Major and Career Fair 2016 Draws Focus On STEM

The sixth Major and Career Fair (M&C Fair) will kick off this Sunday, focusing on Science, Technology, Engineer, and Mathematics (STEM) while welcoming around 23,000 participants from all backgrounds.

The Fulbright and Undergraduate State Alumni Association of Cambodia (FUSAAC) is organizing the event, which will be held at the Institute of Technology of Cambodia. This year, the event will help raise general awareness of the importance of the natural science major.

Students from different high schools and university students will be able to participate in beneficial information sharing sessions and connect face-to-face with over 50 speakers who specialize in various STEM fields. This program will feature educational exhibits, and will allow interactive and in-depth discussions to aid in successful career management. 

Rithy Monineath joined the M&C fair back in 2015 when she was in 12th grade. She was glad she joined the fair that year because the event helped her choose a degree that she is happy with. 

 “I joined the fair when I was in grade 12 at Sisowath High School,” she said. “At the time, I hadn’t decided what to study yet because I wanted to be an auditor and a doctor. But I couldn’t decide which one should I choose,” she added.

“When I joined that event, the professors explained auditors and doctors to me and showed me which subjects I should prepare for to [succeed in] each career,” she continued. “Then I found out of that being an auditor is much more suitable for me. I’m very happy with my studies.” 

Hazan Illyasak, a 2016 M&C Fair Project Leader, anticipated that students will be able to enjoy the numerous benefits of the event and obtain invaluable information that will assist them in their search for a career path.

“We choose STEM as our theme, because we believe the interest of young people in Cambodia is very limited, while the demand has been increasing,” he said. “As the [country’s] development has relied so much on technology, the lack of human resources in this field can be a big disadvantage in the future.”

“However, M&C still keeps its special elements to have a variety of majors in other sectors beside STEM,” he added.

The M&C Fair was first organized in 2011 with a different thematic focus planned for each year to help draw attention to the education sector in Cambodia. It is FUSAAC’s biggest annual flagship event that is endorsed by both the US Embassy in Phnom Penh and the Ministry Education, Youth and Sports (MoEYS). 

Article by Khmer Times