Chester graduates funding boost

University chiefs have received a huge grant to continue a scheme which has helped graduates gain employment.

The Graduate Headstart Scheme, which could help shape national policy, has been given a further £1.74m so the University of Chester could continue the programme until at least 2013.

The original three-year project was worth £3.56 million and the extra funds will mean scores of other graduates will be able to obtain additional skills needed to secure a job.

Alison Hamill, who took part in the project last October, said: “I was struggling to get past the interview stage when applying for jobs.

“The five-week placement helped me to develop skills and confidence while also introducing me to the world of work and contacts you could only make from being in the work environment. The European Computer Driving Licence also helped me stand out from other graduates.

“Only weeks after the programme I was successful in getting a permanent job and I have recently secured a temporary promotion to a graduate level role.”

The project's focus is the testing and evaluating of innovative methods of providing graduate employability skills by the six partner institutions, which include the Universities of Chester, Cumbria, Bolton, Manchester Metropolitan, Salford and UCLan.

Work has also been undertaken with EU partners in France, Spain and Germany, to identify and benchmark best practice that has an inward benefit to the UK.
The project aims to inform EU and Government policy on graduate employability and to identify best practice for subsequent mainstreaming.

Source: Robert Platt, Chesterfirst.co.uk, Tuesday 8th May 2012

UK Power Networks invites graduates to design graduate recruitment programme

UK Power Networks has introduced an assessment scheme for recruitment, designed by graduates for graduates.

This year's assessment centre for graduates who are interested in joining the electricity distribution firm was different to ones candidates may have experienced elsewhere.

The candidates were given three team exercises to do that were designed around real jobs within the electricity distribution company. They would have to do those jobs if they worked for the company, therefore giving both UK Power Networks and its prospective employees the chance to really see if they were suitable for one another.

Usually assessment centres at other companies offering graduate courses involve standard exercises and not the actual work a graduate would be expected to carry out for the company if they were successful.

Part of the assessment centre was designed by commercial graduate Carina Correia and current engineering graduate trainee Daniel Steele.

Audrey Bevan, recruitment adviser for UK Power Networks, said: "It is nice that it's actually gone full circle with former and current graduates having a hand in designing our recruitment process.

"We are quite unique in the way we have designed it this year. The more information applicants have, the better they are able to make an informed decision."

Out of 54 candidates, the list has now been whittled down to 20 interviewees to carry on to the next part of the process.

UK Power Networks employs about 10 graduates each year as part of its Graduate Engineering Programme and Business and Commercial Management Graduate Programme.

Both courses take three years to complete, incorporating a 12-month training programme followed by two, one-year supported placements.

UK Power Networks distributes electricity to about eight million homes and businesses in the East, London and the South East. Its engineers maintain and repair thousands of miles of underground electricity cables and overhead power lines as well as substations.

Source: Hrmagazine.co.uk, Wednesday 2nd May 2012

How to get into IT

The IT sector employs among the highest number of graduates of any sector. It is popular because graduates can work for an IT company or in an IT role at any firm in any industry. It's also an attractive career choice because it allows for flexible working arrangements, regular on-the-job training, and the opportunity to apply skills and knowledge across a range of sectors.

Graduate roles in IT include technical ones such as programming, technical support, web development and software engineering, while business roles also exist. Employers most often welcome applications from graduates with engineering, maths, physics or finance degrees. Graduate training schemes tend to offer training specific to the applications and systems graduates will be using.

GETTING IN

Theresa McHenry, UK HR director, Microsoft

We take about 30 to 40 graduates a year on our training scheme, and also about 100 interns who form a pipeline into the graduate scheme. We don't tend to take many graduates with a pure computer science degree, as we like to take on people from all different backgrounds – and that includes mature graduates.

The scheme isn't rotational. We give graduates a specific role and they will be given responsibility and accountability from day one. From the last four years, we have well over 100 graduates at different levels and positions in the company, and many of the previous graduates will mentor the new ones – we have a good communications network to support and help graduates on our scheme.

We monitor our attrition rate carefully, because graduates are our leadership pipeline for the future. It means we track graduates' progress closely and look after them because the level of knowledge and skills they attain mean they become very marketable, very quickly.

