The IBM Thailand Co. Ltd., senior executive’s praise set a positive
tone for the day-long event organized by AIT’s Career Center.
Professional recruiters from 31 enterprises set up booths across the
expanse of the vacant ground floor of the library.
A who’s who of leading regional engineering companies led the way,
along with well known companies from sectors such as communications,
information technology, energy, hospitality, education, manufacturing
and construction, biotechnology, consulting services, agriculture,
mining, and travel, to name some.
The range of participants provided real opportunities for job-seekers
from all three AIT Schools. By mid-day, the once flooded library venue
was inundated with a sea of soon-to-be graduates interested in
internships and job opportunities on offer.
All guests and participants were warmly welcomed by AIT President Prof.
Said Irandoust, who noted that it was the first job fair held since the
institute became an international intergovernmental organization.
As evidenced by the turn-out, the president agreed that AIT’s graduates
have much to offer potential employers in terms of their knowledge,
intellectual skills, and personal qualities.
In today’s world of work, success is a matter of possessing the right
cross-disciplinary approaches, analytical and synthesizing skills,
creativity, adaptability, cross-cultural skills, initiative, attitude
and character, the president said.
He also stressed the need for students “to create their own jobs”
through entrepreneurship skills. The institute’s own AIT Consulting is
working to promote entrepreneurial activities, he announced.
AIT Vice President for Academic Affairs, Prof. IM Pandey, called the
event “a great day in the life of students”, and a solid example of
“AIT-industry interface.”
Thanking all participating companies, he urged them to engage AIT at
even deeper levels, stressing the need for more industry-academia
collaboration through student internships and practical field projects
for both students and faculty.
“Industry interface with universities is absolutely crucial,” he
stressed, if the knowledge generated in higher education institutions
is to be of true benefit to society.
AIT alumnus Mr. Phanom Slisatkorn (Computer Science, 2000),
agreed.
Now a senior architect at IBM Thailand, he attended to fill 10
vacancies at his firm’s new “Consulting by Degrees” program in
Thailand, and for 50 for all of ASEAN. The regional IBM program is
designed to provide top entry-level consulting talent with a spectrum
of structured training, development and practical experience necessary
to launch a successful career in the company.
Twelve years after graduating from AIT, and six years into his career
at IBM, Mr. Phanom continues to praise his alma mater’s talent pool:
“We asked ourselves where we could find the top young people in the
fields of computer science, information technology, and management of
technology. AIT was an obvious answer.”
