School of Materials

Induction – week 4

Today’s session

• Using the Careers Service

• Work experience

• Vacation jobs

• Study Abroad

• Industrial Placements

The Careers Service

• is committed to improving the employability of the University of Manchester's undergraduate and postgraduate students, alumni and research staff and assisting them to decide upon, apply for and achieve their career goals.

• It offers:– guidance – advice from professionals;– information – for your careers research;– opportunities: to meet employers and get jobs;– skills development: making you more employable.

Guidance: advice from professionals

• Guidance appointments One-to-one career advice.

• Quick Query Daily drop in service available for advice on CVs, applications and getting started with your career research.

• Live Guidance One-to-one careers advice via a live chat.  No need to book, just check the schedule to see when an adviser is next available.

• Help by email For those based off-campus and unable to access our other services.

• Practice tests and interviews Psychometric testing sessions, and interview preparation, to help you get the job.

Information: for your careers research

• OnlineBrowse the Careers website for comprehensive help with every stage of career development, from exploring career options to getting help with applications and interviews.

• Careers Resource Centre Occupational information, graduate directories, vacancy information and takeaway guides to help you with your career planning. Search our online careers library to browse our on-campus and electronic resources.

• Vault - Invaluable tool for researching careers and companies.  Available to University of Manchester students and graduates via our subscription. Includes downloadable vault guides, 3500 company profiles, 1100 career advice articles, industry & occupational profiles.

Opportunities: to meet employers and get jobs

• Job vacancies From part-time jobs to graduate positions. See details of our policy on advertising job vacancies.

• Events Meet employers, research opportunities and perhaps get a job at career fairs and presentations.

Skills development: making you more employable

• Manchester Leadership ProgrammeLearn key leadership skills and gain an award.

• Career Management Skills Build career development into your degree course.

• Events Including skills development workshops.

• Work experience Find opportunities and learn how to make the most of them.

• Volunteering Find opportunities and contribute to the community.

• Mentoring Learn about your dream job from someone already doing it.

Work experience

• Work experience can be a great way to:– earn money while you study – clarify your career goals – gain valuable skills to increase your employability – gain an advantage over less experienced applicants

when competing for graduate jobs

The Careers Service web pages have information on

• Part-time jobs • Jobs on campus • Placements and internships • Vacation work • Work experience abroad • Volunteering • Work shadowing • Project work • Graduate work experience

Vacation jobs

• Many full-time casual jobs are available over vacations. Options may include:– helping at a conference, or festival; – working at a holiday resort, or summer camp; – fruit picking.

• You might think this work has nothing to do with your later career... however, you will be able to show concrete evidence that you have developed useful skills such as organisation, teamwork and communication - all of which future employers will be really interested in.

Where to look for vacation work

• Your Careers Service• Vacancy database - Search through our current vacancies

online. • Career Options - This printed version of our current

vacancies is available to pick up every fortnight from your Careers Service.

• Online careers library - Search to find out what books and resources we have available to help you.

• International Talent - A new work placements initiative from your Careers Service, aimed at international students and those with international experience.

Online sources

• Vacation Link Service provided by NASES the National Association of Student Employment Services. Provides details of university jobshops across the UK, many of which can help you find vacation work outside Manchester during the summer.www.nases.org.uk/vacationlink 

• STEP An excellent summer scheme, where you complete a project at a small to medium-sized company.www.step.org.uk

• The National Council for Work Experience Website has links to many organisations offering vacation opportunities.www.work-experience.org

• GO Wales Paid summer work experience projects in Wales, between 6-10 weeks in length.www.gowales.co.uk

• E4S Student JobsJobsite listing vacation work and internships across the UK, part time and graduate jobs.www.e4s.co.uk

• Studentjobs4UVacation  and part-time jobs website.www.studentjobs4u.co.uk

Placements

• In the School of Materials there is an opportunity for three year undergraduate three year degrees to be extended to four year degrees.

• For Textiles students these four year BSc degrees can be “with industrial experience” or “with study abroad”;

• For Materials students there is an opportunity to take a year’s industrial experience “with industrial experience” as an MEng.

• To be able to extend your degree to four years you have to achieve good exam results.

• Textile students going out on placement for Industrial Experience degrees must achieve a minimum overall average of 50% (BSc) in their second year.

• Materials Science students need to get 55% in their first and second year, and have a high rate of attendance.

• All Textiles students going out on Study Abroad programmes must achieve a minimum overall average of 55% in their second year.

• Any student failing a placement year will progress to the final year of the straight BSc programme.

With study abroad

• The third year is spent abroad studying in an English-speaking university in Europe (France, Germany, Sweden and Portugal), Hong Kong, India or the USA.

• Your year abroad will be composed of course units chosen from textiles, technology, design and management subjects and a supervised research project.

• You return to Manchester for your fourth year to study alongside those on the final year of the standard three-year courses.

• In your second year there will be an opportunity attend presentations made by final years who have come back to Manchester after a year studying abroad.

The member of academic staff responsible for support with Textiles “study abroad” placements is:

• Dr Muriel Rigout, x 62567, muriel.rigout@manchester.ac.uk, Mez4/SSB

and the member of staff at the University’s Study Abroad Unit is:

• Jenny Gonzalez Hogg x 53053

Study Abroad Unit, Rutherford Building, Coupland Street (next to the Manchester Museum) Email: gobaroad@manchester.ac.uk

• the Study Abroad Fair is on Thurs 12th Nov, 11am - 4pm, Whitworth Hall

• And there are more details http://intranet.materials.manchester.ac.uk/undergraduate/studyabroad/

With an industrial placement

• Industrial Placements may be taken in the UK and overseas.

• Placements have to be approved by the School and must pay at least the minimum wage.

• Your third year is spent in employment within one or more placement companies, where the work content comprises experience relevant to the course.

• You undertake a case study of your placement company in order to better appreciate the commercial environment and may well coordinate a specific project. You return to the University for your final year.

• Industrial placements are organised during your second year, in liaison with the University’s Careers Service and academic staff.

• Academic staff responsible for support with industrial placements are: – for Materials Science Dr Michael Preuss, x 63601,

michael.preuss@manchester.ac.uk, E29/MSC– for Textiles Dr Steve I’Anson, x 68846,

steve.i'anson@manchester.ac.uk C51/SSB

• Again there will be opportunities to attend presentations made by final years on their return to university after a year on an industrial placement.

Interrupting

• Students may occasionally wish to take low paid or even unpaid placements for the experiences afforded.

• While the School cannot recognise such placements as part of a degree it may be possible, after appropriate consultation with staff, to interrupt your studies for a year to take such a placement.

CVs – a presentation

Adele King from Careers is giving a presentation on CVs on 11th November at 2pm in C53 of Sackville Street Building.

This is open to all Materials students.

In conclusion

• Get to know your Careers Service and make use of their services;

• Think about opportunities to enhance your employment prospects including:– part-time jobs;– vacation jobs;– volunteering;– getting involved in student committees;– organising student events;– placements.

Thanks for listening

Jacquie Wilson

email: j.a.wilson@manchester.ac.uk

extension: 64146 office: SSB/C46