitment and employer relations at AUC’s Career Center. “The centers act as a main link between employers and ASU graduates, organizing employment fairs, as well as posting job and internship opportunities.”

To date, more than 1,000 ASU students have completed the employability skills training offered by AUC’s Career Center. The training program, titled Employability Skills Building, is unique to Ain Shams University’s ECDCs and is offered in addition to the other typical career services. The centers also provide additional services, including English classes, business development courses and corporate-sponsored technical tracks.

“We are proud of the fruitful collaboration between AUC and ASU that resulted in the establishment of two employability and career development centers,” said President Lisa Anderson during the inauguration ceremony. “AUC is keen to be of service to the Egyptian community and is glad to share its expertise in the area of career guidance to help ASU students acquire the career planning, job search and soft skills that would help them land satisfactory employment.”

The key goal of the ECDC project is to equip students with the right skills for the world of work and to take an active role in developing a generation of career-educated graduates who possess the right skills for today’s job market, thereby bridging the gap between education and employment needs.

“In the ECDC project, AUC's Career Center is investing its 24 years of experience in career education to build the capacities of career guidance professionals at various Egyptian universities in order to support their students throughout the career planning process,” said Maha Guindi, executive director of AUC’s Career Center. “By supplying students with basic job search skills, as well as interview and résumé-building tips, we are ensuring that they are leaving university with expertise that will benefit them for life.”

The ECDC at Ain Shams University is part of a larger project that commenced in June 2012 and is funded by the United States Agency for International Development in response to employers’ concerns that today’s graduates do not have the required skills for the job market. The project has AUC’s Career Center utilizing funds and allocating space at Egyptian national universities, including Suez Canal University, to establish employability and career development centers that replicate the Career Center model at AUC.

AUC’s Career Center was established in 1991 as the first University career center in the Middle East that provides comprehensive employment and recruitment services to students, alumni and employers. For many years, the Career Center has educated students and alumni for lifelong career planning, providing assistance in identifying professional objectives, designing and implementing job search strategies, as well as exploring experiential learning, employment and postgraduate opportunities.

Photo caption: AUC launches two employability and career development centers at Ain Shams University. The event was attended by Lisa Anderson, AUC president; Hussein Eissa, president of Ain Shams University; and Amr Salama, University counselor at AUC.