GETTING ON

Richard Nott, CWJobs.co.uk

IT is the fastest growing and most future-proof industry. While this makes it a sensible career choice, IT pros should be mindful that the IT industry will constantly evolve. To stay on top of your game and provide yourself with the best prospects for career development, staying aligned to these emerging trends is crucial. For example, the proliferation of mobile is driving demand for IT professionals with JavaScripts, C#, .NET and HTML5 experience.

As a result, 81% of IT pros surveyed by CWJobs stated that they were planning to "skill up" to compete for roles in mobile – an area on which businesses plan to double their spend in the next six months.

Technological developments aside, IT pros should keep abreast of other factors increasing demand for certain types of skills. Last summer, 80% of IT pros said they planned to skill-up on IT security skills, with a further 45% expecting to see an increase in job opportunities in this discipline.

VIEW FROM THE INSIDE

Vince Sharp, graduate trainee with Waterstons

After completing a Master of Mathematics I joined IT consultancy Waterstons as part of their managed services team. Most of my time has been spent on a service desk, which serves as an escalation point for some clients and as the IT department for others. This has given me the opportunity to tackle all manner of problems, from desktop to enterprise. By retaining ownership of issues and with the support of experienced specialists, I'm continuously developing my technical skills.

I was intimidated by how many applicants had technical backgrounds, but many of the skills learnt studying maths are relevant to my role. While technical expertise is very important in this industry, I believe the ability to relate to your customers and understanding how technology addresses their business needs are equally important.

Source: Mark King, Guardian.co.uk, Friday 4th May 2012

Post-graduate tweets his way to $37,000 job

A social media savvy post-graduate has landed a $37,000 fellowship with a leading American University, and all thanks to his tweets.

Rahul Rathi regularly uses social media sites to communicate with friends, but decided to use his Twitter skills to secure the prestigious US position.

Instead of sending in traditional applications the University of Iowa has introduced a 140-word application “tweet”, where candidates must demonstrate why they are ideal for the position.

To further enhance their application candidates can add links to their blog, video essay or slideshow to show off their skills portfolio. However, this addition must fall within the character limit.

The 25-year-old technology buff from India won 2012’s competition with his answer to the question: “What makes you an exceptional Tippie Full-time MBA candidate and future MBA hire? Creativity encouraged!”

The student has been a Twitter member for three years, and the winning tweet said: “in an age where packaging is as imp as content, I present myself in a manner that makes me stand out from the crowd”. The tweet also included a link to a photo slideshow.

Rathi praised the site as the perfect 21^st century communication medium.

“Twitter has gained tremendous popularity owing to the growing number of users. It is now the one stop shop for all the latest news from around the world,” he said.

“It has great potential for marketing as well as for expanding the reach of an organisation,” he added.

Below are some ways you can use social media to find your ideal graduate job:

Use different sites for different purposes

Employers love well-rounded individuals who as well as having work experience in their chosen sector, also devote time to other areas in their lives. With each social networking site you will always need to put your best foot forward, but each can be designed to show off a different facet of your personality. Use Facebook to show the cream of what you do in your leisure time, LinkedIn to demonstrate your portfolio of skills and Twitter to update the current developments in your working life.

Let the work find you

Post a notice on your wall that you are looking for work and friends, family and other contacts will spread the message far and wide, potentially landing you your first position. Putting key words in your interests may also help your profile be picked up more easily by search engines. You can also use the site to act as a platform for your blog or small business, through the creation of a Facebook page and ask others to ‘like’ it to increase the page’s and your popularity.

Source: Gradplus.com, Saturday 5th May 2012

Why some graduates believe university was a waste of time

Public debate about the purpose and practice of higher educatation is currently dominated by a discourse of employability which privileges the financial rewards of achieving a HE qualification over the personal and social rewards associated with the experience itself. Critics of this discourse argue that attempts to isolate preparation for employment from other aspects of personal and social development are unhelpful because they fail to take into account the interrelationship between personal, educational and professional development.

