Hospitality and tourism career fairs: how important are they and how well do they work?

Unequal opportunities in accessing employability‐related programmes: South Asian graduates' experiences in Australia

“…Two overarching challenges were faced by graduates in this study: (1) they received generic career‐related and resume assistance advice from the university career office (Singh, 2020), and (2) at careers fairs most companies offered internships, placements or graduate programme opportunities to domestic students rather than international students. They thus offered several recommendations: (1) establishing partnerships with companies to provide practical knowledge (Okolie et al, 2019), and job‐related opportunities such as internships; (2) extending the role of careers offices by proactively inviting more companies that could provide employment opportunities to international students or graduates on temporary visas, widely sharing and advertising job roles in Australia and providing long‐term career guidance to international students (Singh, 2022); and (3) developing connections with alumni (Gribble et al, 2015; Lee et al, 2019; Tran et al, 2020). These findings for inequality‐employability programmes embedded within the higher education landscape have contributed novel nuances to the employability and careers literature of South Asian international students and graduates.…”

“…The issue of limited knowledge on student and temporary visas, lack of English proficiency and inadequate workplace understanding can be resolved through this partnership (Tran et al, 2020). Universities can also collaborate with their international alumni working in Australia in offering mentoring or coaching sessions to international students or current international graduates (Lee et al, 2019). These findings can also inform higher education policies and practices in advocating and developing graduate employability for international students and graduates by collaborating closely with employers and professional bodies to provide inclusive programmes.…”

“…(2) extending the role of careers offices by proactively inviting more companies that could provide employment opportunities to international students or graduates on temporary visas, widely sharing and advertising job roles in Australia and providing longterm career guidance to international students (Singh, 2022); and (3) developing connections with alumni (Gribble et al, 2015;Lee et al, 2019;Tran et al, 2020). These findings for inequality-employability programmes embedded within the higher education landscape have contributed novel nuances to the employability and careers literature of South Asian international students and graduates.…”

Changing the Way We Educate to Prioritize Minority Students’ Mental Health and Enhance Their Well-Being

“…Promoting and increasing career fairs -According to the data obtained from Togetherall [17], 56% of students at FIU have a general sense of uncertainty about their future. Career fairs, also known as career expos, provide a venue for students to meet with employers, recruiters, organizations, and companies [27]. They are one strategy that can help students not only find jobs but also think more clearly about their career paths [28] and therefore their future.…”

“…They are one strategy that can help students not only find jobs but also think more clearly about their career paths [28] and therefore their future. Students can learn about diverse employment opportunities and career options, practice interviewing skills, network and interact with other students and professionals [27]. Hence, promoting and increasing career fairs and encouraging students to attend even if they are not currently looking for a job is important as it can have a positive impact on students' mental health and well-being.…”