THE department of Student Aid, Work Study and Career Services at Northern Caribbean University (NCU) reported a less than satisfactory staging of its most recent career fair on its campus in Mandeville more than a week ago.

Department head Beverly Henry said that although about 300 jobseekers – including students from the main campus in Mandeville and from the extension campus in Kingston, as well as high school students from the area – attended the event, the attendance rate for potential employers was poor.

There were about 10 booths other than those promoting the university’s own departments. Big names, such as Digicel and the Ritz Carlton Hotel, both of which usually attract large numbers of potential employees, failed to show. Of the business entities that were present, the Bank of Jamaica (BOJ), the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF), and the Ministry of Health were the largest corporations.

Even so, many of the students were less than pleased with the day’s proceedings. A final year Mass Communication major, Joy Hall, told the Sunday Observer it was the worst turnout she had ever seen.

“It was poorly attended on the part of the employers. I have gone to job fairs late before, and I still had people to see,” she said.

Hall noted that there were only a few booths, including People’s Telecom, and a regional employment agency when she arrived at about 11:00 am on March 14.

Echoing Hall’s opinion was Fernando Green, a nursing student in his final year of study. He was pleased for himself, since the Health Ministry and the Adventist-run Andrews Memorial Hospital were in attendance. But he said many others were displeased with the offerings.

“That wasn’t a job fair,” he said. “There were only five or six booths, and no international ones. Persons in Teacher Education and Hospitality had a problem because nobody from those areas were here.”

Career information specialist in the Career Services Department, Sharon Deer reported that for the three years that she had been working at the institution, the turnout in terms of jobseekers was the largest she had seen. She said that last year there were 187 students and community members participating, and that the year before there were 193.

At the same time, she said it was counter-productive for so many jobseekers to have come out this year without having the employers present.

“Having large numbers with the companies not showing up defeats the purpose (of the job fair),” Deer said.