Careers and Employability Service Statement of Service for students and recent graduates The University Careers and Employability Service (CES) provides a range of impartial information, advice, guidance and vacancy services, helping you to find work experience and enabling you to clarify your career plans and develop the strategies and skills needed to achieve your aims. 1. Who can use the Service? You are welcome to use the Careers and Employability Service if you are: A current student at the University on a programme leading to a degree. A former student of the University of Sunderland who has completed a programme of study leading to a degree within the last 3 years. A graduate returning to Wearside from another university, unless you have attended a university in the North East, and then you will be referred back to your own institution Students on foundation degree programmes are welcome to use the Careers and Employability Service website. For individual careers advice, students should contact careers staff at the college which they are attending. Students on the University s independent learning programmes are welcome to use the Careers and Employability Service website and the email careers advice service Ecad, which is available via the website. 2. What do we offer? a) Information We have a wide range of multi media resources in the Careers & Employability Service Library area at The Gateway, City Campus covering the following: occupations: job profiles work experience projects: paid and voluntary student jobs: part-time and vacation graduate recruiters vacancies after graduation (local and national) work and study abroad job search recruitment and selection processes further study and funding Linked to accessibility information is available to users in a variety of media (if you need information in a specialist format please let us know and we will try to provide this for you). The information provision is reviewed on an annual basis and reference materials are updated every 2 years or 1 year if volatile labour market information. The Careers and Employability Service website provides a range of information on the above range of services provided, careers-related events, employer presentations and current vacancies. Jobs and work experience opportunities for students and graduates are advertised on our online vacancy service Opportunities Online. 1
b) Advice and Guidance Careers Guidance Interview The interview is an opportunity to make progress with your career decisions by discussing your ideas, aims and options with an experienced and qualified careers adviser. Interviews are conducted in private and in accordance with the service s confidentiality policy. They can be booked in advance online. Please visit our website www.sunderland.ac.uk/ces-booking an appointment We will ask you to complete a questionnaire before the interview to help the adviser focus the discussion on what is important to you. Careers Advisers will encourage you to identify and record any key points arising from the discussion. You can expect your appointment to last 1 hour. We aim to offer you an appointment within 10 working days of your request or to provide an explanation for any delay. Email Careers Advice We offer an email careers advice service, Ecad, staffed by experienced and qualified careers advisers for users who do not find it easy to get in to see us. You can email your careers questions at a time and location to suit you. The entry point for Ecad is the Careers and Employability website. We aim to answer your question within 5 working days. c) CV and Application Coaching You can make an appointment to have draft versions of your CV, personal statement, application form and covering letter reviewed with a careers practitioner. You can book your appointment the day before, please visit our website www.sunderland.ac.uk/ces-booking an appointment. You can expect your appointment to last 45 minutes. d) Interview Coaching You can make an appointment with an interview coach who will help you prepare for interviews, anticipate questions, practice your answers and give advice on how to improve. Please visit our website www.sunderland.ac.uk/ces-booking an appointment You will be issued with an interview coaching pack including paperwork that must be completed prior to making an appointment. Two working days notice is required to enable the careers coach to prepare for your appointment. You can expect the interview to last 1 hour. We aim to offer you an appointment within 10 working days of your request or to provide an explanation for any delay. e) Work Experience Services Student jobs We advertise paid part-time and vacation work including customer service, call centre work, clerical/administrative work, retail, bar/waiting/catering work, telesales, data entry, marketing and promotions, translation and interpreting. We also advertise a wide range of vacancies in the social/health care professions. 2
Paid projects Paid projects provide an opportunity for students and graduates to gain relevant work experience with companies in the North East. Past opportunities have included projects related to IT, design, marketing, laws, psychology, media, HR, event management and media. Part-time projects are flexible and fit around your studies. We also offer full-time graduate development programmes- ideal to start your career as a graduate and enhance your future career prospects. Volunteering Volunteering is an opportunity to get involved with the local community, gain valuable work related experience with local organisations, charities and community groups and also a great way to meet new people. The opportunities offered are flexible and very varied and include working with children and young people, the elderly and people with learning disabilities in a range of roles such as working on conservation projects, website design, public relations and more. Volunteering is an ideal way to gain experience that s often essential for careers in the education, health and social care sectors. Details of how to apply are included in each vacancy and all opportunities are advertised online at www.sunderland.ac.uk/ces f) Workshops and presentations Careers related activities will be publicised in the Careers & Employability Service Library and on the News and Events area of the Careers & Employability Service website. Careers sessions arranged for specific programmes will be publicised by academic staff. 