Entrepreneurship Project at Hawassa University

Improving graduates employability including self-employability has been the main challenge on higher education (HE) in Ethiopia. HE institutions have recently been expanding at a faster rate than ever before. This has meant a significant quantitative increase in student enrolment and recruitment of more young graduates as staff in order to satisfy the growing demand for HEIs in the country. This represents a significant challenge with regard to the capacity of universities as well as employability of new graduates.

Hawassa University (HU) and the University of Leeds (UoL)  have currently secured a British Council project, funded by the UK Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), which is entitled
"Engendering Entrepreneurship for Ethiopia (EE4E) or from hereby known as the "Entrepreneurship Project."

The project intends to upgrade the competence of university staff and students, beginning at Hawassa University (HU). This initiative will begin in the Informatics Department and to then extend to other departments of HU.

While the HU mission statement is to contribute to Ethiopian society by encouraging entrepreneurship and technology transfer through teaching, research, and consultancy services, there are no Employment-Related Advisory Services or graduate fairs available to HU students where potential employers and employees are brought together.

This project will develop academic staff understandings of the interplay between research and teaching practice, and to enhance these skills by including an enterprise and employability agenda in the curriculum. The project also enables to carry out Enterprise Skills Needs Analysis to know the precise skills required by employers.

Graduate Job Fair at Hawassa University
Invitation for Employers: Your Platform for Innovative Recruitment

In many countries, Graduate Job Fairs are known to create direct links between the potential job seekers and employers. They serve as a market place for those wishing employment and those who want to recruit and employ. Such a service has not been available to students at Hawassa University.

Through Engendering Entrepreneurship 4 Ethiopia (EE4E), supported by the British Council's Education Partnerships in Africa (EPA) and UK government's Department for Business, Innovations and Skills, and in collaboration with the University of Leeds, Hawassa University wants to undertake the Graduate/Job Fair on 7 June 2010.

The objective of the Graduate/Job Fair at HU is to provide a platform for quality and innovative recruiting for employers who can invest in human resource at a lower cost, and for students who will have a chance to display their talents/knowledge and skills before leaving university.

In other words, the job fair will be an event where potential candidates and employer institutions will have the opportunity to meet each other face to face and open doors for interaction on career and employment opportunities.

Both the employee and the employer need to come to the event with information about themselves. As an employer, you can bring: publications, leaflets, and more importantly a representative/s who explains and answers questions that students might have or even products to demonstrate. You expect students to come as if ready for job, having their CVs and any other information relevant for the recruitment process such as email address, mobile/phone number or address details through which they can be reached in future.
What are the benefits to you, as an employer?

• Saves valuable management time, on selecting the best candidate
• Reduces or eliminates advertising cost
• Increases you choice of candidates for a given job
• Minimizes financial risk and increases your returns on personnel investment.

As an employer of our students, you are invited to take part in the event on 7 June 2010.
The job event is organized by the International Relations office/Entrepreneurship Project Coordination Office, Alumni and Admissions Directorate and Student Union.
For more information about the event, contact:
Tel: +251 462 205 311 or +251 462 209 676
Email us at : ep@hu.edu.et
website: http://www.hu.edu.et/?q=node/154