The Department of Career and Placement, a unit under the Office of Students Affairs at Notre Dame University-Louaize (NDU), held between April 26 and 27, 2017, at the main campus, its annual Job Fair 2017. The Fair was held under the patronage of His Excellency Minister of Economy and Trade Raed Khoury, who was represented by Jacqueline Melhem, the ministry’s director.
The Fair brought together more than 60 leading companies and organizations, and featured a range of employers from diverse industries, including banks; insurance companies; contracting and engineering firms; computer and communications businesses; catering companies; hotels; schools; airlines; transportation businesses; retail and distribution firms; logistics; NGOs; libraries; etc.
This event gives NDU students, graduates, and alumni the opportunity to discuss with various company representatives career opportunities (from internships to seasonal, part-time, and full-time jobs).
During the opening ceremony, Career and Placement Officer Layal Nehme Matar said, “Despite the current economic and political paralysis, love will prevail and the opportunities provided by the NDU Job Fair will continue to give hope… This University fights against frustration and despair, and it is its mission to encourage growth and development in life."
NDU Dean of Students Joyce Menassa then took the podium and provided some valuable statistics to highlight the current unemployed crisis and its detrimental effect on a nation scale.
The next speaker, NDU Board of Trustees (BoT) Chairperson Ronald Farra, said, “We guide our students to constructively engage their capacities and absorb the wealth of values and knowledge instilled in them by the University… we also teach them how to put this knowledge into practice so that they can progress successfully in life.”
For his part, NDU President Fr. Walid Moussa said, "The basic premise for universities are to prepare young and capable minds to join the workforce, to lead their communities toward a brighter future, and to work toward building a nation based on the values of peace, freedom, and brotherhood."
In the speech of H.E. Khoury, delivered by Melhem on his behalf, the minister communicated the following, "Creating job opportunities for the youth and bolstering the labor market is a key economic policy in all countries around the world. Currently in Lebanon, employment opportunities in the public sector are limited and this limitation oftentimes fails to meet the aspirations of job seekers.”
Melhem added, “The displaced Syrians have created additional challenges for the Lebanese labor market given that Syrian labor illegally competes for Lebanese jobs … We have prioritized the development of small- and medium-size businesses, because we believe that effective industries can create thousands of jobs.”
At the end of the opening ceremony, Fr. Moussa, NDU Vice-President for Public Affairs and Communications Suheil Matar, and NDU Vice-President for Academic Affairs Dr. Elie Badr presented the guests with gifts. All participants then headed to the courtyard to cut the ribbon and officially inaugurate the Fair.