This evening saw the University of York Careers Service join forces with YUSU, York Alumni Association and the Graduate Students Association (GSA) to host ‘Professional Connect’ – the largest careers and networking event of the academic year.
York alumni and leading professionals from the Arts & Heritage, Consultancy and Public & Third Sector lines of work took part in panel debates before students were given the opportunity to meet the professionals through networking sessions in the Exhibition Centre.
Over 50 networkers and panellists attended, including management consultants, theatre producers, chief executives, voluntary workers, City of York councillors, Ernst & Young representatives and many more – with a large number of these attendees York graduates themselves.
The event, a move by the careers service following York’s drop in employability tables, aimed to put students in touch with recent graduates and professionals in order to “gain insights, be inspired and develop their own ambitions”, a University spokesperson said.
And the university’s graduate employability statistics are clearly on the radar of students too, with a number of candidates in the YUSU Elections focussing their policies on getting York students into work after graduation.
Representatives from organisations such as York Minster, Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, York Archaeology Trust, IBM, Capco, the Department for Business Innovation & Skills, Yorkshire Housing, and HM Prisons spoke about their experiences of finding employment and highlighted important stages of their careers.
The general consensus from all contributors was “it’s not all about the degree” and that, if students are looking for immediate employment after they graduate, “awareness and experience of the sector they wish to enter” is a must.
A Q&A panel offered advice on how to access related careers and how to stand out from the crowd, with the likes of Charles Bushby, management consultant at Ernst & Young talking of his previous roles in Government departments, Financial Services organisations and Utilities.
Jayne Rimmer, from York Archaeological Trust, spoke about her current role as a project historian, and former prison director at HM Prisons Stephen Wagstaffe discussed the fast track management scheme which led him to ultimately become responsible for ten prisons.
The panel sessions were followed by a joint drinks reception and networking gathering where students had the opportunity to chat informally to a range of professionals across all strands, share their ideas, explore options and receive advice from current practitioners.
A third year history undergraduate told Vision: “I felt it was really helpful. The whole event – from the Q&A to sitting in groups talking with employers – gave me a pretty good idea as to what the world of work is all about.”
Meanwhile, a first year student from Halifax said: “It just seems it’s not what you know, it’s who you know which is irritating. Everyone says work experience helps but it’s all about contacts.”
There will be another ‘Professional Connect’ held next term, with leading representatives visiting from the Media & Publishing, Life Sciences & Environment, and Technology sectors. It provides a further opportunity to connect current students with York’s 100,000 alumni, and through these initiatives, the university hopes to promote links between students and alumni in specific professional areas.