In 2011 HECSU [Higher Education Careers Services Unit] conducted a survey in which graduates were invited to reflect on their experience of higher education. We found that graduates who believed their participation had contributed to their personal and professional development demonstrated an awareness of the broader purposes of HE, while those who perceived their education to be of little or no value were more likely to view university as a means to an end.

'I wouldn't be where I am today without the experiences and knowledge I gained from my time at university'

Graduates who believed that participating in HE had contributed to their personal development explained how studying for a degree helped them to develop confidence in their own ability, giving them the courage to volunteer and defend their own ideas, and challenge the opinions of others. They also felt that attending university had given them the opportunity to engage with, and learn from, people they might not otherwise have met, prompting them to reassess their priorities and think more critically about their own ideas and ambitions. Describing the social and intellectual rewards of HE, these graduates explained how the experience gave them confidence in their ability to make sense of new ideas and unfamiliar concepts, and understand, manage, and summarise complex information. They explained how studying for a degree taught them how to appraise other peoples' work and apply their own knowledge, and their description of the way studying for a degree taught them to evaluate their skills and knowledge suggests that participating in HE also prompted them to adopt some of the behaviours associated with career self-management.

These graduates felt that achieving a degree demonstrated that a student had the intellectual ability to engage with, and understand, unfamiliar concepts and ideas. They were determined to achieve success within the labour market, and encouraged current students to make the most of opportunities to engage with academic knowledge, gain work experience, participate in extracurricular activities, and develop their social skills.

'I do not feel my degree benefited me at all. I thought it was a waste of time'

While many graduates agreed that participating in HE contributed to their personal development, some argued that it was of little or no value because it had not enabled them to secure a particular kind of job. These graduates had struggled to find what they considered to be a "graduate" job and felt that universities were no better at equipping students with transferable skills than schools or colleges. They believed that achieving a degree demonstrated that a student had acquired the necessary knowledge and skills to perform a particular role, but were pessimistic about their chances of achieving success within the labour market, arguing that nepotism was rife and that they did not have the contacts to secure a job in their subject area. They felt many students would be better off pursuing professional or vocational qualifications that are designed to prepare them for employment, and wished they had done the same.

'Don't think it's just about what employers want. University is a great opportunity to learn what you can do as an individual'

Students' orientations towards higher education are important because they influence their understanding of, engagement with, and ambitions for academic learning, extracurricular activities, and employment. They also inform students' understanding of the relationship between education and the wider world. Our preliminary findings suggest that the current discourse of employability is preventing some students from engaging in HE in a way which facilitates the personal and social development which will enable them to secure fulfilling employment and make a meaningful contribution to the economy. It is a timely reminder that universities and policy makers need to do more to remind students of the broader purposes of higher education if they want students to participate fully in university life.

Source: Holly Higgins, Guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 1st May 2012

The top 10 skills and competencies for graduate jobs

What do graduate recruiters really want, and how can you show them you’ve got it? Over the past 10 weeks we’ve looked in depth at the top skills and competencies that will get you a graduate job, from teamwork to enterprise skills. These key abilities and aptitudes will enable you to succeed in your chosen career and deliver results in the workplace.

Here’s a recap of the top 10. We’ve explained how each skill is interpreted by a sample of popular graduate employers, how the competency is likely to be assessed as you go through the graduate recruitment process and how you can develop it while you are a university student. You may well find you’ve developed all of these skills without even realising it. If not, we’ve given you some ideas relating to each competency that could help you make yourself more employable.

1. Teamwork

This has been identified by business lobbying organisation the CBI as one of the fundamental employability skills. A good team worker will encourage and inspire other team members to perform better, while being prepared to compromise and ignore their own ego.

If you are invited to take part in a group exercise at an assessment centre, it’s likely that graduate recruiters will be watching closely to see how well you work with others. Hannah Harrison, graduate recruitment manager for the Financial Services Authority, explains: ‘It’s not necessarily the person that’s shouting the loudest who impresses me, it’s whoever is really listening and ensuring that everyone has a say.’

• Find out more about how to develop your teamwork skills and what employers look for

2. Problem solving

Problem solving calls for analytical skills, creativity and logical thinking. One example of a problem solving exercise is the RAF leaderless exercise, where you must move objects through various barriers with no member of the team acting as a designated leader.

