JEDDAH, 5 May 2006 — Effat College is holding its Fifth Annual Career Day tomorrow at Effat Hall, located on the campus. This year’s theme is “Against All Odds: Women on The Cutting Edge of Change.”

“Women have proven their abilities in more than one field,” said Nashwa Taher, the elected board member of the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce & Industry. “They have succeeded as both mothers and working women.”

Over 500 guests, including recent graduates and job seekers from both public and private colleges and universities, are expected to attend.

They will have the opportunity to submit their résumés to a list of high-profile national and multinational companies, such as Riyad Bank, the Saudi Law Training Center, Procter & Gamble and Dr. Bakhsh Hospital. Recruiters will have the chance to meet women job seekers and interact with them.

This year’s career day will include a panel discussion, an exhibition, a job fair and a workshop on professional skills development. Last year, over 20 companies attended the event and offered more than 60 skilled, career-track jobs. The fifth career day will last from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The registration fee is SR50.

Effat College’s career day is the latest in the series of job-placement events for Saudi men and women that have occurred over the past month, including events for the physically challenged.

Other companies and organizations also held seminars and meetings recently to offer jobs to Saudi men and women.

The “You Are Not Alone” department at the Disabled Children Association (DCA) held its Second Meeting for Rehabilitation and Employment on April 11-13. About 1,000 men and women job seekers applied for positions in 43 companies during the third day of the meeting. Over 600 jobs were on offer, including jobs for disabled Saudis.

During the first and second day of the event, applicants had the opportunity to participate in seminars and workshops and learn about responsible work practices and résumé-writing tips through a series of talks given at the Ismail Abu Dawood Hall at the JCCI.

“We have been employing people with special needs since 2004,” said Abdullah Al-Harbi, PR manager for Savola Group, a conglomerate that includes Panda supermarkets, which employs the deaf in work.

“They arrange the grocery section and work behind the scales and receive a basic monthly salary of SR2,000.”

The women’s section of the College of Business Administration (CBA) held its First Annual Employment Fair on April 17 to facilitate meetings between women students and 28 companies.

“We plan to hold a career day annually for our students to meet companies interested in employing them, especially for the business students,” said Rania Zaki, director of the career center at CBA.

This year’s event was general and open to all students in other universities and colleges to attend in order to benefit a larger number of young women career seekers.

The employment fair was crowded with applicants who visited the booths of the companies represented.

The event provided an opportunity for young career-minded women to place their résumés with potential employers. Some of the companies gave presentations to explain what employment policies they have in place.

The International Medical Center also recently offered many vacancies in different departments. Registration clerks, receptionists, patient-relations officers and administrative assistants were among the positions available.

The Dar Al-Hekma College held its first career fair on April 23-24. More than 500 prospective graduates attended the event organized by the JCCI.

More than 40 companies offered jobs in interior designing, advertising, banking and health care administration.

“There is a noticeable growth in women job seekers that needs more working positions,” said Suhair Al-Qurashi, Dar Al-Hekma’s dean.