IYWA hosts career guidance fair

Indian Consul General in Jeddah Faiz Ahmad Kidwai expressed belief that the children of today can excel in whatever they choose to do as long as their parents guide them in the right direction.
He urged both children to make a considered choice of career that fits their interests at the Career Guidance Program organized by Indian Youth Welfare Association (IYWA), a non-political and nonprofit organization in Jeddah. He asked parents to help their children choose carefully.
He said career guidance programs are a good opportunity for students as well as their parents to explore and gather information about the careers of their choice and interest.
He added students should take decisions based on their interests, strengths, weaknesses and what they really want to do in their life. He said they should consider the career options available to them in abundance through various channels of information.
He stressed parents should then support and guide their children in their chosen course once they know what they want to do in life.
Kidwai warned parents that forcing their children to pursue a particular career would not benefit anybody.
“Not only would the child have to endure a nightmare for four to five years, but he could well be in a horrendous situation for the next 40 years because he does not have an interest in what he is doing and has been compelled into that profession or career by his parents.”
Earlier, Kidwai launched the IYWA web portal and released the “Career Guide” CD consisting of information about universities, colleges and institutes, courses and scholarships available in India and abroad.
International Indian School Jubail Principal and NCERT-trained Career Guidance Counselor Dr. Syed Hameed gave a presentation to parents and students on how to plan a career and the importance of choosing a career with steps to be followed by students and their parents. He stressed that aptitude and interest play an important role in choosing a career.
Guest of honor Pranav Ganesh, consul (consular), said: “Today’s young generation is very lucky as they have plenty of options before them to choose but at the same time are confused about making a decision due to the abundance of options. It is here that career guidance programs help students and their parents.”
Consul (Community Welfare) S.D. Moorthy commended the efforts of IYWA toward education and called on all community members to conduct more community awareness programs in order to eliminate the barriers of region, religion and language.
Dr. Mukhtar Khan, regional director and education consultant of Saudi Arabia Intercontinental Education, showed options for careers in emerging fields such as hospitality and hotel management.
Ex-student of IISJ Sayeeduddin Hyder shared his experiences making the transition from higher education to professional life.
He gave students a “To Do” list that they should follow before they choose their career. He also presented a slideshow designed on the power of Internet and to verify the authenticity of information and data available online about universities. He urged students to learn the art of change management.
The program concluded with a short documentary on career options in the National Defense Academy (NDA).
Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), Colleges of Business Administration (CBA), Batterjee Medical College (BMC), King Abdul Aziz University (KAU) and KES Gulbarga were among the organizations that participated in the career fair and interacted with the student and parent community in a bid to help them select the course of their choice.
Trane Dallah Trading sponsored the event and were supported by IGNOU, CBA and KBN Gulbarga.
IYWA also honored the principal of IISJ Masood Ahmed in appreciation for his dedicated service to education and the student community in the Kingdom. Earlier, IYWA Chief Coordinator Muzzammil Hussain welcomed the gathering while Event Coordinator Danish Hassan Ghazi compered the event. Mir Gazanfar Ali Zaki, general secretary of IYWA, gave a vote of thanks.