Students from various educational institutions met with representatives of several prestigious companies who familiarized them with the current job market on Wednesday. The College of Business Administration (CBA) facilitated the gathering by arranging the CBA Career Fair 2008 at the college premises on Jeddah's Sari Street. This year, the theme of the career fair was “The Upcoming Work Opportunities for Women in the Saudi Market.” More than 40 companies participated in the event, arranged for the third annual time. The career day included book and art exhibitions. The students from King Abdul Aziz University also participated in the art expo, presenting their business ideas to the public at the small expo area. “We wanted the students to meet with the companies face to face and gain learning experiences from them individually,” said Nadia Malaika, Director of the Career Center at CBA. The career day was open for members of the public, she said, as “we wanted to give full opportunities to everyone to assess them on a professional basis.” Malaika said the ever-changing nature of job market requirements, and the socioeconomic developments increase the already existing gap between the output of the Kingdom's educational system and the actual needs of the market. Rania Nashar, Director of Admission and Registration, said that the number of admissions is increasing each year. CBA is the only college that provides majors in Business Logistics for both men and women. The college presently offers six majors: Accounting, Business Logistics, Finance, Human Resource Management, Marketing and Management Information Systems. CBA is also offering a wide range of highly sophisticated academic programs that are carefully designed to bridge the gap between the market and educational institutions in Saudi Arabia. Nasreen Sabban is a student at CBA who is running her own small business in the city. She makes creative covers for electronic devices, such as laptops, USB flash disks and mobile phones, and has been expanding her business with the support of her institution. “I found this career day as the best opportunity for me to develop my business in a highly professional way,” she added. __
