Centre For Career Development
Organisation of Qualifications & Awards
Organisation of Qualifications & Awards
One of the core values of OQA is to establish it as an all-inclusive learning provider which aims to deliver easily accessible premium education to all communities.
It as a learner driven organisation which recognizes and fulfills the varying needs of learners beyond university level education.
For that purpose, OQA has established the Centre for Career Development in order to provide students with additional skills and knowledge which can lead to better career opportunities within organisations which are seeking to recruit and develop a quality workforce.
The Centre for Career Development works in tandem with the academic and professional qualifications sections of OQA and it provides comprehensive programmes, activities, and services that assist students, alumni, and community members to prepare for finding suitable employment.
The Skills Enhancement and Career Development programme concentrates on developing resume/CV writing, interviewing skills, job-search strategies, starting their own business and provide a deeper understanding of the fit between their competencies and employment opportunities and requirements.
OQA’s Skills Enhancement and Career Development programme provides assistance and training which can benefit:
Current students are encouraged to attend the Skills Enhancement and Career Development programme in its entirety so it can facilitate the achievement of their career goals in a challenging and competitive job market nationally and internationally. The Skills Enhancement and Career Development programme can assist students with all of their career preparation needs starting in the first-year of study through to completion of undergraduate and graduate studies.
We recognize that alumni face different challenges to current students, whether they are undertaking a career change, dealing with a job loss, or developing their job search skills. We also encourage OQA alumnus to attend the Skills Enhancement and Career Development programme with the academic partner where they completed their studies
Academic institutions establish close links with employers who can provide training, internships, part-time or full-time employment to graduates of that institution. These professional links provide confidence to students, parents and sponsors that the education and qualifications provided by the academic institution can lead to a rewarding career and long term employment.OQA’s Skills Enhancement and Career Development programme provides an additional re-assurance to local employers that graduating students have the appropriate academic qualifications and knowledge but by completing this programme they have acquired additional skills and confidence which can prove invaluable in a work environment.
OQA academic programmes are supported by the Skills Enhancement and Career Development programme and our academic partners can provide valuable professional development services to their students by adopting this programme.Students may be academically well equipped but unless they can respond to the rigorous challenges of the work place, employment opportunities may be restricted
The programme can be completed over a period of 20-25 hours and it covers the following areas of training and development
The programme will be supported by Career Counselling sessions, conferences and seminars which will be organized by OQA’s academic partners.
Academic institutions worldwide must follow directives set out by the local Ministries of Education obliging them to provide career counselling and support to students, beyond the academic curriculum of individual degrees.
Each academic institution will follow its own career counselling approach but the main benefit of OQA’s Skills Enhancement and Career Development programme is that it provides the key ingredients that students and alumni will need in order to benefit fully from career counselling sessions or seminars.
This is a key area in the process of obtaining rewarding employment and our expert advisors recommend the following:CVs should always contain:
Include name, email, contact phone number and address. Ensure these are clearly presented at the top of your CV.
The personal statement is a key section which can assist applicants to stand out It should explain who the applicant is, what they can offer and also what they are looking for from a particular employment. One short and informative paragraph should suffice
This section should include all the relevant work experience starting with the most recent. Job title, the name of the organisation, time in post, and all key duties and responsibilities should be listed.
Applicants can use this section in order to explain how their previous experiences have given you the skills needed for the new role and should highlight how they would apply them to the new role
The educational experience and achievements should be listed in this section, along with dates, the type of qualification and/or the grade/s achieved.
It is always interesting to highlight hobbies and interests which can contribute to the presentation of parson who can combine work commitments with interesting activities outside the work environment
Depending on the position or role and depending on the expectations of the recruiting organisation, applicants must be prepared to provide academic references, character references and work references.
Appropriate keywords for your CV could include:
A badly structured or confusing CV probably will not assist in getting a job interview The best advice includes
The job interview is the most important part of student job search. This is when applicants have the opportunity to explain their qualifications, demonstrate their personality, and indicate the contribution they can make to the operations of the potential employer.
The OQA academic partners will organise mock interviews, explain the different types of job interviews, prepare sample questions and advise on personal presentation.
Developing an applicant’s ability to handle potentially stressful or challenging interviews can ultimately lead to a rewarding work appointment.
There are numerous types of job interviews and applicants should be prepared to meet the challenges each interview situation may bring:
Screening interviews are used to determine whether applicants are suitably qualified to progress to the interview proper. Applicants should be prepared to answer questions on education, experience and skills, and motivation for applying to the job. Companies will use a screening interview as a quick, lower cost alternative to conducting a large number of costly interviews.
Applicants are advised to:
The availability of new technologies and video conferencing platforms such as Zoom, Skype, and Microsoft Teams, enable potential employers to interview applicants remotely.
Organisations across all industries now use virtual interviews to save time and money
Applicants must be made aware of the following:
If applicants know the name and position of the interviewer, research the background of the interviewer through the company’s website, social media etc
This type of interview is designed to determine whether the past performance of the applicants can be used as an indicator of how the applicants will perform in the new work environment.
