UTAR Centre for Foundation Studies (CFS) of Kampar Campus successfully organised two workshops titled How to Play to Your Strengths and Crafting Your Very First CV for secondary school students in Butterworth and Ipoh as part of the Centre’s school engagement projects.

Aimed at helping students to identify their unique capabilities and capitalise on their strengths, the “How to Play to Your Strengths” workshop took place on 16 August 2022 at SMJK Chung Ling Butterworth. The workshop was conducted by CFS Kampar Campus academic Kow Li Fen and attended by 86 Form 4 and Form 5 students.

The participants were first introduced to the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) and the four dimensions of personality dichotomies. The students were then given the MBTI assessment to determine their personality type. This was followed by Kow’s analysis of 16 MBTI personalities and an explanation of each personality’s characteristics and career paths.

The workshop received positive feedback from the students. They cited that the workshop was useful. It also helped them to uncover their strengths and talents. The students also commented that the workshop enlightened them on the applications of psychology.

Meanwhile, CFS Kampar Campus in collaboration with the counselling unit of SMK St Michael, Ipoh organised a workshop titledCrafting Your Very First CV for Form 4 and Form 5 students at La Salle Auditorium, Ipoh on 24 August 2022. The workshop was facilitated by CFS Kampar Campus academic Ho Wai Yew. The workshop saw the attendance of 70 students. It aimed to help students craft their CVs.

The students were given a brief walk through the history of CV by Ho at the start of the workshop. The students were then briefed on the characteristics of a good CV. Ho also shared some common faux pas committed by students when crafting their CVs. During the brainstorming session, the participants were told to reflect on their achievements. The participants were then taught how to use online CV builders to customise their CVs.

The workshop ended with a Q&A session and a souvenir exchange ceremony. The Principal of SMK St Michael, Phoon Kean Loon hailed the collaboration between the counselling unit of SMK St Michael and UTAR. “We look forward to future collaborations between SMK St Michael and UTAR in organising meaningful activities for our students,” said Phoon.