Sessions' Descriptions
Opening Keynote Session
The Future of College Career Education and Workforce Development
#ReimagineU
Farouk Dey
Vice Provost for Integrative Learning and Life Design, Johns Hopkins University
Economic changes, technological advances, and generational trends are the impetus behind the rapid paradigm shifts we are witnessing in education, career development, and the world of work. These shifts are changing how people make meaning of their personal and professional choices and growth, how universities structure curricula and academic experience, and how organizations hire and retain talent. In the evolving digital age, the scale is the name of the game, and the path to one’s life purpose has transcended conventional transactional approaches. Based on his research and extensive experience in higher education and experience at Stanford and Johns Hopkins University, Farouk Dey shares the key themes that have defined how people achieve their life purpose and how educational institutions and hiring organizations must shift their approaches to best prepare and compete for talent for the future of work.
Plenary Session
The Era of Diversity and Inclusion
Maisa Galal
VP - Country Human Resources Head, Arab Bank
Nagla Kinawi
Human Resources Director, Vodafone
Nermine Fawzy
Co-Founder and Senior Partner, FosterEdge
Diversity and inclusion programs exist in almost every organization in this day and age with the goal of attracting and retaining a diverse pool of employees. Organizations can have a general agenda for improving diversity and inclusion or they can choose to focus on a particular group. However, it is not just about fulfilling quotas and ticking boxes, but rather a culture that needs to be nurtured at the workplace. Potential and current employees need to have a sense of belonging to their workplace regardless of their gender, age, ethnicity or abilities. This plenary session will feature a dynamic trio of Human Resources Development professionals who will share best practices in diversity and inclusion in Egypt and the region.
Closing Keynote Session
The Future of Work
James Wilson
Director, People and Organization, PwC Middle East
PwC have conducted extensive research on the future of work, workers and the workplace. The session will first set the context regarding disrupting factors in society when it comes to employment, and how new technology is changing what we work on, who we work with, how and where we work, in rather unprecedented ways. It will cover the ‘so what’ factors for each as well as what this means from a governmental, organizational and personal perspective. It will showcase global and regional trends in this area as well as reflecting on the impact of these trends across the skills people require to operate in a digital future both as an employee and as an employer.
Al Ghurair Young Thinkers Program: A Technology-Based Solution for Career Planning
Nesma Farahat
Education Program Manager, Abdulla Al Ghurair Foundation for Education
This session will allow educators and employers to explore Al Ghurair Young Thinkers Program (YTP), an online university and career readiness platform developed to help Arab youth between the ages of 15 and 30 achieve future university and career success. Hosted on a bilingual digital platform, YTP combines career assessment tools, digital coursework, and resources to support youth between the ages of 15 and 30 in their education to employment journeys. Developed by Abdulla Al Ghurair Foundation for Education, and powered by Arizona State University, this free-of-charge tool is an innovative, first-of-its-kind program that helps learners build the skills necessary to grow into successful citizens who contribute effectively to the societies in which they live.
Building a Strong Employer Brand - from Analytics and EVP to Activation
Abdou Ziat
Employer Branding Advisor MENA, Universum
This session will be delivered by Universum, a social, story-led, data-driven and results-focused employer brand marketing agency and a trusted partner working with over 2,000 companies and educational institutions worldwide.
Universum enables future employees, graduates, and young professionals, to voice their opinions on career goals, employer preferences, and perceptions in order to assist universities and employers in understanding, attracting and retaining their target group and thus in helping them adapting their strategy.
Publicly known for their Most Preferred Ideal Employer rankings regularly published in global media, how can you, as a professional working in talent acquisition, career services or campus relations, HR-marketing, and communication make the most out of these insights, uncover your Employer/University Value Proposition, bring it to life and build a winning Brand?
Coaching Essentials: Building Coaching Cultures in Organizations
Shahira Rifaat
President, ICF Egypt Chapter
Lara Atallah
PCC, Executive and Leadership Coach/Board Member, ICF Egypt Chapter
The session will be interactive using coaching tools to let the participants experience coaching as well as practicing it. It will be conducted in a group coaching format facilitating the learning process. The participants will learn how to utilize coaching tools to start building a culture that incorporates coaching in their organizations to maximize the potential of their employees.
