usw grad edge student guide

www.southwales.ac.uk/edge

A Student Guide to Employability at the University of South Wales

Grad Edge

University of South Wales2

Introduction to Grad Edge 3Grad Edge: The Benefits 4Careers and Employability Team 6Grad Edge Events 8The Grad Edge Award 10Grad Edge Bursaries 10The Grad Edge Award Process 12E-Portfolio 14Enterprise: Bright Ideas 16Students’ Union 18Course-Specific Employability Initiatives 20

Contents

You’ve probably chosen university togain the skills, experience andqualifications for a successful career. So we’ve developed an employabilityprogramme to give you the edge. Fromemployer events to enterprise support,we’ll provide you with lots ofopportunities to develop your skills andexperiences. Plus, you could attain a Grad Edge Award to add to your CV.

www.southwales.ac.uk/edge | 01443 482 323 3

Through Grad Edge, the University provides adiverse range of resources and activities toenhance your employability, including:

• Courses that are regularly reviewed to reflect real-life trends and changes in the market. Course content and extended support ensure you willdevelop professional skills through work experience, employer engagement, guest lectures and live projects.

• A comprehensive range of employer events organised by the Careers and Employability Team to encourage networking, recruitment and work experience with local and national employers. Careers support is also provided through job-seeking workshops, including strategies and advice for being successful at application and interview.

• Enterprise support and advice is available through the University’s Bright Ideas Initiative including opportunities to freelance with local businesses.

• Part-time jobs and volunteering is actively promoted via the Students’ Union and the Careers and Employability Team. There are also opportunities across the University to work as course representatives or departmental ambassadors.

• E-portfolio software provides a platform for you to record and reflect on your employability experiences at University, and promote this to future employers.

Grad Edge

Grad Edge allows you to develop:

Workplace skills such as communication andteam-working, which are essential whatever jobyou’re in.

Networking techniques to help you make thoseall-important contacts and build relationships withemployers.

A better degree – 54% of our Business School workplacement students graduated with a first-classHonours degree compared to 16% of firsts amongstudents who didn’t complete a placement.*

A stand-out CV and online profile that makes apositive impression on recruiters. Grad Edge notonly builds your skills and achievements, it alsohelps you relate these skills to the workplace tocreate a dynamic CV.

Grad Edge could even lead to permanentemployment through work experienceplacements.

Grad Edge


Grad Edge: The Benefits

* Glamorgan Business School, 2011-12

Our strong relationships with local,national and international employersare vital to the success of Grad Edge.Employers tell us exactly what they arelooking for in their staff, so we keep up-to-date with industry trends. Thisinsight feeds directly into our coursesand allows us to develop great workexperience and graduate opportunities.


Employer linksMaking the right connections is critical. We haveexcellent links with a range of employers whorecruit our graduates. Many national companies arealso regular visitors to our campuses.

• AXA Ltd• Audit Commission• Arriva Trains• Balfour Beatty• BBC• Boots• BT• CGI• D wr Cymru• Enterprise Rent-A-Car• Ernst & Young• Exxon Mobil• FDM Group• GCHQ• GE Aviation• General Dynamics• GlaxoSmithKline• KPMG• HSBC• John Lewis Partnership• NHS• PricewaterhouseCoopers• Rolls Royce• Sainsbury’s• Siemens plc• Tata Steel• Tesco• Vodafone Ltd• Welsh Government

Grad Edge: The Employers

The Grad Edge Award Underpinning all the employability activity atthe University of South Wales is the Grad EdgeAward. There are three elements to this Award:• A minimum of 30 hours work experience• A document where you reflect on the

skills gained• An employer endorsement

This award is highly regarded by graduateemployers, and allows you to highlight the typesof skills you have developed whilst undertakingwork experience. You may also be eligible for abursary. See page 10 for more information.

From careers advice to workplacements, your future is our priority.

It’s never too early to think about what you want todo after university. The Careers and EmployabilityTeam can give you all the support you need, fromtips on what employers look for, to workplacements that will enhance your employability.

Visit www.southwales.ac.uk/careers to access oure-resources whenever it suits you. You can also callin to our Careers Centres to browse through ourguides and publications.

