Succesful first organization of the Career Fair of the University of Primorska

On Wednesday, 18 May 2022, the University of Primorska (UP) hosted the first Career Fair of the University of Primorska, organized by employees of the UP Career Center, in cooperation with colleagues from other departments of the UP Rectorate and UP members.

The University Career Fair is aimed at university students and graduates, as well as the general public. Its main purpose is to connect the university with the environment, to present employers' organizations, university partners and potential employers of graduates. On the other hand, the fair is important for raising awareness of the importance of lifelong career guidance, for connecting and consolidating existing contacts between UP and its partners, and for finding new opportunities for cooperation.

The opening of the fair took place in the form of "Coffe break" between representatives of participating organizations and representatives of faculties. The audience was first addressed and greeted by prof. dr. Rok Strašek, Vice-Rector for Economics and Finance UP. He emphasized the importance of connecting with the environment for the university and the opportunities that such an event offers to students and graduates on the one hand and employers and partners on the other.

This was followed by presentations from the faculties, with which the representatives of individual members highlighted the profiles of graduates of study programs and other topics of the most interesting content for partner organizations. Mojca Družina from the UP Faculty of Humanities presented the study programs of the faculty and the advantages of its diplomats. Dr. Borut Kodrič, Vice Dean for Education at the UP Faculty of Management, pointed out the project work, which equips students and graduates with additional competencies. The UP Faculty of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Information Technology trains qualified staff who can be employable in very different fields, said dr. Marko Orel, Vice Dean for Research at UP FAMNIT.
Like all UP faculties, the UP Faculty of Health Sciences has study programs at all three levels of study, dr. Marina Dobnik, an assistant in the study program of Applied Kinesiology, especially pointed out the novelties of the faculty, namely the university study program Physiotherapy, which is the only one in Slovenia, and the study program Sports Education.

Mag. Igor Novel from the UP Faculty of Tourism Studies - Turistice pointed out the general competencies of tourism graduates, such as the ability to work in changing situations, ingenuity and flexibility. These represent added value to the subject-specific competencies of Turistica graduates and make them highly employable.
Representatives of the UP Faculty of Education were the last to present themselves. Matija Jenko, an assistant at UP PEF, told the audience key information about the study programs that educate future experts in the field of education and training. In particular, they presented the importance of the field of art and visual arts in the professions of the future. Assoc. Prof. Boris Kavur and Assoc. Prof. Tilen Žbona, both representatives of the Department of Arts at the UP Faculty of Education.

The opening part ended with a presentation of the INSHIP model, which was created as part of an international project in the field of teacher education and whose background was a social constructivist paradigm that highlights situational learning and the role of cooperation and professional learning community in bridging the gap between theory and practice in teacher education. This, however, can be overcome in genuine learning and in the context of concrete work environments.

In the continuation of the UP Career Fair program, students and graduates had the opportunity to talk to employers within the Employment Café. The hustle and bustle in the atrium of the UP Rectorate conjured up a real pleasant social atmosphere. Many students, graduates and casual visitors obtained the necessary information about the activities of the employers present, the possibilities of cooperation in the form of internships, project work or even employment. Representatives of employers' organizations, on the other hand, have gained many contacts of promising young people who may be able to integrate them into their work environment.

The accompanying program of the Career Fair and the "Employment Café" offered opportunities to participate in workshops. A workshop on the LinkedIn network was conducted. Participants learned how to improve their profile and increase their network of useful contacts. LinkedIn is also an important career tool and offers many opportunities for integration into the labor market. As part of the fair program, the UP Career Center continued its excellent cooperation with the Employment Service of Slovenia, the Koper Regional Unit and their EURES employees. As part of the fair, they offered a workshop on employment in Europe, and also participated in the "Employment Café".

Also the Slovenian Youth Agency SloAM, which presented an interesting international competition Social Impact Award (SIA). The competition offers a socio-entrepreneurial experience and gives young people the opportunity to present their views on various environmental and social challenges, create change and actively co-shape the future with their own initiatives that can lead to new entrepreneurial ideas. The SIA organizes social entrepreneurship awareness and training events, offers enhanced mentoring, networking with entrepreneurs and professionals, and offers direct support for the most promising entrepreneurial ideas through the Social Impact Award. The Slovenian Youth Agency also provided information on its work and projects within the Employment Café.

At the University of Primorska, we would like to thank all our partners who joined the UP Career Fair program and offer our students and graduates the opportunity to see what is happening in the labor market and give them the assurance that they will find their best careers after graduation. opportunities.

We thank: Actual I.T. d.d., Adecco H.R. d.o.o., Dinit d.o.o., EURES in Zavod RS za zaposlovanje Območna enota Koper, Fit Media d.o.o., GEN-I, d.o.o, Kulturno izobraževalno društvo PiNA, Luka Koper d.d., Mladinska zveza Brez izgovora Slovenija, Primorska gospodarska zbornica - SPOT svetovanje Obalno - kraške regije, RKS Debeli rtič in SloAM, Agencija za mlade.