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Nature Seychelles at Labour Day Job Fair

job-fair

Careers in the environment sector are within reach to local job seekers. There is a variety of attractive positions in the environmental sector and the sector is fulfilling a big role in providing lifelong careers for Seychellois. This was the message that Nature Seychelles passed on to visitors to its stall at the Ministry for Labour and Human Resource Development Job Fair held on Friday 27 April.

staff at the job fair

Hundreds of job seekers visited the fair, which attracted the participation of the private sector and non-governmental organisations alongside government agencies. According to the Ministry, the fair held to commemorate Labour Day 2012, provided a platform for employers to talk about employment opportunities available in their organisations as well as to advertise  job openings.

Nature Seychelles used the occasion to talk about its work and entice people to its organisation. It also advertised  positions currently open in the organisation and generated a lot of interest in its work through distribution of informative posters and magazines. In fact, the importance the organisation held for the fair was proven by the presence of  all its senior staff including the Chief Executive Nirmal Shah at the stall during the day.

“Our staff are essential pillars in delivering local and international programmes and projects that benefit society. We cannot undertake our environmental conservation mission without skilled and motivated staff. It was therefore important for us to be out there talking to potential employees about the work we do and the remuneration and rewards that come with it. We were quite happy with the response we got,” Mrs. Kerstin Henri the Director of Strategic Operations for the organisation said during the job fair.   

One of the challenges the organisation has been facing was how to attract young people to environmental careers. Therefore the organisation has been partnering with local post graduate institutions to develop training that is directed at careers in conservation and the environment. The Maritime Training College is one such institution and current students who visited the stall showed a lot interest in the jobs being offered.

The organisation also wanted to pass the message that environmental conservation, apart from its larger mission of serving people and nature, is a key contributor to the local economy.

“Conservation contributes to sustaining livelihoods through employment either in full time or part time jobs. For instance Cousin Island Special Reserve has had the tradition of employing only locals to run the Reserve. Then there is expenditure on goods and services from local suppliers. And finally there is tourism revenue spin-offs to local hospitality and tour operators, which come from a well managed natural attraction,” Nirmal Shah explained.

Staff  offered advice to those contemplating environmental careers, in terms of the skills required and training they needed to pursue. One of the entry points, they said, could be voluntary work, which helps one gain relevant experience and grow networks that could help with future employment.