This type of interview is used across many industries, and they seek to determine whether the applicant will fit into their culture.
Applicants must be made aware of the following:
This type of interview is conducted by two or more interviewers of the recruiting organisation. The purpose of this type of job interview is to assess the applicants’ communication style, ability to build rapport, and how they perform under pressure. This type of interview method is widely used by academic institutions and government organisations.
Applicants should be prepared to:This is possibly the most traditional and often the most used interview method where the interviewer has direct face to face contact with the applicant.
It is often a high-pressure situation especially when a number of applicants are interviewed in the same period of time and employers can use the way applicants respond to pressure as an indicator of how they might cope with the daily challenges associated with the role
Applicants should be:One of the key areas of the Skills Enhancement and Career Development Programme is to highlight to students the importance and value of social media platforms in developing a profile, job searches, liaising with other social contacts, monitoring job opportunities and accelerate their social skills and learning.
The social media can also extend students' experiences outside the classroom, providing opportunities for collaborative reading, group projects, fieldwork, and shared student portfolios. These social media platforms are also used for job search and OQA’s Skills Enhancement and Career Development Programme requires Academic Partners to address the following areas:
Many graduates achieve a good level of academic achievements, have developed own practical business skills, set themselves specific career targets which involve having to set up their own business rather than seeking full-time or part-time employment.
Having a good business idea does not always lead to effective implementation because graduates are not clear on how to go about setting up their own business.
This is an area that OQA’s Skills Enhancement and Career Development Programme places great importance and our Academic Partners will address the following key issues:
Graduating students need to be prepared to develop their entrepreneurial skills so they can compete in very complex and rapidly changing operating environments The OQA Skills Enhancement and Career Development programme places the emphasis on the following key areas:
Graduating students need to be prepared to develop their entrepreneurial skills so they can compete in very complex and rapidly changing operating environments The OQA Skills Enhancement and Career Development programme places the emphasis on the following key areas:
OQA partner institutions are encouraged to support the Skills Enhancement and Career Development programme with an online job and internship database for both students and alumni. This support system will offer a range of employment opportunities including career counselling, internships and job advising, career events as well as provide all the necessary services for users to upload their resumes and apply to jobs.
This Academic Partner should provide short-term counselling to assist students deal with personal, academic and career concerns. The primary goal of this counselling is to help students develop the personal awareness and skills necessary to take full advantage of the educational opportunities at the partner’s academic institution.
Appointments should be arranged to meet a counsellor and students requiring immediate help should be seen on an emergency walk-in basis.
Information shared during counselling will be treated confidentially.
OQA’s Academic Partners should offer students opportunities for career discovery and development through internships. Through this practical experience, students enrich the skills and theories acquired during their studies and can assess how they are applied in the workplace.
Upon completion of the internship students should prepare a report about their internship and receive a confirmation letter from the employer which will be added to their academic portfolio and cv.
For job advising, the OQA Academic partner should have online links where students can find appropriate job position. For any other consultation about job position the Academic partner will contact the appropriate counsellor to provide assistance
Our academic partners are advised to contact organisations that are happy to accept their graduates, offer internships and provide practical experience to students as part of a fully developed and established Skills Enhancement and Career Development programme.
A full list of organisations should be provided to students and alumni
Our partner institutions are also encouraged to offer the following services to the students to practically support the Skills Enhancement and Career Development programme:
As well as for current students the Academic Partner should help its Alumni in preparation of CV and Cover letters, and they can provide the printable templates or contact the advisor with whom the alumni can consult.
The relevant faculty should provide assistance for students that need a recommendation letter.
The OQA Centre for Career Development appreciates that alumni are invaluable resources and provide opportunities for students. Alumni should participate as Job Shadowing hosts, discuss internships and jobs, and speak at events or seminars organised by the Academic Partners
Many students do not know how to use social media to develop their professional image. This presentation gives information and ideas on utilizing multiple platforms for marketing their skills and abilities in the workforce, along with suggestions on understanding and improving their online presence to become a socia professional. As well as for current students, alumni can ask for assistance from the Academic partner to connect on social media and follow job updates.
The Academic Partners are encouraged to organise Job Information sessions where employers can market their organisation and available positions. They can answer questions, interact with students, and recruit future talent.
Informational interviews, job shadowing, and mock interviews are great ways to expose students to the typical recruitment process. This is an opportunity for a student to come to contact with employers and find appropriate job position/s It also provides a great opportunity to apply all the techniques and recommendations covered in OQA’s Skills Enhancement and Career Development Programme.
Career and Internship Fairs connect students to job and internship opportunities. Undergraduate students as well as graduating seniors and alumni should be encouraged by our partner institutions to attend such events to speak individually with recruiters and company representatives about job and internship opportunities.
Career Conference is career preparation event for juniors and seniors. A professional conference can include a keynote speaker, an employer networking session, career workshops on topics including advanced resume writing, job searching, networking, and interviewing skills.
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