Designing Educational Prototypes for the Future of Work (a design thinking workshop)
Farouk Dey
Vice Provost for Integrative Learning and Life Design, Johns Hopkins University
While we were discussing the future work, it snuck up on us and has already permeated the culture of our universities and workplaces. The digital economy has shifted paradigms and practices in talent development, acquisition, and retention. Students and employees have more choices today, and therefore their approach to career and life goals has transformed. The emerging model of life design is calling for institutions and organizations to change the way they provide pathways to personal and professional development at scale. Using his research and experience from Stanford and Johns Hopkins University, Dey will facilitate an interactive workshop, in which you will use design thinking to build educational prototypes that scale impact for students at universities and employees in organizations.
Embedding Narrative Methods: Tools, Games, and Technology
Mark Franklin
MEd, PEng, Practice Leader, CareerCycles | Co-Founder, OneLifeTools | Adjunct Professor, the University of Toronto (Joining via digital videoconference)
Leidya Boutros
Assistant Director, Career Services and Scholarship Engagement, Career Center, The American University in Cairo
Narrative Assessment Theory has revolutionized the way career practitioners extract information and insights from clients using the client’s story. Based on the premise that the practitioner is the expert on the career tools, and the client is the expert on their life, career possibilities and action items are intrinsically inspired by the client’s story rather than alienating the client with external data and inputs. Taken to the next level, based on science and a solid evidence-based approach, the narrative approach has been digitized and gamified! Using the power of storytelling and story listening, online and offline tools spark meaningful and structured conversations that build a deeper career understanding among clients and inspired next step action items.
Entrepreneurship – An Alternate Career Path
Ayman Ismail
Associate Professor and Abdul Latif Jameel Endowed Chair of Entrepreneurship and Founding Director, AUC Venture Lab, AUC School of Business
Entrepreneurship is emerging as an alternative career path both for recent graduates as well as early- and mid-career professionals. In this session, Ayman Ismail will provide an overview of the entrepreneurship space, and what it looks like as a career choice.
Experiential Learning Partnerships: A Win-Win Talent Acquisition Tool
Hossam Soliman
Human Resources Director, L’Oreal Egypt
Soha Hassan
Assistant Director, Experiential Learning, Career Center, The American University in Cairo
AUC Career Center works closely with organizations to create meaningful hands-on experiences for student learning and talent development through internships, corporate competitions or the Practical Learning Program that brings experiential learning into the classroom. How else are students expected to learn about the world beyond university, the different career fields and the dynamics of organizations? But what might be of benefit for employers? Why design experiential learning programs? Why invest their time in coaching and giving feedback to students? This session explores how experiential learning can become a tool for attracting and acquiring top-notch talent to your organization by bridging the gap between theory and practice and assessing skills more accurately.
Fireside Chat - Talent Development and Acquisition in the Future of Work
Farouk Dey
Vice Provost for Integrative Learning and Life Design, Johns Hopkins University
Moderator:
Maha Guindi, Executive Director, Career Center, The American University in Cairo
How will the future of work impact education, industry, and society? How has the digital economy shifted paradigms and practices in talent development, acquisition, and retention? Join a dynamic conversation to explore the impact of paradigm shifts in education, technology, industry, and society on the future of education and work.
Fundamentals of a Healthy Workplace
Heba ElBazz
Regional Associates Services Manager, Developing Middle East and Africa, Mars Wrigley
The health and wellbeing of employees is one of the global trends in driving an engaged, energized and performing workforce. It is also one of the growth pillars for the future of organizations. How can organizations develop a healthy culture in the workplace? What are the fundamentals of a health and wellbeing strategy? What is the impact, and how to measure the effectiveness, of a health and wellbeing strategy?
