Professional Development Conference 2015

ABOUT PDC '15

The Professional Development Conference will inscribe the tools undergraduate engineering students need to acquire pivotal career opportunities. All Undergraduate Engineering students at the University of Guelph will be allowed to register, however due to spatial restrictions we can only accommodate 80 students. The Conference will invite in Engineering Alumni and successful engineers to share their experience and advice with students.

 

The Professional Development Conference will be a full day event aimed at improving undergraduate engineering students’ networking and career skills. This Conference contains four main events, being: a Keynote Speaker: Tej Gidda; an Engineering Alumni led workshop: The Edge Workshop; a Networking Speaker: Brett Cavanagh; and a Panel Discussion: Leaders of Today.

 

The Keynote Speaker will feature Dr. Tej Gidda, who completed his B.Eng, Masters, and Ph.D at the University of Guelph. However, Dr. Gidda achieved far more than those degrees while at the University of Guelph and was one of the primary leaders in the legendary moving of the Canon to the front of the Engineering building in 1998. Dr. Gidda is now a principal with Conestoga Rovers and Associates.

 

During the Edge Workshop Session delegates will break off into several smaller, stream-specific, groups with an employer or alumni. These sessions will help students understand what to pick out of job postings and how to highlight their experiences to reflect those aspects of the job in resumes and cover letters.

 

The Networking Speaker, Brett Cavanagh, is a senior recruiting officer with extensive experience in networking and strategic hiring. This portion of the conference will focus on how to effectively network and will offer advice on turning networking opportunities into career opportunities. The last event, the panel discussion, will feature 5 successful individuals, in engineering and business, from various backgrounds and will discuss the steps they took to achieve their goals and careers.

 

The conference is scheduled for Saturday January 17th, 2015, and will accommodate up to 80 delegates. The speaker and panel discussion portions will take place in the Engineering Atrium, while the cover letter workshops will take place in rooms 1435, 1427, 1425, 1365, 1307, 1002, and 1126. There is a 10$ registration fee, which includes lunch and coffee. This fee may be paid through the link provided on the registration form, using any major credit card or via paypal.