25 July 2007

Nearly 100 of Australia's leading local and global employers will visit The University of Queensland this week for the Engineering Careers Expo.

The expo, now in its eighth year, brings together 95 companies including IBM, Boeing, BHP Billiton, ExxonMobil and Accenture to give students the opportunity to find out about possible careers and make an impression on potential employers face-to-face.

Engineering Careers Expo Coordinator Peter Buckland said the 2007 expo was the biggest yet and was unique in that it had been entirely organised by UQ engineering students.

Mr Buckland encouraged his fellow students to maximise their chances of finding a job through the expo by preparing well.

“The best advice is to check out our website before attending, see which companies are exhibiting and which ones you are interested in and then to do a bit of research before you talk to them,” he said.

“Also, be presentable - the company representatives at the Expo will be directly responsible for hiring you, so try to make a good impression!”

Mr Buckland said organising the expo as part of Young Engineers UQ (YEUQ) had been almost as important an experience as the expo itself.

“Having ownership of the event and being responsible for every aspect of planning for it means you learn a great deal and we take away a lot from this experience that will help us in our future careers as engineers,” he said.

UQ Graduate Employment Coordinator Mark Korst congratulated the students involved on organising an event of the same magnitude as the UQ Careers Fair 2006.

“The YEUQ have done a marvellous job and each year I happy to lend my support because the event is getting bigger and better every year,” Mr Korst said.

The Engineering Careers Expo will be held in the UQ Centre on Thursday, July 26 from 2-5.30pm. Entry is free and no registration is necessary.

Students who attend and fill out a survey also go into a draw to win prizes including a Nintendo Wii and an iPod.

For more information on the expo, visit www.yeuq.org.

Media: Mr Buckland (0422 940 532), Mr Korst (07 3365 1705) or Tegan Taylor at UQ Communications (07 3365 2339)