Graduate Study Advising – A Support to Career Progression
Dalia Awad
Director, Career Advising and Campus Engagement, Career Center, The American University in Cairo
Caroline Nassar
Senior Career Advisor, Career Center, The American University in Cairo
To address the resurging number of students and alum seeking to join local and international graduate programs, the AUC Career Center has initiated multiple guidance channels to effectively maximize the chance of applicants getting accepted. The session discusses effective strategies that are implemented by the Career Center to provide comprehensive services for students who are seeking to progress their career through enrolment in graduate study programs. Details of the different services will be discussed including raising awareness among student and alum population of available programs and funding opportunities, availing relevant and current information, identifying eligible student caliber, collaborating with international universities and funding organizations, planning and implementing graduate study events, as well as providing individual advising and workshops to support clients in the application process.
Graduate Training Programs – Discover How to Attract, Select and Develop the Next Generation of Talents!
Heba Bassel
Resourcing and Employer Branding Senior Manager, Vodafone
Yasmine Dessouky
Talent and Leadership Manager, Vodafone
Career options for university graduates include applying to entry-level positions, working in a family business or opening a new one, or pursuing postgraduate studies. Additionally, many multinational organizations offer a graduate training program for recent graduates where they get the chance to develop their skills, explore their talents and get exposed to the world of work. These programs usually include job rotation in different career fields, coaching and mentoring, international assignments, and networking opportunities. This session will demonstrate how graduate training programs have acted as a springboard for advancing talent and developing future leaders.
How to Design an Engaging Internship Program
Maged Tadros
Vice President of Human Resources and Administration, Edita Food Industries
Sandy Maher
HR Business Partner Manager, Edita Food Industries
Organizations have been offering internships to university students for decades and rather than treating interns as an extra pair of hands to take care of mundane tasks such as filing, desk research and data entry, a lot of employers are now striving to make these experiences engaging and productive. What does it take to design a truly career-related experience with meaningful responsibilities and practical application? How do you get buy-in from senior leadership? How do you evaluate the experience for the student and organization? This session will look at these questions providing insights on what it takes to design a successful internship program.
Münster Employability Program: An Industry-Education Partnership for Global Career Readiness
Andreas Eimer
Director Careers Service, University of Münster, Germany
Jan Knauer
Project Manager, University of Münster, Germany
Cooperation between universities and companies has great potential: Students gain insights into professional practice and universities receive feedback on the transferability of their course contents. But cooperation between universities and industry is not an automatic success. Both sides must agree on were common, but possibly also different interests lie. The cooperation should have longer-term perspectives and in addition, the university has the task of opening up as broad a spectrum of employer contacts as possible for its students. Finally, the didactic quality of joint activities such as job fairs, internships, and cooperative courses must also be guaranteed. The University of Münster has developed various tools and processes to make cooperation between universities and industry a win-win situation for all involved.
Roundtable Discussion Topics
The roundtable discussion is an opportunity for the conference participants to gather together around a table to discuss a specific topic in a relaxed setting. Participants can attend two roundtable discussions, each at a duration of 20 minutes. Each one of our roundtable discussions will have a facilitator who is a subject matter expert. As participants, you are strongly encouraged to contribute your views and ask questions. Done right, roundtable discussions can be a memorable and invigorating experience where conference participants can engage in a lively discussion with peers.
Roundtable Discussion I: How to Build Transformative Peer-to-Peer Advising
Facilitator:
Dana Downey
Associate Director, Career Development Center, New York University Abu Dhabi
Students love to learn from their peers, and career centers can leverage this to help students remember critical content, make services more relatable, and respond to changing trends. Peer advisors or career peers help your staff know their dynamic audience, respond well to concerns, and scale services. This session will review how to build, recruit, and train a peer advising cohort that amplifies your goals and enhances your presence on campus.
Roundtable Discussion II: Al Ghurair Young Thinkers Program - a Skill Development Tool
Facilitator:
Nesma Farahat
Education Program Manager, Abdulla Al Ghurair Foundation for Education
The Al Ghurair Young Thinkers Program (YTP) is one of three flagship programs at the Abdulla Al Ghurair Foundation for Education, one of the largest privately funded philanthropic organizations focused on education in the Arab World. YTP is a fully digital, bilingual platform designed to prepare ambitious Arab youth for university life and for the transition to work, with the goal of putting them on the path of life-long learning and empowerment. This roundtable will give you the opportunity to discuss means of integrating the program as a learning tool at the workplace or at an educational institution to enhance skill development.
