Career counselling, study abroad road show attracts students

LAHORE
After successful shows in Karachi, Hyderabad, Sialkot and Islamabad, a nationwide career counselling and study abroad road show by Falcon Education & Consultancy Services (Pvt) Ltd finally concluded at Flattie’s Hotel here on Sunday.
In the provincial metropolis, a large number of prospective students thronged the road show and had a wonderful opportunity of one-on-one meeting with representatives of foreign universities of the UK, Malaysia, Canada, Bahrain and Turkey. They discussed their higher education and future plans with the participating representatives and delegates of different foreign universities.
The show also provided the visitors an opportunity to benefit from engaging presentations by foreign delegates as well as acclaimed career counsellor and educationist Syed Abidi.
Prominent among participants in the career counselling and study abroad show included University of Nottingham (UK & Malaysia), University of East London (UK) Manchester Metropolitan University (UK), University of Huddersfield (UK), De Montfort University (UK), Bangor University (UK), Lakehead University (Canada), RCCIT (Canada), Kemerburgaz University, Istanbul (Turkey) and AMA International University (Bahrain) and Asia Pacific University (Malaysia).
The career counselling provided to the visitors included choosing the right subject area, study abroad options in different countries, admissions and visa process, selection of universities and country and how and when to apply for scholarships etc.
Head of Administration at AMA International University, Bahrain, Ms. Buena Gracia A. Canzana said representing her university in the show was a wonderful experience. She was of the view that Pakistani students should go for AMA International University, Bahrain, as it offered less expensive and quality programmes at its state-of-the-art campus when compared to western universities.
Ms. Buena Gracia A. Canzana said it was for the first time that AMA International University participated in a road show in Pakistan, adding the response from the students had been amazing. Talking about the university, she said AMA International University had started its operation in the Kingdom of Bahrain in 2002 and had three colleges including College of Administrative and Financial Sciences, College of Computer Studies and College of Engineering and one center, i.e., Center for General Education.
She added her university had received accreditation from the European Council for Business Education (ECBE) for its business programmes while ABET- Computing Accreditation Commission for its Bachelor of Science in Computer Science (BSCS) programme.
While sharing his experience of being part of the road-show, APU Regional Representative South Asia & Middle East, Shozab Abbas said APU was among the top ten universities in Malaysia under the ratings of the country’s Ministry of Education. He added the APU had the longest local and foreign partnership with Staffordshire University, UK, since 1993. He added there were 11,000 students at APU coming from 108 countries of the world including 350 Pakistani students. To a question, Shozab Abbas said over 95 percent of the APU students got their jobs even before coming to the graduation ceremony.
Richard Witts, Regional Manager, Africa, Middle East and Pakistan, for De Montfort University, Leicester-UK, said DMU was quite a modern university in the UK. He said out of about 22,000 students, 12,000 were full time students. He said one of the aims of the DMU was to increase its number of international students, adding there was a lot of potential in Pakistan in terms of students.
Answering a question, Richard Witts said DMU offered discounts of around GBP 2,000 to Pakistani students for all master’s programmes while merit-based scholarships were available up to GBP 5,000 which made the overall cost of studying at DMU bit affordable.
About his experience of being in Pakistan, Richard Witts said it was his fourth visit and he was impressed by friendly people of the country.
“Pakistan is a lovely country though the perception one gets from British media is that of a dangerous country,” Richard Witts said, adding that it was why he was a bit nervous first time he visited Pakistan.
Having been to Karachi, Islamabad and Lahore, he particularly mentioned the Lahore Fort and Badshahi Mosque and said he would love to explore other parts of the country.
Earlier in his presentation Syed Abidi, who has more than 20 years of experience as provider of education counselling services, advised the students to go for niche areas and specialisation in order to get the best in return in terms of better job opportunities within Pakistan and abroad.
Syed Abidi, who is the recipient of the country’s most coveted civil award Tamgha-e-Imtiaz, talked in detail about emerging subject areas such as International Peace Keeping, Disaster and Risk Management, Fraud Investigation Management, Cyber Security, International Security and Terrorism, White Collar Crime and Money Laundering and Conflict, Security & Development etc.
Talking to The News, Syed Abidi appreciated Jang Media Group including The News and Geo for its media partnership for the road show.