More than 150 students attended an educational conference in the presence of Sadguru Pujya Swayamprakash Swami (Doctor Swami) on Saturday 4 July 2015 at BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, London.
The objective of the event was to provide practical guidance for students exploring numerous career options, and to give them a platform to succeed in a highly competitive graduate job market.
The day began with the wisdom of Doctor Swami who encouraged delegates to work hard and demonstrate ambition in one’s respective career path. His emphatic talk inspired all to learn and develop individually and to serve the wider community in the future.
The competitive graduate job market was then explored further through an insightful presentation highlighting the importance of preparation and early planning.
Speakers from various industries, including Investment Banking, Law, Teaching and Healthcare addressed the seminar, explaining the variety of roles and jobs that are available in their respective industries, and advised of the qualifications that are required to enter these fields. Students also learned about the links between many industries, highlighting the importance of ‘commercial awareness’.
Breakout sessions in the afternoon were aimed at specific academic levels to provide a more focussed learning experience for the delegates. Changes to the GCSE specification for the forthcoming year and effective university applications were examples of tailored workshops that were available.
Experienced tutors shared the benefits of summer school, internships and extra-curricular opportunities to strengthen one’s profile. Practical tips for interview preparation and writing successful CVs and covering letters proved particularly popular and useful.
Workshops followed on a diverse range of fields, ranging from Law and Engineering through to Aviation, Graphic Design and Scientific Research. Students listened to the presentations and were given an opportunity to ask questions and network with industry professionals.
The conference proved very beneficial for the students, who left with a deeper understanding of their career options and greater motivation to utilise the various tools that are available to support them.
Deepa Patel, aged 16, shared: “Great day! I didn’t realise that I have so many options to consider and I will definitely start looking into internship programmes to give me a head-start to my career. Thank you to everyone who helped me take the first steps towards my future.”