Our experienced and qualified advisers areavailable to offer you impartial information andguidance. We will help you consider the differentkinds of jobs available and the skills, qualificationsand experience you need to get them. There’spractical help too, like completing job applicationsor practising interview techniques.

Employability focused eventsThe Careers and Employability Team hosts a series of events each year. It’s a chance to develop yourworkplace skills and meet potential employers.They’re available to everyone, whatever subjectyou’re studying. Your school will also organiseevents and activities that concentrate onenhancing your employability. To find out moreturn to page 12 or visitwww.southwales.ac.uk/edge.

Course workshopsThere are course-specific workshops held oncampus too. In 2012-13, the Careers andEmployability Team delivered over 200 workshopswithin courses. These included employer careerpanels, careers fairs, career planning workshops,bespoke sessions for postgraduate/researchstudents, mock interview sessions, and supportseminars for work experience or internships.

Work experienceGraduates face an increasingly competitive jobmarket, so meaningful work experience is essential.There are many different types of work experience,so you’re sure to find one that suits you. Somecourses have a year of work experience, called a‘sandwich year’, built in.

Alternatively, you could take an industrialplacement, a vacation placement, or choosevoluntary work in an area you’re passionate about.We can even help you get work experienceoverseas, which could count towards your course.Visit www.southwales.ac.uk/edge for details, orcall in to see the Careers and Employability Teamon campus to find out more.

Grad Edge


Careers and Employability Team

GO Wales (Graduate Opportunities Wales)GO Wales is an externally funded project deliveredby the University of South Wales. Through GOWales, you can apply for a paid work placement toget relevant work experience that will enhanceyour CV. Placements are between 6 and 12 weeks,with a salary of at least £250 per week, and in a rolethat’s related to your degree. Placements often leadto further opportunities – 65% of GO Walesgraduate placements have continued to beemployed by their host company. Visitwww.gowales.co.uk to find out more.

Graduate jobsThe Careers and Employability Team have activefeeds on Twitter and Facebook, and can help youdevelop a LinkedIn profile. Our job site,‘Opportunities’, has hundreds of vacancies eachmonth, from part-time and voluntary through tograduate jobs and internships.

Visit www.southwales.ac.uk/careers for moreinformation.


“The GO Wales team arranged a worktaster session for me in the field Iwanted to work in. After completing a period of work experience, I secureda temporary position with theEnvironment Agency in Cardiff. Aftertwo weeks, I was offered a permanentposition.”

Laura Foxwell, BSc (Hons) Psychology Placement -- Environment Agency

There are many Grad Edge events for allstudents to get involved with. Theseevents are a great chance to developyour workplace skills and meetpotential employers. Subject-specificevents are also organised throughoutthe year. You should attend as many ofthese events as you can to enhanceyour experience at University − youcould even meet your future employer!

Grad Edge work experience fairThis is a great event if you want to get started withwork experience in the private, voluntary or publicsectors. A range of employers will attend toprovide work placements for University of South Wales students.

Grad Edge opportunities fairThis event is a one-stop shop for finding workexperience and graduate level jobs. It gives you thechance to network with employers and negotiatefuture work opportunities. Organisations rangefrom the Civil Service to GE Aviation, and offerdiverse opportunities like graduate trainingschemes, international programmes, paid workplacements and voluntary work.

Getting a graduate jobA series of workshops are available during Februaryto help final year students find graduate jobs. Manyof these workshops are run by national companieswho employ graduates, such as L’Oreal and Logica.Others are led by experts from the University’sCareers and Employability Team.

Part-time jobs fairHeld at the start of term, this event can help youfind a part-time job that will look great on your CV,as well as earn you some extra cash. Everyone fromthe Marriott to the Millennium Stadium andtemping agencies come along, and you can find ajob that will help you develop skills that will be ofbenefit to you in the future, such as customerservice or working as a part of a team.

Creative futuresFor students and graduates who want to work inthe creative industries, this event is a valuableopportunity to engage and network with a diverserange of relevant employers. Past exhibitors haveincluded the BBC, BAFTA Cymru, S4C, Sequence,Cardiff Theatrical Services, Tinopolis, Welsh MusicFoundation, and Capital FM.

