The University of Nottingham invests £1m in its Careers and Employability Service to help its students land their dream job upon graduation

26-3-2013 — /europawire.eu/ — The money will fund 22 additional staff, who will work within teaching faculties across the University to provide specialist career guidance and improve links with graduate recruiters.

Already the second most targeted University by UK graduate employers, according to High Fliers research, the initiative is designed to help students stand out in the ever more competitive graduate job market.

Commitment to employability

Jan Perrett, Acting Director at the Careers and Employability Service, explained that by basing staff in Faculties, the Service will be better equipped to deliver tailored career development opportunities and support.

She said: “This is a very exciting time for us and a great chance for the University to show its commitment to the employability needs of students and graduates.

“By creating five faculty teams, we will be able to work closely with academic and administrative colleagues to deliver bespoke career guidance and employability activities to our students.”

A comprehensive service

Planned support on offer includes the provision of individual career guidance, workshops, CV support, development materials, employer engagement and event organisation. While students will also be able to take advantage of the University’s on site job agency — Unitemps — and employability mark — the Nottingham Advantage Award.

Staff from within academic departments will also be encouraged to offer more employability opportunities to their students, with a total funding pot of £25,000 available for School-based careers projects.

Further afield, three members of staff based in China, Malaysia and the UK, will proactively seek opportunities for students and graduates globally. By engaging with employers all over the world, the Global Labour Market team will work to increase opportunities for students returning to home countries as well as for those wishing to work overseas.

Looking ahead to the roll out of new staff, Jan Perrett continued: “Our key objective is to enhance the employability of our students and graduates and to deliver, in partnership with academic departments, an effective, professional and tailored service.”

Getting started

The 22 new members of staff are currently completing a two week induction programme, before moving into Faculties from Monday 25 March

Newly appointed as Careers Consultant in the Faculty of Engineering, Andy Smith explained: “I was inspired to apply to Nottingham as the investment in staff and resources shows a real commitment to supporting the employability aspirations of students.

“Providing a faculty based careers team to give specialist school centred support is an excellent innovation. I am looking forward to working with academic colleagues, building on excellent employer relations and supporting students to make an impact in their future careers.”

The enlarged team will welcome a new Director in July. Nalayini Thambar joins the University from the Careers Centre at the University of Leeds, where she is Assistant Director (Business Services).

Following her appointment, Ms Thambar said: “I am delighted to be joining The University of Nottingham, a world-class university with a strong commitment to employability, and look forward to working with colleagues across all campuses.”

To find out more about the Careers and Employability Service, please visit http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/careers

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Notes to editors: The University of Nottinghamhas 42,000 students at award-winning campuses in the United Kingdom, China and Malaysia. It was ‘one of the first to embrace a truly international approach to higher education’, according to the Sunday Times University Guide 2013. It is also one of the most popular universities among graduate employers, one of the world’s greenest universities, and winner of the Times Higher Education Award for ‘Outstanding Contribution to Sustainable Development’. It is ranked in the UK’s Top 10 and the World’s Top 75 universities by the Shanghai Jiao Tong and the QS World Rankings.

More than 90 per cent of research at The University of Nottingham is of international quality, according to the most recent Research Assessment Exercise. The University aims to be recognised around the world for its signature contributions, especially in global food security, energy & sustainability, and health. The University won a Queen’s Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education for its research into global food security.

Impact: The Nottingham Campaign, its biggest ever fundraising campaign, will deliver the University’s vision to change lives, tackle global issues and shape the future. More news

Story credits

For more information please contact Jan Perrett, Acting Director, Careers and Employability Service, at jan.perrett@nottingham.ac.uk

Harry Waddle – Students Communications Officer
Email: harry.waddle@nottingham.ac.uk
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