QUEEN’S University has won a major all-Ireland award for enhancing the career prospects of its students.
The university scooped the Employability award in the Gradireland/Association of Higher Education Careers Services (AHECS) Awards in Dublin. The accolade was won by the Careers, