21 August 2019 – A Graduate Career Fair 2019 was held for the very first time and will become an annual affair at the International Medical University (IMU) commencing this year. Celebrated together with the launching of the Graduate Career Fair was the launch of the Career Readiness Passport, both under the jurisdiction of the Industry Partnerships and Career Development Unit. The fair was held with the aim of providing students from the various schools in IMU with the opportunity to interact and collaborate with healthcare industries and other related industries. The launch was officiated by Prof Peter Pook, Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic), accompanied by A/Prof Rokiah Don and Prof Patricia Lim. The Deputy Vice Chancellor of IMU, in his speech, stated that, he hoped the Graduate Career Fair 2019 will provide an interactive and inspiring experience that engages students, graduates and possible employers. Held at the Atrium of the University’s campus in Bukit Jalil from 10:00am until 4:00pm, the fair had the presence of 24 industry partners from medical, healthcare providers, pharmaceutical, retail pharmaceutical wellness, food and beverage, insurance and banking industries in an exhibition. This exhibition gave graduating students and alumni from various schools of IMU the opportunity to introduce themselves, talk about their skills and make important connections with potential future employers. During the exhibition, there were 5 concurrent talks. The topics of these talks had been pre-selected by students based on their interests.
| Five Talks at Graduate Career Fair 2019 |
|---|
| Career Opportunity with Vida Joie Chiropractic Centre |
| Income Generation with Caregiver Asia |
| Malaysia Health and Fitness Entrepreneurs by Revzon Asia |
| Working Culture by Johnson & Johnson |
| Forum on Entrepreneurship by Duopharma Biotech Berhad |
The Career Readiness Passport initiated by the Industry Partnerships and Career Development Unit was also launched during the ceremony. In officiating the launch Prof Peter Pook commented, ‘’Career Development Unit (CDU) was established in 2017 as part of IMU’s effort in assisting graduating students in making their career choices, academic planning and exploring future professions and placement opportunities. CDU is dedicated to assist students in their career development, career research and further advise students on career opportunities.”
He added, ‘’This passport serves as a guide for students on what to do from time to time throughout their university journey in terms of their career planning and development.’’ This passport will demonstrate on the importance of developing one’s career path and facilitate students’ search for the most suitable career that will enrich them to make a lifelong difference.
There are a total of 4 checkpoints in the entire passport. Each checkpoint outlines key activities to be followed and taken up by students. The Career Readiness Passport programme will expose students to career talks and seminars by inspirational leaders and entrepreneurs. All these activities will be recorded and verified in the passport. This programme would act as platform where all the elements needed in preparing students towards future career are clearly described, including acquiring interview skills, writing appropriate Cover Letter and Curriculum Vitae as well as developing professional portfolio online. The checklist in the passport ensures consistency and completeness in carrying out the task with guidance from Career Development Unit (CDU). A giant mock-up of the passport was revealed during the official launch. This passport will be made available for distribution to students through Programme Directors. Students and faculty who are keen and would like to know more about the passport are more than welcome to drop by at CDU.
