Sarah loved her course so much ... she decided to stay

Taking opportunities

Our Buxton Campus, the iconic Devonshire Dome, is a commercial events venue so our Event Management students get the chance to work on real events and this appealed to Sarah. She says: “We were able to organise and work on events at the Dome and being able to work in industry alongside studying for my degree really impressed employers and enhanced my CV.”

Throughout her studies, Sarah made the most of all the experiences available to her. She says: “Through completing my Event Management degree at the University of Derby, I have been offered many work-based opportunities and experiences that have massively impacted on my career.

"From working in the Events Office at the Devonshire Dome to volunteering with local community events, I have enhanced my professional development and sampled the different types of work available, preparing me for industry. I feel confident going straight into industry.”

Making connections

Sarah also took advantage of the networking opportunities available. She says: “The University of Derby has many connections with renowned organisations and we remained updated with any graduate, volunteer and placement opportunities relevant to our industry. This, alongside talks from guest lecturers, gave us many networking opportunities and contacts for when we graduated.”

She says the quality of teaching made her university experience enjoyable. She adds: “The lecturers would share their industry experience which made me realise the exciting opportunities an Event Management degree can lead to. The lecturers were always available to help and support and brought out the very best of my academic work and practical skills.”

The future

Sarah now works alongside the academic and commercial teams at the Buxton Campus in a new role running a training event office for students, an area where students can plan their events in a professional working environment. She will assist the students in delivering a variety of conferences and events. 

She will also be working closely with Tourism students to oversee and improve the visitor experience at the Devonshire Dome, and welcome prospective students globally to the University of Derby through organising study programmes to provide the students with a taste of a UK university life.

Sarah is planning to complete a PGCHE (Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education) within the first two years of her new role to open up even more opportunities in the years to come.

“I would say definitely come and study with us. The campus is both a university and a beautiful event venue. I could not imagine going anywhere else to study,” she says.