Autumn graduate fairOver 50 major national and internationalcompanies attend this event, such as Airbus, AXALtd, Coca-Cola, Deloitte, Grant Thornton, JaguarLand Rover, Lloyds Banking Group, and the WelshGovernment. This is your opportunity to meetemployers and find out about graduate vacancies.Graduate jobs with FTSE 100 companies have earlyapplication deadlines, so don’t wait until aftergraduation to explore these opportunities.

Graduate jobs fair WalesAt this well-established recruitment event,employers will give advice and run seminars onapplication processes and techniques. Previouslocal employers who have attended this event haveincluded Admiral Insurance, Dwr Cymru, the WelshGovernment, the Tax Office, and InternationalRectifier.

Grad Edge


Grad Edge Events

Careers roadshowsThroughout the year, the Careers and EmployabilityTeam hold roadshows across all campuses. Comealong and talk about any aspect of your graduatecareer, from finding a work placement to learningmore about postgraduate study. For the latestinformation on events visitwww.southwales.ac.uk/careers.


Graduate jobsThe Careers and Employability Team have activevacancy feeds on Twitter and Facebook and canhelp you develop a LinkedIn profile. Our job site,‘Opportunities’, has hundreds of vacancies eachmonth, from part-time and voluntary through to graduate jobs and internships.

Visit www.southwales.ac.uk/careers for moreinformation.

The University of South Wales hascreated an award that you can use toenhance your employability.

The Grad Edge award:• Provides recognition of your work experience

• Encourages you to reflect on the skills you developed during this work experience

• Allows employers to endorse you for your contribution during work experience

Your work experience might be organised throughyour course, or be something you developindependently.

Whatever career path you choose, skills such asteam-working, leadership, communication,customer focus, flexibility, problem solving,planning and understanding the needs of anemployer, are all likely to be developed throughoutyour Grad Edge journey.

You can use the Grad Edge Award to enhance yourCV or job application forms, as well as to referencethe work-related skills you have developed.Employers will be impressed with your ability toarticulate the sorts of skills you have enhanced, andsee that you are able to hit the ground running in anew job.

The work experience must be a minimum of 30 hours to achieve the award. See pages 12-13or visit www.southwales.ac.uk/edge for moreinformation.

Grad Edge Award BursariesThe University of South Wales offers financialsupport to eligible students who engage with theGrad Edge Award. There are two kinds of bursaryavailable:

• An ‘insight’ bursary of £250 is available for shorter paid or unpaid work experience placements (minimum 70 hours), providing you follow the Award process and complete a profile.

• Longer one-year placements (minimum 40 weeks) can also be supported by bursaries of up to £2,000 if they are within the UK, or £2,500 if they are international placements. There is also a requirement to complete a reflective profile as part of the Award process.

Further information is available atwww.southwales.ac.uk/money.

Grad Edge


Grad Edge Award

Grad Edge


Grad Edge – Your Passport toEmployabilityThere are three elements to your Grad Edge student journey – this is your passportto employability.

Engaging with Events and Services

The starting point to your journey is takingadvantage of opportunities that are designed toenhance your career. During your first few weeksand months at University, you will be regularlyupdated on opportunities such as:

• Seminars or workshops to explore your strengths,interests and motivations

• Online career profiling that allows you to reflect on your skills and those you wish to develop, and ways to achieve this

• Guest lectures from graduates who can give aninsight into their industry

• Careers events, employer fairs and skills workshops

Attending events at an early stage allows you totake the first steps in building a network ofcontacts that should grow and evolve during yourtime at University.

Getting the Experience and Award

The next step is to undertake some workexperience, either through employment or self-employment.

You must undertake at least 30 hours of work-related experience to be eligible for the Grad EdgeAward. You can source this through your ownconnections or the Careers and EmployabilityService, or by attending events.

You will need to complete a proforma with detailsof your work experience, which will be checked bythe Careers and Employability Team or your coursetutor.

An essential part of work experience is to reflect onyour development, so you will be expected tocomplete a reflective profile on the skills you haveobtained. This reflective profile must be returned tothe Careers and Employability Team to ensure youhave focused on the skills and evidence thatemployers will look for. Before granting the GradEdge Award, final checks are made with theemployer to endorse your work experience.

