Center for Career Services and Alumni

Objective

Based on assessing the current situation due to the absence of career services at the University and taking the recent trends and practices in the provision of career guidance services at local, Arab and international higher education institutions into consideration, the rationale for establishing a new center at the University, is as follows:

• Dhofar University contribution to the achievement of Oman Vision 2040 within the priority of education, learning, scientific research and national capacities, by establishing career guidance services, which is essential to ensure that the University plays its role in providing the job market with qualified national graduates equipped with locally and globally competitive capacities and skills.
• To meet Oman Authority for Academic Accreditation and Quality Assurance of Education (OAAA) Standard (7:5) concerning career guidance and employment services, which requires all institutions of higher education to provide career services to their students and graduates. Moreover, Standard (5:5) requires establishing links with the graduates through a specific body at the University.
• To apply the best practices and models in leading educational institutions in guiding students towards the best appropriate career choices.
• To work toward the increase of the employment rate of the university’s graduates and bridge the gap between university’s production and job market requirements.
• The quality of career services provided will help attract new students who finish general education diploma.
• To enrich the students’ environment on Campus by providing career services which support their readiness to compete for job opportunities.
• To connect job market institutions to the University by involving them in the provision of career services linked to the realities and needs of the job market.
• The University’s bid to be among three Omani universities to rank the top 300 universities around the world by 2030, and to be among four Omani universities in the same classification by 2040. It is worth mentioning that one of the criteria for the QS World University Rankings deals with employers’ views on the university’s graduates, thus high results can be achieved by providing career services that ensure graduates are employable.

Vision

To achieve pioneering and excellence in the provision of career services to students and graduates.

Mission

Assist students to plan their future careers, equip them for employment opportunities, establish a sustainable relationship with job market institutions, and build outreach with graduates.

Goals

• Assist students in planning their careers and prepare them for the demands of the job market.
• Establish sustainable relationship and partnership with the job market and meet the needs of employers by providing qualified graduates able to meet the requirements of the job providers.
• Inculcating a spirit of affinity between the graduate and the University.

Career Guidance

• Guiding and assisting students in planning their careers and equipping them for the job market.
• Assist students in how to write CVs, job search strategies and prepare for job interviews.
• Organizing career guidance programmes and events for students to enhance their career opportunities.
• Prepare and disseminate through various means the necessary career information for students and graduates.
• Organizing activities and programmes to raise career awareness of students and equip them to the job market in cooperation with public and private sector institutions.
• Provide all facilities and services to job market institutions wishing to offer employment or training opportunities to university students and graduates.
• Marketing of academic programmes and majors available at the University to job market institutions.
• Strive to establish sustainable relations with job market institutions.

Soft Skill

The CCSA conducts workshops for graduating students to improve their soft skills and arranges guest lectures by experts on various topics. DU encourages its graduating students to undergo soft skill training to hone their skills and brighten their chances for employability. CCSA also provides an opportunity to its alumni, who are unemployed and searching for jobs, for improving their soft skills and increasing their employment potential.
The topics covered in workshops and guest lectures include:

• Writing effective Curriculum Vitae
• How to prepare for Group Discussion/ panel discussion
• How to prepare for Job interviews
• Discovering yourself and professional orientation
• Nonverbal communication and Kinesics
• Understanding proxemics and its usage
• Power of communication
• Art of listening
• Art of tactful negotiation
• Effective online job search
• Logical reasoning exercise
• What success mean to me
• Mental strategies for educational excellence
• Working for a perfect job interview
• Be the change
• Self-Concept
• Dealing with negative habits

Resource Persons

Soft skill workshops bring in the best resources person who are expert in the area for a day long workshop for DU students. Faculty from the department of social sciences, psychology, and management are associated in delivering talks related with personality development. The schedule for the soft skills event is well communicated to all the DU graduating students and one can participate by registering for a specific workshop. The workshops are conducted throughout the academic year.