Roundtable Discussion II: How Career Centers can Foster the Inclusion of the Differently Abled
Facilitator:
Caroline Nassar
Senior Career Advisor, Career Center, The American University in Cairo
Organizations these days are expected to build a more inclusive workplace and promote a more welcoming culture for all of their employees regardless of their background and abilities. Our role as career professionals is to advocate for the removal of any barriers that might be facing applicants with challenged abilities. This session will explore the many strategies and practical solutions that we can recommend to both employers and applicants to use during the application, interviewing and assessment stages to ensure that the process is accessible and accommodating.
Roundtable Discussion IV: Orphaned Youth Inclusion in the Workplace: Challenges and Best Practices
Facilitator:
Yasmine El Hagry
Deputy Executive Director, Wataneya Society
Wataneya has been working with orphaned youth aged between 16 and 21 years through a one-year program called “FORSA”. The program has three main stages, self-discovery, self-development and community engagement. In the third stage and for the older youth, Wataneya addresses the private sector to provide participating youth with internship programs relevant to their educational background. This session will explore best practices and tips for employers to raise their awareness and understanding of the orphaned youth needs, challenges, capabilities and potential, and support them to start from job interviewing to creating a culture of inclusion within the organization.
The Consulting Network Experience: An Approach to Enhancing Student Career Readiness
Maha El Moslemany
Associate Director, Employer Relations, Career Center
The American University in Cairo
One of the attractive career choices for students from all majors are careers in Management Consulting. The interviewing process for Strategy Consulting Firms needs deliberate preparation. AUC Career Center launched the Career Center Consulting Network (CCCN) in 2017 to create a peer-to-peer ecosystem that enables AUCians to practice cases together and enhance their chances to land opportunities at leading Management Consulting Firms in the region. CCCN is a solid example of building a community of like-minded students and recent graduates and connecting them with industry professionals who help enhance their career readiness.
Treasure Hunt and Talent Sourcing: UCCDs an Untapped Goldmine
Maha Fakhry
Chief of Party, University Centers for Career Development (UCCD)
The American University in Cairo
Fifteen University Centers for Career Development (UCCDs) – twenty-one by 2021 – are empowering thousands of youth to become the next qualified employable generation from fourteen different Public Universities all over Egypt. This session aims at introducing this national initiative and how it is transforming Egyptian youth at governorates to become qualified citizens in Egypt’s workforce. The integrated and sustainable centers are working with their respective universities to equip the ambitious and talented youth with the market’s employability skills, English language proficiency, and technical capabilities. Through private-sector engagement, the UCCDs will continue to be better equipped to prepare and avail the right caliber for industry needs across the country. Let’s join forces to make a real impact and change the map of talent sourcing in Egypt.
What Data Can Do For You: Career Center’s Guide on What to Measure and Why
Dana Downey
Associate Director, Career Development Center, New York University Abu Dhabi
What you measure says a lot about what you value. Data can help you make choices about student engagement, partnerships, and resource allocation. It is a tool for telling a powerful story about your work, it can help you translate your work to a wider audience, even key institutional and community stakeholders. This session will focus on building an assessment infrastructure in your career center, choosing what to measure, how to measure, and who needs to know. It will focus on how to make data work for you, to advance your bigger goals and purposes, rather than slow them down.
Your Corporate Social Responsibility: From Talent Attraction to Retention
Zeinab Hegazy
Strategic Communication and Public Affairs Director, CEMEX
Most organizations pride themselves on their corporate social responsibility programs, making sure that they are well documented in impact reports and press releases. They often arrange for photo opportunities, engage with the media and other influencers and promote their cause to current employees in an effort to project a positive image to their stakeholders. Some organizations have recently realized that there might be another worthy target audience – potential employees. This session will share examples of how organizations can use their corporate social responsibility programs in recruitment and talent acquisition and inspire job seekers to join.
