
UB Partners with Corporate Bahamas for Successful 2023 Career Fair
24th October 2023
Nassau, THE BAHAMAS — Hopeful employers searching for prime talent and promising university students eager to take advantage of their best job prospects crowded the recent University of The Bahamas (UB) 2023 Career Fair held at the Oakes Field Campus.
In May, almost 600 students graduated from UB, many of whom aspired to become a part of the national and global workforce. UB has more than 22,000 alumni. The career fair is an annual event hosted by UB’s University Centre for Counselling and Career Services in conjunction with the Career and Job Placement Advisory Board. More than 30 corporate entities were present and hundreds of students participated.
“It is a wonderful opportunity for students to engage in info gathering, engage in networking, opportunities,” said UB Career and Job Placement Counselor, Dr. Willissa Mackey. “For recruiters, it is also an excellent opportunity for them to connect with students who we consider to be the brightest minds in our country. It is my goal to ensure that this becomes the number one employment hub or job recruiting hub in the country. I want to ensure that employers understand that they can meet students here that are acquiring knowledge and skills in order to compete in the job market, but most importantly, propel the goals of their organization.”
The grounds of UB were dotted with leading companies and businesses. Lead sponsors were RBC Royal Bank; Bank of The Bahamas (BOB); Ernst & Young (EY) Bahamas; and Disney Cruise Line (DCL) Bahamas. Others present included Doctors Hospital; Baha Mar; Atlantis; Commonwealth Brewery Limited (CBL); Shell Bahamas; Colina Holdings Bahamas Ltd.; and Stuart Coves. All of them had high praise for UB, its Centre for Counselling and Career Services, and the hundreds of students who were there.
“Disney Cruise Line is happy to partner with University of The Bahamas,” said Mr. Leslie Lopez, Human Resources Manager for DCL Bahamas. “We know The Bahamas is one of the hospitality hubs in the region, and we always feel welcome to contribute to the future leaders in UB. We are very pleased with what we saw. We think the Career Services Department does a great job of engaging employers and students and we look forward to being a part of more of these events.”
Ms. Esaura Cumberbatch, Talent Consultant at EY Bahamas, agreed.
“I was really excited about this,” noted Ms. Cumberbatch. “This is our second time being one of the lead sponsors. But, the response has been really good, especially when we look at the future talent. I’ve met a lot of very intelligent and bright minds that do want to pursue accounting. So, I’m looking forward to going back to the office and going through those applications to see which persons we can contact further for interview opportunities with the firm.”
Mrs. Samantha Graham-Carey, Assistant Manager of Recruitment at BOB, shared a similar sentiment.
“The experience with UB has been a tremendous experience. It’s been a good turnout. We will welcome the opportunity to join in partnership again,” she said.
UB student Kaiman Bannister was impressed with the arrangements.
“I think they should continue doing it, giving young people a chance to work rather than depending on parents all the time and depending on others,” he said.
Anthonicia Carey, a law and criminal justice student, said she loved the variety of corporate entities that were present, which gave students a better and more holistic understanding of their future job prospects.
“I liked the experience,” she said. “I feel that they offered a variety of different jobs for different students who want to work in the physical aspect, and some who want to work in the office. So, I think it was a good experience, and hopefully I got some jobs.”
Ethan Smith, Computer Information Systems (CIS) major, called it a great opportunity.
“I think it was a great opportunity for students to come out here and get exposure to people who’re coming out here and to get opportunities for jobs, because you know getting job isn’t an easy thing,” said Ethan. “And, it’s good to talk to people who are the higher-ups in companies so you’ll be able to network and things like that. So, when you graduate you’ll already have an array of people to talk to and join a company.”
The career fair is an annual event as is the recently held career symposium. These programmes are integral to the University’s mission of supporting and driving national development.
Office of University Relations
University of The Bahamas
2nd Floor, Michael H. Eldon Complex
University Drive, Oakes Field Campus
P.O. Box N-4912
Nassau, The Bahamas
Tel: (242) 302-4355/4354/4365
Chartered on 10th November 2016, University of The Bahamas (UB) is a beacon for national transformation. Students are enrolled in the University of The Bahamas system which includes campuses and centres on New Providence, Grand Bahama, and San Salvador, as well as UB online education. UB’s diverse academic programmes, research engagements, athletics and leadership development experiences equip our students to become global citizens in a dynamic world. For more information, visit www.ub.edu.bs.