IBSS Delivers First Online Employability Seminar

Around the world, the return of Spring marks the key period for university students to begin preparing for their further studies or future employment. However, the uncertainty sparked by this challenging time has triggered an increased demand for guidance regarding employment.

Thus, organizing effective employability training has become a primary focus for the employability team of International Business School Suzhou (IBSS), Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University (XJTLU). With this in mind, the IBSS Employability Team recently hosted two sessions on the hot topic of online employability. Attracting more than 300 students, the seminars reflect the extension of student services at XJTLU to adapt to changing needs.

Mr Huaiyuan (Bryan) Zhang, Senior Employability Officer at IBSS, summarized the key motivation for holding the seminar in this way: “Companies may lower their recruitment demand during this period, but the long-term desire for talents will never decrease. We must help develop and reinforce students’ employability continuously to ensure the smooth transition from campus to workplace.”

During the seminar, IBSS Employability Team combined pre-recorded videos with real-time interactive Q&A. This combination allowed high-quality contents as well as flexibility and interactivity. The resulting reformatted contents aligned well with online education, thus increasing student engagement and delivering an enhanced learning experience.

The IBSS Employability Team is led by Dr Bing Wu Berberich, Associate Dean for Learning and Teaching. Dr Wu Berberich explains IBSS use of advanced technology to foster student employability in this way: “IBSS constantly seeks to serve business and society through the unique mechanism of talent development. Our Team not only promotes the knowledge and skills needed to improve our students’ ability to acquire employment, but also actively develops their soft skills such as learning and adaptivity, team-work, and effective business communication. Our goal is to equip students with the mindset and ability of life-long learning. This valuable capability also benefits future employers and promotes the healthy development of the entire business society.”

According to the statistics of employment, the overall rate of enrollment and employment for IBSS students is over 94 percent. Among graduates entering the workplace, the most popular employers are foreign-funded enterprises in a range of industries including technology, manufacturing, pharmaceutical, and consumer goods. Renowned employers of IBSS graduates include IBM, Honeywell, Roche Group and P&G. IBSS graduates have also regularly found positions in China’s Big Four, state-owned and commercial banks, as well as top domestic technology firms including Tencent.