education & business


Careers boost as Spark lights up the Jobs Fair


Putting the emphasis firmly on employability, earlier this month (October) Solent University’s spectacular new Spark building played host to the Southampton Jobs Fair for the first time


The event gave both students and the general public alike the chance to meet employers from across the region and explore new career opportunities.


Working alongside Southampton City Council, which is organising the Jobs Fair, the university donated the use of the building for the day, and Professor Suzanne Dixon, the university’s new director of enterprise & student entrepreneurship, explains why.


“For us as a university, it’s all about working with the local community and businesses and providing the best opportunities for our students,” she said. “This gives students the chance to network, to meet major employers and to also look for part-time jobs that they can do alongside their studies.


“It was also a chance to show off our new state-of-the-art facilities to local businesses who were taking part, and for the wider public to come and visit us and see what we have to offer.”


The Spark, built at a cost of £33 million and opened last month, is aimed at encouraging creative, interactive and flexible ways of learning, and also offers the city a brand new meetings and events venue.


Around 70 companies were exhibiting at the Jobs Fair, among them, many of the restaurant chains set to open their doors at WestQuay Watermark, the city’s new dining and leisure development being built at a cost of £85m.


Big names looking for staff included


Carluccio’s, Italian pizza restaurant Franco Manca and Thai restaurateur Thaikhun, as well as cinema chain Showcase Cinema de Lux.


Advisers from the National Careers Service were on hand to help with job application forms and also involved in the management of the event were Shaw Trust, Maximus, People Plus, Wheatsheaf Trust, and Department for Work and Pensions.


Professor Dixon took on her new role – she is also professor creative enterprise – on August 1 and working with her is Caroline Barfoot as head of enterprise. Together with their team, the main focus is how to make the greatest impact on students’ future employability and she says the university’s strong links with the local authority, and the hospitality and leisure industries, help to open up a host of opportunities for students and graduates.


“We already work very closely with the council and have excellent relationships with many of the other companies involved in this event, including Hammerson, which is behind the new WestQuay Watermark development. This has been a chance to further build on existing relationships and create new ones,” she continued.


Through Solent Creatives, the university’s very own creative agency, local businesses already have the opportunity to tap into a wide range of student skills, including film, retail merchandising, design, journalism, publishing and events.


Professor Dixon says her team provides THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE – SOLENT & SOUTH COAST – OCTOBER 2016 businessmag.co.uk 9


start-up advice and support, including financial help to buy equipment, and provide a home for new businesses in the university’s innovation centre.


“Each area of the university has different skills and strengths, we bring them together and ensure they are best placed to work with local companies and take advantage of the opportunities available,” she added.


“We have very good relationships with companies like Carnival, who offer our students placement and freelance work, as well as longer term prospects, and we want to build on these links with the business community to create even more opportunities.”


Earlier this year, students on the Solent Creatives team joined a Carnival cruise ship to film one of its black-tie charity evenings, and Professor Dixon says having those type of experiences is really useful because it means at the end of their degree, students have a creative portfolio to show potential employers.


Looking ahead, she is keen to attract more local companies to work with the university and wants any interested organisations to get in touch.


Professor Suzanne Dixon 023 8201 3341 suzanne.dixon@solent.ac.uk solent.ac.uk


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36