American University of Sharjah (AUS) opened its annual Careers Forum under the theme "Developing Human Capital for Sustainable Economic Growth," today, March 15, 2016. The two-day event connects the UAE's top public and private employers with the best young talent in the region, in the form of the university's graduating students and alumni. The forum was inaugurated by His Excellency Sheikh Salem Bin Abdulrahman Al Qassimi, Chairman of the Ruler's Office. Dr. Björn Kjerfve, AUS Chancellor, as well as other senior AUS officials were also present on the occasion.

As one of the most high-profile events held on campus, Career Forum provides AUS seniors and alumni the opportunity to meet representatives from the private and public sectors interested in recruiting AUS students and graduates as either full-time employees or interns. This year, almost 70 national and multinational companies participated in the forum's Career Fair, which also included local, regional and international private, semi-government and government agencies.

"Our institution prides itself on having established close ties with leading local and regional institutions," said Chancellor Kjerfve, speaking on the occasion. "We are glad to have the opportunity to develop the talents, skills and knowledge of the region's best and brightest young minds by helping prepare them for future careers spanning the breadth of human endeavor. Well-rounded university graduates should know about far more than how to complete coursework, and we do everything we can to ensure our students are prepared if they wish to pursue careers in private industry," added the Chancellor.

Raghad Joma'a, a management major at AUS said, "I am really pleased to see so many impressive organizations present on campus today. This event provides us with a great opportunity to plan our careers ahead of time."

The forum will continue tomorrow, March 16, with a day of panel discussions by business leaders, high-level policymakers and important scholars.

Institutional Advancement sponsors include Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank; Construction Products Holding Company (CPC); Crescent Enterprises; Crescent Petroleum; Emirates Global Aluminium (Dubal-EGA); Petrofac International Limited; and Waha Capital. Gold sponsors include Cummins Middle East. Silver sponsors include Procter & Gamble (P&G); and Unilever. Bronze sponsors include Accenture; Emaratech (Emarat Technology Solutions); L'Oreal Middle East; MAG Lubricants; Nestlé; Omnicom Media Group MENA; and The Dow Chemical Company.