You can use the IDEAL model (Identify, Define, Examine, Act, Look) to approach problems, and the STAR model (Situation, Task, Actions, Results) to explain to assessors why you dealt with a problem in a certain way. Good examples of problem solving include satisfying a difficult customer, or turning round the finances of a struggling student society.

• How to sell your problem solving skills to employers

3. IT skills

Employers expect current graduates to have IT skills as a matter of course. Most desk jobs will only need you to know how to use Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook), but for more computer-oriented roles you may be required to know and be able to use one or even several programming languages.

Showing the right attitude is important here, as one of the most important aspects of computer and IT skills is a willingness to try new things when you don’t know them. Laura McQuillen of Red Gate Software says, ‘We’re looking for bright, switched-on people with a passion for technology, and the ability to be flexible in certain situations - people who can show that they’re capable and have an aptitude to learn new things quickly. You’ll need to be pretty smart!’

• How to make sure your IT skills are up to scratch

4. Communication

A recent survey by the National Union of Students (NUS) and the CBI suggested that nearly a fifth of graduate recruiters were not satisfied with graduates’ basic use of English. Your application needs to be well written, easy to understand and tailored to the recruiter in question. Make sure you proofread properly too; one mistake can spell doom for your application.

If you want to develop communication skills try applying for one of the telephone jobs available around campus. This could involve cold-calling alumni for donations, or taking phone calls from vulnerable students.

• Find out more about how to impress top graduate recruiters with your communication skills

5. Leadership and team management

Team management is more about being able to get the best out your workforce, while leadership is more about being a good example. Some graduate employers will expect candidates to have leadership potential. Careers which may lead to early responsibility include retail or the armed forces.

National Grid’s Julie Moore says, ‘Being organised, aware of time constraints and remaining courteous and respectful in stressful situations are important leadership qualities. Candidates should take responsibility for planning how to progress with a task and deciding what to do.’

• More advice about how to show employers your leadership potential

6. Time management

Time management skills enable you to handle a heavy workload without losing control. This involves prioritising, organisation, planning, adapting to changing circumstances, and using your problem solving skills to overcome setbacks and achieve your goals. Employers may assess your time management skills by setting you an in-tray or e-tray exercise.

Chris Howes, graduate marketing manager for Mars, says: ‘The ability to cope with change is crucial. To work within the fast-moving consumer goods industry you need to be comfortable with a fast paced environment: it can change rapidly, requiring you to make decisions and alter direction quickly.’

• Time management tips and insights to help you get a graduate job

7. Creativity

It’s not just the creative industries – publishing, the media and so on – that value imagination. Graduate employers across the board, from engineering to finance to IT, like hiring creative employees because these are the people who come up with ideas to develop the company and suggest new ways of doing things. Melissa Hopper, graduate recruitment manager at Mott MacDonald, says, ‘We want people who can come up with new ideas, new processes and new designs.’

However, there’s a difference between showing a creative approach in a professional context (which employers will welcome) and wacky attempts to grab attention and make your application stand out (which are likely to misfire). Make sure you know what your employer is looking for. While ‘creative applications’ such as CV T-shirts, or advertisements aimed at CEOs have grabbed a lot of headlines, they certainly don’t have a 100% success rate.

• How to show your creativity to graduate employers (without going over the top)

8. Emotional intelligence

Empathy and emotional intelligence enable you to understand what might be going through someone else’s head, without them having to explain it to you. Rather than asking you for evidence, assessors will observe your reactions and attitudes to different situations and how adept you are at dealing with them.

Gregg Carnaffan, graduate development manager at HSBC Bank, says: ‘If you’re going to be successful you need emotional intelligence. This is an awareness of how your actions affect other people, and how your behaviour is influencing them. Also the ability to pick up, verbally and non-verbally, the mood of other people, and more or less predict how they’re feeling before they come and tell you.’

• How to show emotional intelligence in the graduate recruitment process

9. Customer care

This is all about helping a customer to make a decision that is right for them, and making sure they feel well treated by the company. These skills are necessary in every customer-facing position, but are equally relevant in other, less obvious roles. For example, in the police force investigating officers will need customer care skills when talking to witnesses. They are also highly valued in consulting, retail and retail banking.