Work Placement

Work placement is supervised and assessed work carried out by students, with the approval of the College, in a social, business, industrial or other organization. DU perceives work placement as a valuable experience for students, which enhances their employment opportunities. CCSA strive to provide the best opportunities to DU students in coordination with the Colleges Training and placement coordinators for work placement opportunities throughout the academic year. The CCSA work placement Committee chaired by the director of CCSA coordinates the entire process to ensure better coordination and support for all the colleges and academic units.

Work placement is an integral part of the majority of the programs at DU. The objective is to acquaint the student with a real life workplace environment. It provides them with opportunities to put into practice the theoretical knowledge gained by them in the classroom. All the Colleges at DU have a “Training and Placements Coordinator” to facilitate work placement and training for students.

Arrangements with Business Organizations for Work Placement

DU has informal agreements with a number of societies, businesses and industrial organizations in public and private sectors, governmental agencies, schools, hospitals and NGOs, where work placement training are given to its students.

DU maintains a database of such organizations, which is updated every year. The most prominent among them are: Omantel, Nama, Oredoo, Bank Muscat, Bank Dhofar, Hilton Salalah, Crown Plaza, Raysut Cement, Salalah Port Services, Oman Air and Octal Company Oman Airport .

For social work students, DU has informal agreements with a number of social services providers. The most prominent among them are: The Ministry of Social Development, Court, Sultan Qaboos Hospital, Al Wafa Centers, Autism Center, Omani Woman Center and the DU Hostel.

Duration of Work Placement

The duration of internship in CCBA and practical training in CE is for two months, whereas practicum internship in the Department of Education is for one semester and the field internship in the Social Science Department is for two semesters in the case of the Bachelor Program.

Supervision, Monitoring and Assessment of Work Placement

Student interns are supervised by an assigned faculty member who makes site visits to follow up on the students’ progress. The interns also have a mentor (supervisor) within their workplace. Students and work supervisors submit their internship reports on the work experience, which subsequently counts towards the program requirements. Records of work placements are maintained by the respective academic departments.

Career Advisory Service

Appointment

The office of the Career Advisor in the CCSA is open for consultation from Sunday to Thursday, based on pre appointment, between 9 AM to 2 PM. For appointment please feel free to send an email to Career Advisor.

Mrs. Haifa Nasser Abdullah ALFarsi

Room No: 215 A

Telephone: 23237472

Email: haifa_alfarsi@du.edu.om

Center for Career Services and Alumni

   “Career Advisors in the Colleges” (Click here) are available every day as per the pre-notified schedule. However, the students are advised to fix their appointment in advance with the concerned career advisor through email.

Student Employer Meet

DU accords highest priority to employability of its graduates and leaves no stone unturned to ensure that they are employed in an organization of their choice in accordance to their specialization. It arranges for a series of talk in the “Know Your Employer Series”, wherein employers are invited to deliver talks about their company and the kind of employment opportunities that are available in their organization.

The employer consists of both governmental ministries, authorities, companies and social organizations who need to employ graduate in various field of operations within their organization.  Job opportunities, on job training and practicum opportunities are explored with the invited organization.

These meets are organized at University level and individual College or Department level. The CCSA, in collaboration with College Administration, is responsible for organizing such events. All students, especially the final year students, are encouraged to take benefit of this opportunity.

The following is the list of organizations who either employed or provided opportunities for “Work Placement” (Click here) to DU graduates in the last academic year.

Alumni Outreach

• To connect graduates to university after graduation and establish a permanent and renewed relationship with them.
• Enhance the graduates’ loyalty to the University by preparing and implementing various programmes and events.
• Preparation of comprehensive graduate database updated regularly and to be provided to various institutions in accordance with regulations (conditions and provisions approved in accordance with a specific policy governing the dissemination of student data for the purpose of employment and training) governing this process.
• Updating alumni with the university’s news via various newsletters and briefings disseminated through e-mails or social media.
• Utilize the experience and capabilities of the graduates in the development of university’s programmes and community service.
• Hosting distinguished graduates to meet and motivate students.

Center’s participation in the Research Day in February 2024

Career Guidance Exhibition in October 2023