On Thursday January 15, 2018, the third annual Career Day was held at Aspira University College. Aspira students had a unique opportunity to make a good impression in front of the most successful organizations from the travel industry, sports, gastronomy and IT. over 60 Croatian and international employers were present, along with the representatives of the Croatian Employment Bureau, the Croatian Chamber of Commerce and the Croatian Employers’ Association.
Aspira Dean Anita Grubišić invited students to apply professional internships and future employment toward “responsible roles in the society of the future.” Zorica Duić, Human Resource Manager at the Hilton Imperial Hotel Dubrovnik declared that Aspira students are “the strong right hand for employers in overcoming the challeges of the future.” Ivo-Goran Munivrana of the Croatian Olympic Committee gave assurances that his organization would continue to support Aspira, as it has done from day one. Antonio Perić, CEO of Locastic IT company, reminded everyone of the large expert deficit in the labor market, praising Aspira as the “first institution of higher education to recognize that degree programs must be developed in cooperation with employers.”
The next item was a lecture by the esteemed psychologist Doc. Dr. Sc. Dario Vučenović titled “The Importance of Emotional Intelligence for Business Success.” Linking theory and practice, powered by the feedback from employers and crowned by Career Day, in the words of Dr. Vučenović, sets Aspira apart from all other schools in Croatia. His interesting presentation was followed by numerous questions from the audience, after which students-employer interviews began.
The finale of the 3rd Career Day was a lavish banquet entirely planned and prepared by Aspira Gastronomy students.
Employer impressions:
Le Meridien Lav – Igor Leben, Human Resource Manager:
“We have been supporting this positive and inspiring initiative since the start. It is our third appearance at Aspira’s Career Days. The professional internships for Aspira students has been continued as employment in our hotel. There is especially great interest in sales and marketing.”
Cedevita Basketball Club – Davor Užbinec, General Manager:
“We have come to Career Day in order to further our excellent and diverse partnership with Aspira University College. The Sports Management degree program is a factor for positive change, the exact sort of thing our club is striving to achieve.”
Brasserie on 7 & Zinfandel Wine Bar – Ivan Rabadan, Food and Beverage Manager
“Everything is organized at a very high level, it is impossible to criticize anything at this event. We knew the students would be top quality. We are very surprised at the amazing quality of the food at the banquet.”