Follow USW Careers on Twitter and Facebook toget additional information on vacancies andemployment.


Securing a Graduate Career

The skills you will have developed through thework experience, alongside the Grad Edge Award,will help you stand out from the crowd when youapply for employment.

To enhance your experience, you could: • Develop a portfolio to record all of your work-

related experiences. You can do this through the University’s e-portfolio – there are details on page 14

• Speak to a Careers Adviser about how to transferthe skills you have developed as you move into employment, or further study

• Get in touch with the University’s enterprise experts to help set up your own business. See page 16 for more information

• Get advice from the Careers and Employability Team about articulating your experiences in application forms and job interviews

• Think about extra ways to present yourself to theprofessional world, such as through LinkedIn

The Journey ContinuesEnhancing your employability doesn’t stop whenyou finish University. You will continue todevelop skills throughout your career. So as wellas being clear about how you have developedthrough the award, it is equally important tocontinuously develop, record and evidence yourskills throughout your career.

The Careers and Employability Team and GoWales will continue to support you after youhave left university.

All students at the University of South Wales are able to access an online portfolio, either throughBlackboard or Moodle, which has beendesigned to help you to reflect on anddemonstrate your learningdevelopment, skills and abilities.

There are plenty of reasons why it might be a goodidea to start creating an e-portfolio, whether you’rejust starting out at University or already in yourfinal year. It’s a great way for you to record, makenotes about and reflect on a whole range ofactivities and experiences while you’re atUniversity, in a way that will help you when it’s timeto find a job.

You can personalise your portfolio and share it withyour lecturers, careers advisers and even potentialemployers.

Further help on how to use your e-portfolio isavailable from the Careers and Employability Teamand your lecturers.

Your E-portfolio

Grad Edge


“My placement allowed me to workalongside professional engineers on arange of projects, and I had specificresponsibility for a project looking atFlexible PCB Optimisation. Theexperience exposed me to challengesI never expected. It has given me theopportunity to put theory intopractice and allowed me to furtherdevelop skills in time management,project planning, and analogue anddigital design using VHDL and CAD.The Careers and Employability Servicesupported me with creating my CVand letter of application and thengave me a ‘mock interview’ so I waswell prepared!”

Danson, BEng (Hons) Electrical and ElectronicEngineering Placement -- Renishaw plc

If you want to develop your enterpriseskills or even set up your own business,Bright Ideas can help. Bright Ideasprovides free business advice, live briefsfor local and national companies, helpwith further business developmentplanning, modern office space andvarious funding schemes.

Events and Activities • The Student Market: A great opportunity tomake some extra money and practise your sellingskills. All sorts of products are usually on offer,including cakes, jewellery, clothes and DVDs.

• Pint ‘n’ Pitch: Whether you have an idea that couldchange the world, or that just makes something alittle bit easier, write it down on the back of a Pint ‘n’Pitch beer mat dotted around campus and youcould win yourself a prize.

• Ignite: A four-day programme designed to giveyou the skills you’ll need, whether you want to starta business or get yourself on the career ladder.You’ll be put into teams with students from otheruniversities and work together throughout the fourdays to develop ideas and build skills, culminatingin a 24 hour money-making challenge.

• Concept: Your chance to work on a real, live brieffor a major company. You’ll have three days tocome up with an innovative and excitingadvertising campaign, learning valuable skills inmarketing and advertising. Plus, you’ll get hands-on experience of working with a real client.

Grad Edge


Enterprise: Bright Ideas

Advice and Support• One-to-One mentoring: If you have an idea thatyou would like to develop, then book on to one ofour business surgeries. These half-hour sessions arefor you to ask any questions you may have aboutstarting a business or going freelance. You will getall the advice and support you need to get started.

• Free Workshops: Our workshops cover everythingfrom understanding finances to knowing how tosell your products. We also hold a series offreelance workshops to help you understand whatbeing self-employed is all about.

Funding • The Bright Ideas Den: The Bright Ideas Den isyour chance to pitch for up to £1,000 of funding tokick-start your bright idea. As part of the packageyou’ll also receive 12 months membership of theInstitute of Directors, which will improve yourknowledge of business issues and provide a greatresource of information.

