At the Medway Employability Fair last term, a Stage 1 Business student came to the EP stall to ask a few questions about the scheme. I explained the basic premise \u2013 incentivising students to engage with co-curricular activity with the prospect of relevant and potentially paid work experience next summer. Before I could finish, they interjected with the following:<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, my course has a Year in Industry scheme so this isn\u2019t relevant to me\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n It saddened me to think this could be a mentality shared by more students – perhaps the Year in Industry offer is seen as a comfort blanket or even an excuse to not engage with co-curricular activities and initiatives throughout the duration of their course. My response was the basis of this article.<\/p>\n Although the most logical audience is a Stage 1 student looking to increase their chances of finding a suitable placement role, older students can still benefit from the EP scheme. Whether it be directly before or after your Year in Industry – depending on the dates of your contract – or even in the summer of your graduation, don\u2019t let your points go to waste!<\/p>\n These are my top 5 reasons for students on Year in Industry courses to engage with EP:<\/p>\n 1) There are some great exclusive rewards on offer, for all courses<\/strong><\/p>\n For SSPSSR, there are opportunities available with Medway Council in youth services, public health or IONA to research mental health and disabilities; computing students could apply for web development positions at Reflect Digital or help develop business cases for artificial intelligence with Velmai; and Journalism students may be interested in video production for KMTV or work with one of the UK\u2019s biggest radio companies, Global Radio.<\/p>\n KBS students have a large selection of EP rewards to choose from, regardless of their specific career ambition, such as digital marketing at Reflect Digital, sales within Enterprise Rent-A-Car or corporate banking at Handelsbanken. SMFA Event and Experience Design students could work with Visit Kent, Canterbury Cathedral Lodge or People United to develop their portfolio and attract future employers, whilst Art students can utilise opportunities at Lilford Gallery or apply for various photography-based rewards.<\/p>\n These represent just a small sample of the rewards on offer.\u00a0 For a full list, visit:\u00a0https:\/\/www.kent.ac.uk\/employabilitypoints\/rewards-2017-18.html<\/a>.<\/p>\n 2) \u2018Trial\u2019 a potential industry or graduate career<\/strong><\/p>\n During my own placement within Kent Business School\u2019s professional services team, I benefitted from the autonomy to select day-to-day priorities and working methods.\u00a0 However, this is not the norm and many longer placement roles \u2013 particularly in the private sector \u2013 have more regimented specifications so the chance to experience different business areas is not always available.<\/p>\n A few of my course peers did not enjoy their placements as much as I did, but were somewhat \u2018trapped\u2019 by a contract and had to see out the year. You don\u2019t need to take that risk.<\/p>\n EP rewards such as internships or work experience are on a much shorter-term basis and therefore provide a sample of a particular industry without the commitment of a permanent role.<\/p>\n Furthermore, EP rewards have led to longer contracts or full-time jobs with the same organisation. For example, just last year, a Stage 2 accounting student who had undertaken a summer internship through EP with Medway Council\u2019s finance department was offered a full-year\u2019s placement role, which he is currently enjoying.<\/p>\n According to High Fliers research 32% of this year\u2019s entry-level graduate positions will be filled by people who have already worked for their organisation, either through paid internships, industrial placements or vacation work. An EP reward may just be that crucial foot in the door and help build contacts in your area of interest.<\/p>\n 3) \u2018Compulsory\u2019 or not, you still need to stand out<\/strong><\/p>\n The concept of a Year in Industry is great \u2013 \u201can excellent opportunity to gain work experience in a professional setting, putting theory into practice and developing networks and contacts in your area of interest\u201d<\/em> (SSPSSR).\u00a0 However, it\u2019s never a foregone conclusion that you\u2019ll secure a job and you still need to differentiate yourself from classmates and extended competition from other universities.<\/p>\n Engaging with co-curricular activity throughout the year and securing at least one EP reward in the summer of 2018 is invaluable to develop skills and add some credible commercial experience to your CV.<\/p>\n I take confidence from each of my jobs and hobbies and learn valuable lessons about my capabilities or, more importantly, areas for improvement.\u00a0 I can also enrich application content for future roles because it\u2019s not just about possessing the skills employers are looking for – the challenge is proving it, which brings us on to\u2026.<\/p>\n 4) Gain experience of applications and hone your interview skills<\/strong><\/p>\n Searching for a Year in Industry role may be the first exposure you\u2019ve had to a formal application process.\u00a0 It\u2019s nothing too scary but does require a heightened level of professionalism in both written applications, interviews and even the softer exchanges with prospective employers such as emails or telephone calls to request more information.<\/p>\n All EP rewards will require at least a written application, and internships involve an interview as well.\u00a0 Not only does this provide an opportunity to work on your ability to sell yourself but the feedback provided, whether you\u2019re successful or not, can be applied to your placement or graduate applications.<\/p>\n There\u2019s plenty of additional support, too. The Careers and Employability Service is available for all Kent students \u2013 you can send in your applications or CVs for feedback via medwaycareers@kent.ac.uk<\/a> or attend group workshops throughout the academic year to develop skills or learn more about specific industries. Signing up is completely free and worth EPs!<\/p>\n KBS has a comprehensive employability blog – https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/kbs-employability\/<\/a> – with plenty of generic information applicable to any course or career ambition.\u00a0 And, don\u2019t be afraid to ask older students, academics or even family members for advice \u2013 they will likely have been in your position at some point and may just hold the key to a new contact in your industry of choice.<\/p>\n 5) Years in Industry alone are no longer such a differentiating factor<\/strong><\/p>\n I\u2019m a Business student who benefitted immensely from my own placement role, but am one of almost 2000 KBS undergraduate students across Canterbury and Medway to have the option of a Year in Industry.\u00a0 Not all represent direct competition for jobs due to the diverse range of business-related careers, but complacency could be your greatest enemy, particularly for final-year students like me.<\/p>\n Yes, \u201ca year\u2019s experience to add to your degree can really help you stand out against the competition when applying for your first graduate position\u201d<\/em> (KBS) but a quick Google search for undergraduate courses with a Year in Industry generated over 1 million results!<\/p>\n Now, that obviously doesn\u2019t translate to that number of courses but we\u2019ll all soon be part of an international labour market where further diversification in both co-curricular and professional experiences will be necessary for success.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n A final note\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n If you\u2019ve taken the time to read this far, I\u2019m confident your level of engagement will be apparent to prospective employers and help secure your Year in Industry.\u00a0 However, as reason 1 explained, there can be no guarantees.<\/p>\n The biggest benefit of EP is that your employability increases from the moment you log your first points.\u00a0 All of the activities you engage in to accumulate points are worthwhile and should be included in application material or passionately referenced in interviews.\u00a0 Additionally, any softer skills developed through undertaking the activity can help you stand out at group assessment centres.<\/p>\n In the worst-case scenario of not finding a placement role, Employability Points provide a narrative for your professional development and shorter rewards such as internships or work experience are all still credible for your graduate CV.<\/p>\n Best of luck!<\/p>\n Don\u2019t forget, the deadline for logging points is Monday 19th March at 5pm!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n For more information about the scheme, click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"