Students seek guidance at the Career Fair 2005 edition. A Telegraph picture

Billed as the ?biggest career fair in Calcutta?, the 15th Career Fair, organised by Afairs, will roll out the red carpet for students on Saturday.

The three-day event will have a host of participating institutions from India and abroad, as well as a special guest speaker in the form of Delhi-based career counsellor Pervin Malhotra.

The fair, at the Ice Skating Rink, from 11 am to 8 pm, will assist students in exploring over a hundred career options, but there will also be admission offers, on-the-spot counselling and guidance.

?We couldn?t accommodate all the institutions that wanted to be there, due to a lack of space,? says Sanjeev Bolia, CEO, Afairs.

Institutions offering vocational, academic and professional courses in arts, commerce and science at the undergraduate, postgraduate and diploma levels will set up stalls.

The programmes on offer include management, engineering, medical science, IT training, hardware and networking training, biotechnology, hotel and hospitality management, multimedia, media studies, interior designing, air hostess and air crew training, jewellery designing, fashion designing, digital film-making, physiotherapy, nursing and more.

?In West Bengal, there is a greater propensity towards professions and courses in media studies, mass communication, journalism, particularly electronic media, and digital film-making. So, we will have information about these subjects, too,? adds Bolia.

There will also be representatives from foreign universities and colleges to provide information on professional courses in USA, UK, New Zealand, Australia, Germany, Canada and even Brazil, as well as MBBS in China.

Experts will conduct interactive seminars and make audio-visual presentations during the fair. In addition, a free Career Guide Book will be given to all visitors to enlighten them on a plethora of career options. It will also address the eligibility criteria, essential attributes, qualifications, job profile and the pros and cons of the careers.

Two ?power talks?, on Career Options After Class XII and Career Options After Graduation, will be delivered by Malhotra on April 23 and 24, respectively. To register for the interactive sessions, log on to www.afairs.com

?There is a healthy gender-based crossover in the professions over the years. For instance, a lot more men are now interested in fashion and gem and jewellery designing, traditionally considered a women-oriented domain. Similarly, a lot more girls are asking about aeronautical engineering,? observes the CEO.

After being ?a huge hit? in Visakhapatnam and Bhubaneswar, the career fair comes to Calcutta, and will move on to Ranchi, Patna, Indore, Nagpur and Raipur.

There is an entry fee of Rs 10 per person, to retain ?some level of seriousness?.