• Fairwood Trust Scholarship: With generoussupport from the Fairwood Trust, we havescholarships of £5,000 available when you graduatefrom the University. These are to support you inyour first year of trading and are providedalongside regular mentoring and skillsdevelopment workshops.

• External Funding: The Welsh Governmentprovides a host of funding options to start-upbusinesses. We can ensure you know which onesyou’re eligible for and how to apply.


On-going Support • The Business Loft: Working in partnership withIndycube, we provide a dynamic co-working andcollaborative environment in newly refurbishedoffice space. This is free to students and graduatesfor the first six months.

• Top Tips Workshops: We provide Top TipsWorkshops through The Business Loft, includingnetworking for sales growth, self-development forbusiness growth, and office systems to save youtime and money.

The Agency• The Agency offers students, graduates and small

start-ups the opportunity to improve their employability through a range of ‘live brief’ paid work experience projects. Technical and mentoring support is offered with each ‘live brief’ project.

E-Venture• Designed to complement existing modules,

students form teams to meet the needs of a variety of live project briefs. This allows students from any course to tackle real-life challenges in asafe environment, and gain new skills for their future careers.

To find out more, pop in to one of our IdeasFactories at Cardiff, Treforest or Newport campuses,or go to www.southwales.ac.uk/brightideas.

Sabbatical Officers The four sabbatical officers are responsible, paidroles. They include the Students’ Union Presidentand three Vice Presidents – one for each region;Pontypridd, Newport and Cardiff. Through theelection process, they learn many valuableemployability skills as they establish a campaignteam, arrange promotional materials, speak inpublic and manage their time. Once they begintheir terms of office, they become leaders,advocates and gain business skills through theirinvolvement in the management of a largeorganisation.

Student CouncilIf you are elected to one of the three StudentCouncils (one for each region), you will developvaluable employability skills such as publicspeaking, making decisions, setting agendas andmeeting deadlines. Run for students by students,there are around 42 Student Council members anda further 150 students on council sub-committees,so there are plenty of opportunities to get involved.

VolunteeringThere are many ways to get involved withvolunteering through the Students’ Union.Volunteering can help you develop key skills foremployment and looks great on your CV.

If you are a budding writer or designer you can getinvolved with the student magazine. Perhaps you’dlike a career in charities or events management –the Students’ Union organises fundraising eventsthroughout the year for local and national charities.

If you are interested in helping people and beingpart of the community, you could volunteer as aSafety Angel by giving your time to help studentsstay safe on student nights out. You can also gainfirst-aid skills by volunteering, which enhances youremployability.

There are around 150 sports teams, clubs andsocieties, and each has a chair, a secretary, atreasurer or captain, and a manager. So not onlycan you pursue your hobby, whether that’s hockeyor history, you can also get experience that’sinvaluable for future employment, from fundraisingto running a committee.

Through these events and experiences, manystudents have developed key skills in networking,budgeting and marketing.

Grad Edge


Students’ Union

Part-time workThere are many opportunities to earn some extramoney while building your experience and skills.Lots of students work in our bars, shops and cafes,giving them experience in teamwork and customerservice. There are also opportunities for DJs, stagemanagers, box office staff, and upcoming bandsand artists at some of our events.

At the beginning of each academic year, studentsare employed to help new students settle in totheir Halls of Residence, gaining great experiencein communication skills and organisation. TheStudents’ Union also has a letting agency whichemploys students.

Student Voice Representatives (SVRs)Around 30 SVRs represent their fellow students’views to higher-level groups and committeeswithin their faculty, or the University as a whole.These students gain skills in advocacy andcommunication with peers and management. SVRsreceive a bursary at the end of each year, with theamount dependent on the level of engagement.

There are also course representatives who liaisebetween students, module leaders and SVRs onany issues. Course reps are elected on every courseand is a great way to develop skills that will impressemployers.


AdvocatesAdvocates support students with complaints,appeals and unfair practice at the University. Theysupport them through the process, ensuring thatthe student is able to represent themselves in thebest way they can. Advocates may also gain abursary or placement opportunity, and theirexperience can be really valuable for the future.

