Among the corporate giants who attended the fair were Siam Cement
Group, Berli Jucker, Unilever, Western Digital, Michelin, the Betagro
Group, Mitr Phol, Team Consulting, Bangchak Petroleum, Mahaphant
Fibre-Cement, Mattel, Thaicom, BNP Paribas, Ajinomoto, and Central
Pattana.
“It’s a big success,” said Mrs. Ann V. Lopez-Fontanilla, Head of
Students, lead organizer of the twice annual event. “This is the first
time that we have worked with the Franco-Thai Chamber of Commerce, who
brought in five companies.”
A typical fair averages 25-27 companies participating at the event,
Lopez-Fontanilla said. “We are proud to have 13
companies represented at this event for the first time,” she
added. Among them were United Feed Mill Co., Ltd. and Continental
Automotive (Thailand) Co., Ltd. She noted that companies such as Siam
Cement Group (SCG), Team Consulting Engineering and Management Co.
Ltd., and Exterran Thailand, continued to have a large presence at
the Career Fair and are perennial favorites of AIT’s
job-seekers.
The fair was opened by Mr. Hakan Alm, Managing Director, CEO and
founder of Vision House Limited, which engages in computer and systems
solutions in Thailand and throughout Asia.
In his opening remarks, Mr. Alm, an Swedish national who is also a
doctoral student at AIT said: “The AIT Career Fair gives a fantastic
platform for Thai and international companies to find quality staff and
identify potential leaders for their companies. AIT produces such
people in abundance, not only for Thailand but also for Asia.” He
offered as evidence a number of prominent AIT alumni, namely HRH
Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn and Dr. Prasarn Trairatvorakul,
Governor, Bank of Thailand.
Mr. Vitit Laovoravit, Managing Director of United Feed Mill Co. Ltd.,
said he was quite familiar with AIT, which is located not far from his
factory. “Our company is expanding into Asian countries, so we think
this is a good opportunity to find qualified students who are
comfortable working in the international environment and also are
experts in their fields. We are looking for two positions that require
international experience: international business development and
project management, which match with graduates from AIT’s School of
Management,” Mr. Vitit said.
Ms. Chanyapatch Phupratanasith, HR Manager, Continental Automotive
(Thailand) Co., Ltd., said she found that the fields of study at AIT
match with the expertise requirements of Continental's 3-month
internships. The interns are involved in specific projects with the
company being the sponsor, she explained. "If an intern's
performance is good, the company will hire them."
She added that next year Continental will be looking to fill positions
in the mechanical, electrical, and mechatronics
engineering fields. “We are confident in AIT students’ overall
quality and that their knowledge can be applied to their work at our
company,” she added.
Mrs. Lopez-Fontanilla stressed that AIT alumni and students have the
strong advantage of being at ease in working with people from different
cultural backgrounds. They have teamwork and multicultural skills far
above ordinary university students.
The AIT Career Fair also included career presentations by
participating companies. AIT students were inspired in the job search
by a short career talk by Mr. Sajeev Nair, Senior Training and
Development Manager from Exterran, and learned about career
opportunities in Singapore from Mr. Lee Puay York, Head-Southeast Asia,
Contact, Singapore. Fairgoers also explored career programs
at Unilever Thailand, as presented by Mr. Nguyen Huu Huy Quang,
Leadership and Development Manager, Thailand and Vietnam.
The following companies conducted actual job interviews wit
candidates at the fair: Continental Automotive (Thailand) Co. Ltd.,
Planet T & S Co., Ltd., Ajinomoto Co., (Thailand) Ltd., Summit Auto
Seats Industry Co., Ltd., Exterran (Thailand) Ltd., Tele Atlas
(Thailand) Co., Ltd., United Feeding Company Limited, Cal-comp
Electronics (Thailand) Public Company Limited.
“Today is also special day because the Career Fair was run and
operated by our AIT students, aside from our AIT Career Center staff.
We wouldn’t have been successful without the support from our committed
students,” Mrs. Lopez-Fontanilla concluded.