• How graduate employers assess your customer care skills

10. Enterprise skills

Enterprise skills involve using your initiative, being proactive, and being a ‘self-starter’, so that you can spot and make the most of commercial opportunities. Gemma Adams, vice-president of recruitment for Mitsubishi UFJ Securities International (MUSI), asks: ‘Are you a member of a society where you’ve done something innovative? Give us an example – don’t just give us the standard, “I’m really keen on the markets”, because anyone can say that. We really need to see a bit of evidence.’

Plenty of universities run entrepreneurial societies and getting involved in one, particularly as a council member, is a good way to learn how to build enterprise skills. If your university doesn’t have a society for entrepreneurs, setting one up could be a brilliant way to learn enterprise skills. In fact, establishing any society could help you.

• Hone your enterprise skills and get hired by a top employer

Source: Targetjobs.co.uk, Wednesday 2nd May 2012

Flextronics offers UK graduates career fast-track

Warrington-based Flextronics Global Services and Software is offering university students internships in the supply chain management company this summer.

The firm is offering five paid internships across the customer services, IT, HR, finance and operations teams, providing workplace experience to local undergraduates.

Flextronics employs around 250 technicians, warehousing and administration staff, alongside a multi-national call centre team speaking ten languages.

“The graduate jobs market in the UK is becoming increasingly competitive and those looking at getting their first job need to stand out from the crowd," said Mike Meades, general manager at Flextronics Global Services and Software.

“Relevant work experience is a great way to do that as employers these days can afford to be selective and are looking for a combination of academic success and work-based learning when appointing employees," said Meades.

Successful applicants will be invited for an interview prior to employment to ensure comprehensive experience of the recruitment process is provided.

“These internships will offer us a fresh impetus but more importantly it will help local undergraduates enhance their career prospects through hands-on experience of working for a global company,” said Meades.

Source: Richard Wilson, Electronicsweekly.com, Tuesday 1st May 2012

Black graduates more likely to be unemployed than white

Black graduates finding work can expect to earn as much as 9pc less for the same work as a white graduate over five years, the report by Deloitte showed.

The study claims black students are not being given the "same opportunities" as white students. It follows a controversial report in February which suggested there was a "racial bias" against black candidates during recruitment.

The study, published on Tuesday by Elevation Networks, a youth employment charity, warns that black students do not believe there is enough mentoring or assistance in choosing where to go to university or where to find jobs.

Samuel Kasumu, founder of Elevation Networks, said: “We found black students are concerned about what their future once they graduate, many of them believe the odds are firmly stacked against them.

"There are particular challenges when it comes to those students who are considering a career in financial services, legal services, government, and media, which is very concerning.

"With the increase in tuition fees, there has never been a more important time to ensure all graduates have an equal chance in the employment market.”

Sandra Kerr, director of Race for Opportunity, which published the February report on racial bias, said: “This report reiterates our understanding that the top universities and businesses – particularly in government, law, media, fashion and finance – have a long way to go in being approachable to potential new candidates from diverse backgrounds.

“Universities and businesses continue to be restrictive in how they recruit pupils and graduates. There is work to be done by each in assessing not only how formulaic their processes are, but also how diverse their current and most recent candidate shortlists are. Failing to widen their recruitment pool means UK businesses are losing out on a wealth of diverse skills and talent.”

Among the findings, the report found just under half of black undergraduates believed Government departments discriminate against black students in their employment policies.

Almost seven in 10 expect to be earning less than £25,000 in their first graduate role.

There is a "vast discrepancy" between the expectations of black students and the outcomes they face following graduation, the report based on interviews with 2,500 students over two years, finds.

Terry Awan, head of the multi-cultural network at Deloitte, said: “The findings of this report are truly worrying, and not something that should be happening in working environments in the 21st century.

Elevation Networks said employers should target graduate recruitment days at univeristies they traditionally do not use, to increase diversity in applications.

Source: Louisa Peacock, Telegraph.co.uk, Tuesday 1st May 2012