Career Development Center

Article Index

4. Objectives of Career Development Center

The center is committed to helping prepare undergraduate students to make a smooth transition from studying students to working employees or entrepreneurs. The center will provide professional development counseling and advice that will enable students to have a competitive edge in the job market.

 EDC at HU assists undergraduate students and alumni with all aspects of career planning, including choosing a career, exploring career-related interests, developing relevant soft skills and job search strategies for employment, applying to graduate school as well as enhancing their entrepreneurial orientations. Generally speaking, EDC will help to produce first degree graduates with high employability or entrepreneur skills which directly contribute to the youth unemployment problem in Ethiopia. Specifically, the center aims to:

 

  • Help students know how to write CV, develop job hunting skills, present for interview, develop communication skills, build confidence, write application letter, be ethical in employment skill, develop time management skill, develop entrepreneurial skill, etc. so as to build employers' trust on HU's undergraduates.
  • Provide opportunities for students who want to develop their creativity, innovation, enterprise and entrepreneurial interests and start up businesses.
  • Help undergraduate students prepare to enter the professional workforce and teach them to be leaders by providing both personal development and career development trainings and workshops.
  • Provide students with free resources and prepare them for experiential learning (Internships & Jobs).
  • Create networking, information sharing and communication center(contact point) where employers & key stakeholders can find information (background check) about prospective graduates.
  • Create consistent ties to different organizations and employers and maintain relationships with them who then participate in the university’s job fairs/expos.
  • Develop and provide variety of events(job fairs, expos, information booth, information sessions, and on campus interview program) to connect students and employers.
  • Provide informational networks that involve alumni and business professionals as resources in support of the career development of students.
  • Conducts the annual graduate employment survey (Tracer Study).

5. The Status of EDC Services in Hawassa University

Currently, HU has 8 colleges, 2 institutes where there is no well functioning Employability EDC; however, it is worth noting that the university has embraced the importance of equipping its students with the required job hunting and entrepreneurial skills through Deliverology Unit.

Now, the university has decided to establish the EDC located at the university's Main Campus in the Building of Institute of Policy, Development & Research (IPDR). This location is selected for the very reasons that it is the Center of Main Campus, it is also housed other student affairs' services and Gender & HIV/AIDS Directorate, is convenient for the  center to have separate spaces for advising and career information, internship & employment services, and additional classrooms for seminars and workshops.

6. Services to be Offered by CDC

For CDC services to be successful, apt and of added value to the students, it will have to be founded and consistently set on principles and values that take into consideration expressed needs and choices of the students and the university at large. To achieve this, the center looks to cater to several stakeholders in the university. In addition, the center will have to adhere to the values and dreams of each college/institute keeping in mind its mission and vision. Thus, to achieve its mandate, CDC will be committed to provide the following services.

6.1 Career Clinic

The CDC is designed to grow into center of excellence and leadership that will be fully owned by HU for providing consistent support and guidance to students as they face challenges of entering professional workforce. The center will prepare the ground for more systemized career guidance to students and will culminate in a career week, job fair and career expo which  will be organized once or twice a year.

 

The first component of CDC will be Career Clinic established at the university. The clinic will be staffed by two career counselors at CDC, and college/institute coordinators and be equipped with computers and internet to provide career guidance and advice on a one-to-one basis at the college/institute. The purpose of the Career Clinic is to present a forum where students can receive counseling about finding a job that matches their interests and qualifications, on writing CVs and interview tips. The career counselors will be available to review CVs and provide practical guidelines.

 

The counselors in the center and college/institute coordinators are trained professionals who can provide career guidance, organize and facilitate different trainings and events to help the students have career development skills. They will be trained by HU Partners(Save the Children, GIZ). They will have all the necessary information to become effective counselors and coordinators. Assistants will also be recruited from attending students and will be working on a part-time basis for small internship stipend.

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