3. Where are we? The Careers and Employability Service is located on the ground floor of The Gateway, City Campus, ensuring easy accessibility for all our users. Our address is: - Careers and Employability Service, The Gateway, City Campus, Chester Road, Sunderland SR1 3SD. 4. When are we open? a) Term Time Opening Hours Mon Thurs 9.00 am 6.00 pm Friday 9.00 am 5.00 pm b) Vacation Opening Mon Fri 9.00 am 5.00pm Any changes to the opening hours will be publicised on our website and at The Gateway, City Campus. 5. How to contact us In person by visiting the Careers and Employability Service or telephoning us during opening hours Tel: 0191 515 2920 Fax: 0191 515 2281. You can leave us a message if we are closed or temporarily unavailable. We aim to return your call on the day and no later than two working days. Email us via ces.enquiries@sunderland.ac.uk Via the Careers and Employability Service website for information about our services, careers related events, employer presentations, vacancies and Ecad our email advice service. www.sunderland.ac.uk/ces 3
6. What will it cost? Services are free to everyone who is eligible to use the service. 7. What can you expect from us? You can expect us to provide: Up to date and accessible information, advice and guidance. An impartial, supportive and confidential approach (please ask for a copy of our confidentiality statement). The opportunity for you to give us feedback on the service you have experienced and put forward any complaints, compliments or suggestions for improving what we do. When using the service you can expect to: be treated courteously at all times. have your enquiry dealt with effectively and handled with sensitivity. have any agreed action by a member of staff resolved within 2 weeks or be informed of progress, including requests for information in alternative formats, or access to specialist equipment and services. be treated equally regardless of age, gender, race or disability. be informed of any changes to publicised services. be informed if your appointment has to be cancelled or delayed and be offered a choice of the earliest suitable appointment within 10 working days of the cancelled interview). be informed of appropriate alternative or additional sources of advice, information and guidance and how to access them where it is appropriate to your request. 8. What we expect from you A recognition that your career is your responsibility we can help you come to a decision and will support your plans but we cannot make decisions for you. Accurate information relating to your issue/enquiry and honesty about your requirements. We ask users to give us some basic information, which is kept in a secure environment and will only be accessed by Careers and Employability Service staff. Advance notice of any specialist facilities or support you need. That you arrive on time for events and interviews and let us know in advance if this is not possible or if you need to cancel/re-arrange appointments. That you give us feedback on our services. 9. Quality You will have access to experienced and qualified staff that regularly participate in professional training and continued staff development. The Careers and Employability Service complies with appropriate standards: Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services` Codes of Practice National Information Advice and Guidance(IAG) Board s Code of Principles ICG Code of Ethical Principles QAA Code of Practice on Careers Education, Information and Guidance (Copies of the above are available on request) We work to the requirements of the University s Equal Opportunities policy, Equality and Diversity statements, the Disability Equality Scheme and Disability Action Plan, the Health and Safety policy and the QAA Code of Practice on Careers Education, Information and Guidance. Reference copies are available in the Careers and Employability Service. 4
We ensure our professional updating through on-going liaison with other careers professionals via our membership of the Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services (AGCAS); the Institute of Careers Guidance (ICG); the National Association for Educational Guidance for Adults (NAEGA); the National Association of Student Employment Services (NASES). We maintain our awareness of the national graduate recruitment market through liaison with employer members of the Association of Graduate Recruiters, Graduate Prospects, specific professional organisations and through reviewing major recruiters' vacancies and with the regional graduate recruitment market through liaison with the Graduates for Growth forum, local business networks, regional employment initiatives and the University s Business Services. We maintain links with relevant internal staff as a means of ensuring up-to-date information about other areas of advice and information provision and awareness of appropriate referral options. As part of the University, we have Investors in People recognition. 10. Feedback We welcome informal and formal feedback on the Service. The views of students and graduates are used to improve our service and inform our annual service review and planning process. Our feedback mechanisms include: Feedback online questionnaires: emailed out following 1:1appointments, group sessions and periodically sent out to our users. Questionnaires cover key aspects of our service. Informal feedback forms: distributed at large events such as recruitment fairs; also available in the Service. Online Student and Learning Support feedback form: available on the Careers and Employability Service web site. Complaints are dealt with according to the University Complaints Procedure; details of the procedure are available on request. 11. Statement of Service A copy of this Statement of Service is available on the Careers and Employability Service website and from the Careers and Employability Service at The Gateway, City Campus. Updated March 2015 V:\ces\ces documents\ces statement of service for students& recent graduates 5