Virtual Open Day - Careers and Employment video transcript

[upbeat music]
Libby Beck, Engagement Officer, Centre for Student Life: So at the University of Derby we're very proud of the fact that our students leave us actually ready for the real world of work. We've got a very full programme for the students if they want to engage with the Careers Service. 

We do that by offering them work experience, internships, year placements. We have Career Connection Weeks which we have a Careers Fair, Volunteering Fair.

Caption: We support you to find professional experience that will help you shine in a competitive market place. We tailor our support to your aspirations and personal circumstances.

Christina Vassell, English and Media Studies (Joint Honours): My experience at the Careers Service has been really rewarding. They introduced me to the Employee Mentoring Scheme.

The Employee Mentoring Scheme allowed me to connect with the Dean of Students. She took me to an International Conference in Belgium and just being in that environment really inspired me to want to take a placement or even to work abroad. And so I recently just came back from a placement in Berlin. I was able to interview several ambassadors at their embassies. It's even encouraged me to go beyond myself again and I applied for another placement but this time in Taiwan.

Caption: Our links with industry mean that you'll have the opportunities to apply you learning with work experience. Your work experience can be directly relevant to you studies, including placements and real projects set by businesses.

Libby Beck: The Careers Team at the University of Derby work very closely with our academic colleagues so we know what students are learning on their programmes of study. We also work very closely with academic colleagues in regards to year placements. All students from the University of Derby now have the option to go on a year placement and we have placements at various organisations.

Iona Batcu, Business Management, International Business: After having my session at the Careers and Employment Service, we analysed in detail my CV. After talking with people and getting advice, I just started to explore every experience I have, embrace the idea of applying to different jobs. I'm more confident.

Caption: Your degree is only part of your story. We're here to help you tailor your talents to life after university. 

Libby Beck: We also can offer mock interviews for students. We will ask them real-life questions that they will get in interviews.

Christina Vassell: So they did a lot of mock interviews with me and that really helps me to structure my points, my experiences. Looking back on my academic journey and just seeing the person that I have become, it's clear to me that I would've never been able to find these opportunities but also to develop personally.

Libby Beck: It doesn't matter what the opportunity is. It could be something that's part-time, it could be an internship, it could be a year placement, it could be a graduate job, but, to know that we have helped that student get to that point, that's the best feeling in the world.

Virtual Open Day - Careers and Employment video

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