August 11, 2014

Students explore their future in the Illawarra region at UOW careers expo

Hundreds of students turned out to hear from local industry representatives at this year’s Illawarra Showcase and Spring Careers Expo on August 6 and 7.

Students from all disciplines attended the event where local businesses showcased local career paths and business representatives participated in a series of informative panel discussion to give students an insight into how the Illawarra labour market operates.

On Wednesday 6 August, an impressive line-up of local professionals joined the Illawarra Ambassador panel, including NSW Ports CEO Dom Figliomeni, CEO of Regional Development Australia for the Illawarra, Natalie Burroughs, and Deb Murphy, CEO of the Illawarra Business Chamber.

Warrigal Care chief executive Mark Sewell was part of the health and community services panel and, according to an Illawarra Mercury report, said the health and community services sector is number two in the Illawarra and will continue to grow.

“We know there's going to be more and more and more aged people between 60 and 100 in this region who are going to need those services and support," Mr Sewell said, as quoted by the newspaper.

Also on the panel was the Chief Executive of Figtree Private Hospital, David Crowe, who had some practical career advice to share, saying that people often stumble across job opportunities once involved in the industry.

“You don’t realise the sort of scope there is in a job until you start,” he said.

Read the Illawarra Mercury report: Close as you get to an Illawarra ‘job for life’

UOW Business Development Manager Nuala O’Donnell was delighted with the enthusiasm and high calibre expertise of the employer panels and exhibitors. According to Ms O'Donnell, more than 50 local organisations participated in the event, which was aptly named “Live the dream”.

"Employers were overwhelmed with the outstanding response and interest displayed by UOW students. Many employers stated their desire to keep our local talent here in the region and said they believed the event was an excellent way to highlight current and future employment opportunities," Ms O'Donnell said.

The Illawarra Showcase and Spring Careers Expo is organised by UOW Careers Central. More information about the event can be found online.