Events Releases

Over 40 Companies at UWI Job Fair

For Release Upon Receipt - February 2, 2007

St. Augustine


“Vision without action is a daydream. Action without vision is a nightmare.”

These words of wisdom set the tone for the feature presentation by Satyakama ‘Kama’ Maharaj, CEO of Sacha Cosmetics, who shared his personal experience with hundreds of university students at a Republic Bank-sponsored World of Work seminar held on Saturday 27th January at The University of the West Indies Sport and Physical Education Centre (UWI SPEC). The WOW programme, which is primarily geared towards final year students of The University of the West Indies, attempts to bridge the gap between the university classroom and the realities of the working world by providing final year students with some of the tools needed for long-term success in a competitive, globalised work environment.

“When I started Sacha twenty-eight years ago the world moved at an entirely slower pace and things were much more predictable. We did not have PCs, microwave ovens, MP3 players, CDs, cell phones, fax machines, e-mail or the internet. It is safe to say that over the past 28 years, the world has changed more than it did over the past 100 years. And the reason for that is the internet,” said Maharaj, a self-made business success story.

Over one thousand final year students listened attentively to advice from Maharaj, who identified several principles from his own experience as the founder of a company which has held the official cosmetics brand of the Miss Universe Pageant (1999) and the Miss USA Pageant (2001).

“Isn’t it amazing? Imagine the possibilities. We sit in our office in Freeport and run a global business with very little operating costs. The best part about it is our online store is open 24/7, rent-free, with no Eid , Divali or Christmas holidays and we get paid in cash, $US,” said Maharaj, encouraging the emerging UWI graduates to make the most of twenty-first century telecommunications technology in their quest for entrepreneurial success.

The seminar, which was part of the annual World of Work programme featured presentations on work attitudes and ethics by Lara Quentrall-Thomas, Managing Director, Regency Recruitment Agency, and Denise Demming, Lead Consultant, Professional Presentations Limited. UWI St. Augustine Campus Principal Dr. Bhoendradatt Tewarie, Deputy Principal Professor Gurmohan Kochhar and UWI Alumni Association President, Jerry Medford, also spoke at this year’s installation of the annual event.

 “University students are only truly empowered when they feel that they can make their own choices in life; are aware of the implications of those choices; can make informed decisions freely; can take actions based on those decisions and accept responsibility for the consequences of such actions,” pointed out Anna Maria Garcia-Brooks, General Manager, Group Marketing and Communications, Republic Bank Limited, in her presentation to the final year students in attendance. Garcia-Brooks spoke about the internal characteristics that transform graduates into “good leadership and good management material”.

The UWI/Republic Bank World of Work continues with Mock Interviews on February 3rd from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon at the UWI SPEC and Heart Ease Teaching Facility, followed by the WOW Recruitment Fair on February 8th and 9th from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the UWI SPEC. Many local, regional and international companies have participated in previous installations of Mock Interviews and Recruitment Fair, and this year promises an even greater participation from local and regional companies, including Algico, Angostura Ltd, Ansa Automotive Ltd, bpTT, Bouygues Batiment/Home Construction Limited, Business Development Co., Carillion Caribbean Ltd, Cellular Planet Ltd, Central Bank of Trinidad & Tobago, CMMB, Courts Trinidad Ltd, Courtyard by Marriott, DAMUS, EOG Resources Trinidad Ltd, Evolving Tecknologies & Enterprises Development, Financial Concepts Ltd, Fluor & Summit Alliance, Fujitsu Transaction Solutions (Trinidad) Ltd, Gordon Winter & Co., Guardian Holdings Ltd, Hilton Trinidad & Conference Ltd, Home Construction Ltd, Housing Development Corporation, Industrial Plant Services Ltd, Kaizen Environmental Services Trinidad Ltd , Kee-Chanona Ltd, Methanex Trinidad Ltd, Ministry of Labour, MSTTE On-the-Job Training Programme, Nestle Trinidad & Tobago Ltd, PCS Nitrogen, Petroleum Co. of Trinidad & Tobago Ltd, Port Authority of Trinidad & Tobago, RBTT, T&TEC, TCL, West Indian Tobacco Co. Ltd, Yara Trinidad Ltd, Barbados Light & Power Co. Ltd, Goddard Enterprises Ltd (Barbados), Rotherley Construction (Barbados), Grenada Development Bank, Grenada Distillers Ltd, Parry W. Bellot & Co. Ltd (Dominica) and PetroJam Ltd (Jamaica).

Contact

  • Mr. Chandar Gupta Supersad

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