Two conferences in the Career and Education Fair brought educators and jobseekers together with leaders in industries such as CEOs, managing directors, and senior vice-presidents in dialogues that provided important information on career development and skills and training enhancement.

The Education Forum on the afternoon of May 3 gathered together 60 university and career placement officers to discuss the following concerns:

• What awaits our students as they leave the safety of the academy?
• Which jobs need many bright working people, and which are dying out as casualties in the evolution of industry?
• What skills and training are necessary for professional career advancement?
• How does the Filipino worker fare in the larger arenas of global employment and cutting-edge international industries?

The panelists and their topics were:

	Rico de Guzman President Personnel Management Association of the Philippines Topic: The Skills and Knowledge that Employers Look For in Potential Workers
	John Forbes Sr. Advisor, Investment Climate Improvement Project American Chamber of Commerce in the Philippines Topic: Foreign Investors Assess Philippine Potentials
	Alan Frazer Managing Director Alan Frazer and Associates Topic: The Job Opportunities that Filipino Immigrants Can Find in Australia
	Jesus Zulueta Managing Director ZMG Ward Howell Topic: How the Filipino Employee Stands in the Global Job Market
	Bambina Buenaventura Director Test of English for International Communications Topic: The Importance of the English Language in the Workplace
	Mr. Rory Zaks Senior Vice President OSRP

Meanwhile, the Career Development seminars that were open to the public discussed topics that were vital to a jobseeker such as promotion, global competitiveness, making oneself marketable, and creating career paths in very specific industries.

These speakers and their seminars were as follows:

	Choy Baltazar Director of Human Resources Hyatt Regency Manila The Attractions of a Hotel and Restaurant Management Career
	Gil Bangalan HR Consultant Parsons International Limited Careers in Recruitment and Training
	Jay Bernardo Professor Asian Institute of Management – Washington Sycip Graduate School of Business Use Your Work Skills to Be an Entrepreneur
	Tricia Canapi HR Director Influent Philippines Inc. How Call Centers Can Enhance Quality of Life
	Edith Dee-Dychaio VP – Marketing Communications Banco de Oro Creativity in the Corporate Set-up: The Importance of Marketing in the Banking Industry
	Jojo Gajitos CEO IBM Daksh Philippines How To Be Globally Competitive
	Lloyd Luna Managing Director Think Out of the Box when You Job Hunt Make Yourself Marketable to Companies
	Clifford Paragua Executive Director TESDA The Advantages of Technical-Vocational Workers
	Alex Reyes SVP Inquirer Publications Inc. Journalism: The Power and the Responsibility
	Beverly Vergel Training Director Star Magic (ABS-CBN Talent Center) Breaking into Showbiz: The Training of Future Stars
	Boy Abunda TV Host Entertainment Journalist Talent Manager LIve Out Your Dream of Being a Concert Artist, A TV Performer, A Movie Actor
	Mark Yambot Corporate Affairs Director Microsoft Philippines Why IT Careers Are Always in Demand
	Rory Zaks Senior Vice President OSRP Being Interviewed by an American Recruiter? Be Prepared, Be Confident, Land that Job!
	Rene Serapio SVP for Human Resources Siemens Philippines, Inc. Take Your Career to the Next Level
	Romina Urra-Gonzalez Editor-in-chief Metro Weddings Magazine, ABS-CBN Publishing, Inc. How Would You Like To Write for Metro and all those Fab Mags?