The School of Social Sciences of Assam Kaziranga University, Jorhat organized a Webinar "Life Skills Education for Career Development" in association with Institution Innovation Council (ICC) on 26th April 2022. The key speaker for the webinar was Ms. Veena Suresh, Asst. Professor, Department of Social Work in Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Kerala.
The webinar started with a Welcome Address by Harikrishnan U, Assistant Professor of the School of Social Sciences where he warmly welcomed the Speaker, the Dean, the faculties, and all the students who joined the webinar. It was then followed by a Special Speech by the Dean of the School of Social Sciences Prof. Dr. Chandra Kanta Gogoi. He spoke on how proper Education was necessary to find solutions to different problems in society. He also stated that Education should have practical implications to help others because without doing so, the knowledge that we gain becomes unproductive. Lastly, He stated that through Education one can develop certain valuable skills which can be beneficial and effective in solving the problems of society.
Following that, the speaker talked about how acquiring life skills can develop and help us grow personally and professionally. She also encouraged the participants to evaluate themselves and to recognize one's abilities and strengths to make decisions and solve problems that will benefit them in the long run. The speaker also talked about how effective communication skills and interpersonal skills can help us create friendly bonds with others. As an individual one should be aware of oneself and have an insight into self. So that we can analyse our Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) as mentioned by the speaker. She also talked about the Strategies to Manage Stress and Emotions in difficult situations as it can affect one's professional life and also the process of developing a career. Because when Stress and Emotions get the best of us there will not be any room for critical or creative thinking. An individual must learn how to critically look at an issue or a situation and be smart enough to be innovative and explore new ideas. The speaker also suggested the students not make any decisions under the influence of other people's opinions or get carried away from others' statements. The speaker also said that one needs to be empathetic instead of being apathetic or sympathetic if he/she wants to sustain a professional life for a long time. Lastly, the speaker suggested the students highlight the skills we acquired either from training programs, voluntary work, or other events during the hiring process so that it gives us more chances of landing a job.
After this, there was a question and answer round where the students asked questions regarding stress management to which the speaker replied and cleared the doubt of the students. The faculties also actively participated in this round by sharing their thoughts on how mental health can be related to life skills and how enhancing the skills can help improve the state of our mental health. The webinar ended with a vote of thanks by Aradhana Baruah student of BSW 4th Semester and very sincere feedback from the students as well as the faculties.