The Business Beat

International Student Fair:

BETHLEHEM, PA—The National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) is hosting a virtual career fair for international students interested in positions in the United States and abroad.

The fair is NACE’s latest response to shortages of graduates in key disciplines, notably the STEM fields—science, technology, engineering, and math.

In November 2007, NACE issued its “Position Statement on the U.S. Talent Crisis,” noting in part that “NACE recognizes that the United States currently faces a talent crisis which, if unaddressed, has dire implications for the economic well-being of this country. While American colleges and universities successfully recruit and educate top talent from around the world, current U.S. government policies concerning the H-1B visa and employment-based green card programs virtually shut that talent out of the U.S. job market, forcing those students to take their skills and abilities elsewhere.”

Currently, there are more than 580,000 international students studying in U.S. colleges and universities.

The virtual career fair is “designed to make it easier for employers and international students to find each other, so that talent and opportunity can come together in productive ways for candidates and organizations,” says Marilyn Mackes, NACE executive director.

The virtual career fair is open to

U.S. employers with operations abroad seeking to expand their international work force;
Global employers seeking candidates studying in the United States who wish to return to their home countries for an internship or following graduation;
International employers with offices in the United States looking to hire candidates with international skills;
International students currently attending NACE-member colleges and universities in the United States who:
- wish to return to their home country for full-time or internship opportunities.
- are currently pursuing one-year Optional Practical Training (OPT) and/or long-term opportunities in the United States.
- are currently pursuing summer Curricular Practical Training (CPT) internships in the United States.

Employers may begin posting their internship and job opportunities on January 22, 2008; the fair opens to students in February.

For more information about the NACE International Student Virtual Career Fair, see www.naceweb.org/public/NISVCF/

National Association of Colleges and Employers.