The National Social Security Fund (NSSF) has today officially opened the 4th Career Expo with a call to university students to have a savings culture and continuously seek for career advancement opportunities if they are to have a better future.
While addressing students at Makerere University Main Hall, Barbra Arimi, NSSF Head of Marketing and Communications said; “NSSF, as a responsible institution, has a mandate to contribute to the well-being of the community and that is why we decided to start such an initiative. It is also through such that we bring to the attention of students who are soon entering the job market the importance of preparing their future by saving with a retirement benefits scheme and also enriching their knowledge base. This year, the Career Expo has attracted a host of companies – all promising to provide job placements to students.”
“The Expo will be held in five universities; Makerere, Ndejje, MUBS, UCU, and Nkumba, and we not only want to build capacity of the students but also register potential new NSSF members amongst the finalists,” she added.
The Fund currently has approximately 750,000 active members who make periodic contributions with an asset base of over Shs6.25 trillion, making it the largest pension Fund in East Africa to-date. This annual event has established itself as a premier event in equipping university students and job seekers alike with comprehensive and latest information on career openings, professional career advice as well as an opportunity to engage with potential employers under one roof.
The Vodafone Uganda Human Resource Manager, Christine Sekyana, said; “Vodafone is part of the NSSF Career Expo because it is a perfect platform to share stories and lessons on the transformative power of technology in education and career. As a telecom company, we are passionate about empowering people to be confidently connected in many ways. We do this for business people, professionals, social media and digital enthusiasts, fashion, music, and arts lovers, to mention a few.”
PricewaterhouseCoopers Uthman Mayanja said the NSSF Career Expo is an avenue through which PwC identifies the best talent at University.
“We have been known to offer a solid work experience to some of the best performers at universities and providing them with the best foundations for their careers. We are honoured to be part of this year’s NSSF career fair,” said Mayanja.
Jackie Tahakanizibwa, Manager Communications Post Bank said; As an indigenous government owned bank, we are pleased to be part of the NSSF Career Expo as it gives us an opportunity to interact with the future of this country. The future belongs to the youth and it’s our mandate to groom responsible citizens. Our focus is to empower young people and get them involved to reshape finance and their own future.
“The participants should expect to get tips for getting started in the world of business and how to be financially independent. They should also expect to get equipped with tips on managing their money responsibly and the different challenges and opportunities to become young entrepreneurs,” Tahakanizibwa said.
Arimi said the Fund has lined up a number of learned human resource consultants, recruitment agencies, seasoned public speakers and Heads of Human Resources of a number of top employers in Uganda as guest speakers. The Fund plans to grow the career fair to include all major public and private universities in Uganda.