Careers Conference sells out in Wellington

MEDIA RELEASE
16 October 2009

International Careers Conference sells out in Wellington

800 to converge on capital to ‘Transform Careers and Unleash Potential’

The 2009 International Careers Conference in Wellington next month has officially sold out, making it the largest event of its kind ever to be held in New Zealand.

Under the banner ‘Transforming Careers – Unleashing Potential’, the Conference will bring 800 delegates from around New Zealand and the world to the capital from November 19 to 21 for three days of knowledge-sharing and insight about creative career development in an increasingly technological world with a challenging economic climate.

Career Services chief executive Lester Oakes says attendees are coming from as far afield as Europe, Africa, North and South America and the Middle East. He says the Conference’s focus on improving understanding of new technological tools for job seekers has contributed to the demand.

“Technology is transforming so many of the ways that people look for and find new career paths, that it can be hard to know how best to utilise them. It’s been a tremendous response and we know that attendees will find it immensely beneficial.”

Oakes says among the many presentations at the Conference will be several discussions on the use of Web 2.0 and virtual 3D environments for career development, as well as the many varied on-line tools that are available to job seekers both in New Zealand and around the world.

Oakes also says that the Conference will be one of the most technologically advanced held to date, with attendees encouraged to post their thoughts during the Conference on Twitter and an online discussion forum. Attendees - and other interested parties - can follow the event on Twitter, using the hash tag #CareerCon09, as well as contribute to online discussions about conference topics and issues via the forum on www.careers.govt.nz/forum.

“We want Conference attendees to be fluent and active in the Web 2.0 space so that they can better learn how to pass these skills on to job seekers for their own learning.”

Oakes says that for New Zealand to be hosting the International Careers Conference shows that we as a nation are at the forefront of thinking about career development.

Speakers at the conference will come from New Zealand, Australia, England, USA, Canada, Denmark, India, Finland, South Africa and Venezuela. The four keynote speeches will be delivered by preeminent Australian career development specialist Professor Jim Bright; Co-Executive Directors of the Canadian Career Development Foundation Lynne Bezanson and Sareena Hopkins; along with local representatives, the Pro Vice Chancellor Maori from the University of Waikato, Professor Linda Tuhiwai Smith, and Business and Economic Research Limited chief economist Dr Ganesh Nana.

Conference sessions will also include presentations on career development for indigenous, Maori and Pasifika, the disadvantaged, and Baby-Boomers who are still developing careers into older age. The full range of topics is available through the Career Services web site, www.careers.govt.nz/conference2009

Although registrations for the International Careers Conference have now closed and the Conference is full, a waiting list has been created. Should you wish to be included on this list please email the Conference planners on nic@avenues.co.nz

For more information about the range of career development tools available from Career Services, visit www.careers.govt.nz

ENDS

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