16 Employability News in brief


Careers fair success Options 2012 careers fair was the most successful ever with more than 50 leading companies and organisations taking part including John Lewis Partnership, Arcadia, Majestic Wines, Vodafone and Home Retail Group and almost 1,400 students attending.


Several Essex alumni came back to the University to offer current students insights into their careers including Government graduate Natalie Compas from ICM Research, Economics graduate Mark Warren from the Civil Service, Biological Sciences graduate Curtis Peard from Lab Support UK and Sociology graduate Gad Mimran, who has set up his own company Plan My Gap Year.


The spring term will offer students even more opportunities to investigate their future career path and develop new skills. Alongside job application, interview and assessment centre workshops, there will be new workshops covering leadership skills and developing your own ‘brand’.


International Careers Week from 28 January to 1 February will also offer the chance to think about global opportunities. Sessions will include job hunting in Europe, careers in Africa and international volunteering, plus there will be the chance to speak to alumni about their careers.


www.essex.ac.uk/careers Top law firms at Essex


Leading local and national law firms came to the Colchester Campus to attract the next generation of top lawyers at the annual Law Fair.


Students from across the University took part in the event which included an afternoon of presentations on everything from how to apply for a training contract to what it is like working as a barrister.


Tracey Dickens, partner at Birkett Long Solicitors, said: “As a leading firm in Essex we are very keen to recruit good quality candidates and we recognise the high quality of candidates coming from the University of Essex. We therefore want to ensure we get the opportunity to present our firm to students at the law exhibition each year. A number of our trainees have been Essex graduates and after qualification have remained with us.”


Postgraduates gained valuable experience in international development and human rights during a new internship scheme in Nepal.


The University’s Institute for Democracy and Conflict Resolution (IDCR) has teamed up with charity The Mountain Trust to offer a programme providing participants with one-month placements with partners including Amnesty International, Transparency International and the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA).


A key aim of the scheme is to bridge the gap between theoretical study and practical reality in disciplines ranging from human rights to journalism, international development, women’s rights and international relations. With many employers in international development and human rights looking for people who are not just qualified, but who have real, practical experience in the field, the programme boosted the interns’ employability.


One of the Essex students Andrew Tchie, who is studying MSc Conflict Resolution, said: “The


Mission to Nepal


Andrew Tchie during his time in Nepal


internship in Nepal gave me an opportunity to really put what I have learnt over the last year at Essex into practice. It placed me in real life and challenging situations, which stretched my own abilities, skills and knowledge.”


The pilot began with two postgraduates and one undergraduate from Essex, but has also attracted participants from other universities including Bristol, Cambridge and Utah − creating a modest revenue stream for the IDCR and the prospect of establishing an additional IDCR bursary to help exceptional Essex students in the future.


www.idcr.org.uk/projects/internships-in -nepal www.mountain-trust.org.uk/volunteering_idcr


V&A success for frontrunner


Graduate Kelly McCain has provided the latest frontrunner success story after her placement in the Central Procurement Unit (CPU) helped her secure a graduate post at the Victoria and Albert Museum.


Kelly, a BA Economics graduate worked in CPU as a frontrunner and as a frontrunner Plus while studying at the University. It is the experience she gained in the Unit that she


believes helped her secure the job of Procurement Assistant at the V&A just three weeks after graduating.


Kelly said: “The CPU team took me under their wing; providing me with an enormous level of support and encouragement to make the most of the placement. By the end of my placements, I had the hands-on experience and in-depth knowledge to kick-start my future career.”


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