Grad Edge



Prizes and awards will feature within thecurriculum and your lecturers will look to rewardand highlight some of the best work. This maymean you are eligible for certain scholarships, oryour work may be displayed at a show or exhibitionand gain professional recognition.

Work placements may well be an integral part ofyour degree programme. Within vocationaldegrees, they will feature as a core part of yourtraining and allow you to develop the specific skillsneeded to enter a profession. Within non-vocational degrees there is often a requirement toundertake a period of work experience, and reflecton the work-related skills and experiences thatwere developed during the module. In both thesecircumstances, you will have the chance to make animpression on individuals and organisations thatyou may well be approaching immediately afterUniversity for your first graduate job.

Throughout your degree, your lecturerswill do everything they can to prepareyou for success in the world of work. Arange of activities will be designed toensure you are well-positioned to makea positive start in the graduate labourmarket. Examples of course-specificinitiatives include:

Guest lectures are arranged throughout yourcourse. They will feature key employers,representatives from professional associations andlocal industry, and even alumni from the Universityof South Wales. These will provide a real insight intothe decisions you need to make and the optionsopen to you after University. It also shows howemployers are keen to engage with the University,many of whom may also inform course content toensure you gain the right skills to succeed in yourgraduate career.

Professional accreditation for many coursesmeans that you will not just be leaving Universitywith a degree, but an industry-recognisedqualification. In some cases, this is the minimumentry requirement for entering a particularprofession such as law or teaching. In others, is it isa springboard for further professional developmentonce you have started your career. In all cases, itmeans that your course demonstrates academicrigour and meets the external standards of yourchosen sector.

Course-SpecificEmployability Initiatives

Visits to employers mean that you will be able toput much of your learning into context in a realwork environment. Behind the scenes tours alsoallow you to forge relationships with employersand create your own work placements orexperience opportunities. A brief period ofshadowing would give you an insight into themotivation and skills required to be successful inyour chosen career.

Live projects and briefs allow you to work foremployers on real-time tasks, which means you areworking to industry demands and expectations.Many courses invite employers to set briefs,provide feedback and encourage entrepreneurialstudents to pitch and win business. Other coursesmay support you in simulated business venturesthat are competitive, use genuine data and arejudged by employers.

These are just some of the examples of howstudents are prepared for work. So much goes on in your department to ensure you have the opportunity to make the right links andconnections, as well as hone your employabilityskills. For further information on course-relatedinitiatives visit www.southwales.ac.uk/edge.

Grad Edge



UniLife has web pages dedicated to Grad Edge, solook out for updates on events, employabilityroadshows, placements and more. Visitwww.southwales.ac.uk/edge

For careers advice and information on workexperience, other opportunities and employabilityevents visit: www.southwales.ac.uk/careers

Course-specific information is available from yourfaculty advice shop or your course tutor.

For details on the GO Wales programme, visit thecareers pages on UniLife:www.southwales.ac.uk/careers

You can also get up-to-date information through our social media:Facebook: www.facebook.com/uswcareersTwitter: www.twitter .com/uswcareers

Further Information

www.southwales.ac.uk/edgewww.southwales.ac.uk/careers

Information in this brochure is correct at the time of print,but may be subject to change. For the most up-to-dateinformation, call or check our website:www.southwales.ac.uk

As part of its commitment to the Welsh language, theUniversity provides information through the medium ofWelsh. To find out more, visit www.decymru.ac.uk or e-mail [email protected].

Fel rhan o’i ymrwymiad at yr iaith Gymraeg y mae’rBrifysgol yn darparu gwybodaeth drwy gyfrwng yGymraeg. I wybod mwy, ewch i www.decymru.ac.uk neue-bostiwch [email protected].

Produced by the University of South Wales’s Marketing &Student Recruitment department.

Grad Edge is a registered trademark of the University ofSouth Wales.

Design: USW Print & Design 01443 482 677

The University of South Wales is a registered charity. Registration No. 1140312.

usw grad edge student guide

Documents

grad edge events

grad edge bursaries

success of grad edge

grad edgegrad edge

grad edge award process

employability team

workplace skills

employability experiences