Curtin University’s Dubai campus has successfully placed 88 per cent of its first cohort of graduates in jobs or in post-graduate study within six months of graduation and this reached 97 per cent within one year, all at the height of the pandemic. Curtin Dubai’s Careers Hub has actively worked with students from the start of their academic journey to prepare them to excel in meeting the needs of employers. Following its launch in 2017, Curtin Dubai’s first batch of students recently graduated with exceptional academic results and work-oriented skills that are highly demanded by employers today.
Curtin students benefit from Curtin’s global reputation for its strong industry connections and commitment to producing career-ready graduates. As a result, recent graduates have been successfully employed with future-forward industries such as education and educational technology, IT-centric SMEs, engineering, manufacturing, and financial services.
Curtin Dubai puts in great efforts to ensure students are not only graduating with world-class knowledge in their fields but have also received practical training and fieldwork experience to ensure they are career-ready the moment they graduate. When considering a university, choosing the right degree is the first factor in their decision-making process, followed by other key aspects such as rankings and reputation, tuition and scholarships, campus amenities, and student satisfaction, however employability must be at the top of the list as the majority of graduates will move directly from university to their careers. Curtin Dubai ensures graduates have the highly ranked degrees that employers are seeking along with all of the soft skills and experience necessary to set them apart.
“Curtin’s degrees are highly ranked in the global league tables which opens doors to numerous opportunities for our students,” says Shweta Wahi, Head of Curtin Dubai’s Careers Hub. “In addition to offering top-ranked Australian education, we strive to embed core industry exposure and work-integrated learning as part of our teaching delivery because employers are constantly on the lookout for graduates who come from universities that facilitate high levels of industry engagement.”
The Curtin Dubai Careers Hub, a collaboration between the People & Culture Department and the Student Success Centre, is responsible for organising engagement activities with the university’s industry partners and connections to assist students with career opportunities. Through the Careers Hub, students get to engage with industry speakers several times a month, attend mentorship programmes, attend the Curtin Dubai Employability Series to gain soft skills and employability skills, secure internships throughout their time at the university, and secure permanent placements upon graduation.
A series of additional programmes run in parallel to the various initiatives undertaken by the Careers Hub in support of career development goals for their students:
• Curtin Dubai speaker series: Successful working professionals, industry leaders, and guest speakers are invited to campus to speak and share insightful anecdotes from their professional experiences with students. From popular Dubai-based influencers such as Naomi D’souza to the former General Manager of Tommy Hilfiger and Calvin Klein GCC, Heike Lieb-Wilson and the CEO of Fine Hygienic Holdings and Olympic Coach, James Lafferty, some of the finest industry experts have taken the center stage at Curtin Dubai.
• Curtin Dubai classroom series: For a more classroom-focused approach to industry and to provide programme-specific context, industry professionals come into classes to speak with Curtin students in an effort to enhance learning within a particular course.
• External industry visits: As part of their courses, students visit companies and interact with different departments working in the subjects they are studying at the university.
• Curtin Dubai Careers Fair: The annual careers fairs are held on campus for global organisations and SMEs with offices in the UAE to interview and recruit talent from Curtin Dubai’s student community.
• Curtin Global Careers Fair: Held on the University’s online job resource portal, and accessible to students from all five Curtin campuses, this annual event allows student from all Curtin campuses to interact with both multinational companies and local companies from all five countries where Curtin has campuses.
• Work-integrated learning: As part of every degree offered at Curtin Dubai, students can gain academic credit for working an internship during their studies.
On a more personal and one-on-one basis, the Careers Hub is available on campus throughout the day to provide services to students in the form of personalised career counselling, CV writing and mock interview practices, internship opportunities, and permanent placements.
Curtin University focuses on equipping its students with future skills and real-world experiences, making them highly employable and successful in their careers. This is one way that Curtin helps students 'Make Tomorrow Better.'
