Jaipur hosted its first GIA (Gemological Institute of America) Jewellery Career Fair, with participation of over 200 attendees and close to 40 recruiters, gathering at the Indian Institute of Gems & Jewellery (IIGJ) campus in Sitapura, on April 20. Over the last few decades, Jaipur has emerged as a significant gem and jewellery centre with tremendous employment potential.

The event was held in collaboration with the Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC), IIGJ and the Jewellers Association.

Rajiv Jain, former chairman of the GJEPC, and Pramod Derewala, chairman of IIGJ, expressed how important events like Career Fair are for both job seekers and recruiters. Nirmal Baradiya, president of the Jewellers Association – Jaipur, described the event as a platform for dialogue between the industry and potential job seekers. “With this platform, GIA is able to highlight the employment potential of the Indian gem and jewellery industry,” said Nirupa Bhatt, managing director of GIA in India and the Middle East. “GIA will help to develop this skilled workforce further with the launch of its Graduate Diamonds diploma in Jaipur this May.

Recruiters featured from various industry fields including grading, merchandising, sales, marketing, finance and communications. Segments at the Fair included one-on-one mentoring, recruiting sessions, panel discussion on “Gems & Jewellery Industry – The Sunshine Sector" moderated by Bhatt with industry leaders Rajiv Jain, Pramod Derewala, Nirmal Bardiya, Suneel Agrawal of Vaibhav Gems and Dr. Naval Kishore Agarwal of Birdichand Ghanshyamdas serving as panellists. Manufacturing companies including Derewala Jewellery, KGK Diamonds, RMC Gems, and retail houses including Amrapali, Bhuramal Rajmal Surana and Birdichand Ghanshyamdas also participated in the event.