International Students and Graduates from across the Midlands gather

for ‘Global Careers’ Conference in Birmingham

On Saturday 29th November 2014, approximately 500 international students and graduates

from across the Midlands in the UK attended a ‘Develop Your Global Career’ Conference in

the stunning Great Hall at the University of Birmingham. Organised collaboratively

between 16 Midland based universities in the UK, the conference provided international

students and graduates with the opportunity to meet and network with global employers,

learn more about UK visa opportunities and develop their overall global employability

attitudes.

Around 20 employers and organizations such as the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants

(ACCA), Access Tier 5 (AIESEC), the British Council, BUNAC, Chopsticks Club, Progressio and FDM

attended the conference and each and every one was extremely insightful in to the opportunities that

they provide. The event was sponsored by CPA Australia - cpaaustralia.com.au with Hayley Angell

(Relationship Manager – Education) providing a great overview on the company and speaking about

what makes a global graduate. CPA’s stand also included a free photo booth, which enabled students

to receive a free professional photo to include on their LinkedIn pages or professional portfolios –

definitely an added bonus. They also ran a competition whereby the winning student will meet and

have lunch with a business leader within the company, which was an amazing opportunity for one

lucky student/graduate!

The conference kicked off with a panel of representatives from organizations such as UKTI,

Freeths, Decathlon and CPA Australia giving talks to students about developing a global mind

set and considering this from an employer’s perspective. The panel also included a couple of

students who shared their experiences and what they had personally gained from the

previous work experience that they had undertaken in an international environment. After

the panel talks, students were then given the valuable opportunity to network with company

officials and professionals and develop their network of contacts. Employers set up booths in

an exhibition area and were available for student’s enquiries as well as providing

information and promoting themselves to the event’s guests.

The conference also offered two different types of workshops to international attendees.

Workshop One was extremely valuable and included information on how students and

graduates could apply for Tier 2 and Tier 5 visas in the UK and what options were available.

The workshop focused on the eligibility and requirement on applying to a Tier 2 or Tier 5

visa. The process of how to apply for visas was explained thoroughly and instilled different

cases studies.

Workshop Two introduced and guided students in to becoming a ‘global graduate and

obtaining a global mindset’. This workshop was more interactive and influenced students

thinking of how they could develop into a global graduate. Speakers encouraged students to

ponder the prerequisite in to working internationally. Students were reminded that subjects

like cultural agility and differences are inevitable in a mixed-cultural working environment. It

provided a framework to students of “How will working internationally be like” and “What

employers want from us”.

The ‘Develop Your Global Career Conference’ really helped students who are starting with

nothing. It was not a job hunting fair which job offers are directly offered, however, it gave

students the opportunity to develop valuable global networks and gain better insights from

employers from a variety of different international backgrounds. The University event

organizers worked hard to provide detailed information of working in the United Kingdom or

internationally. International students can then start to better prepare themselves for the

future challenges that they will face after graduating and what potential career

opportunities may be available. It is not about getting short-term and immediate benefits

but long-term and visionary attributes in establishing yourself to the coming chances.

I would definitely encourage international students and graduates who are planning to work

in the UK (or abroad) to participate in these types of events. It is fun, it is useful and it was

also FREE.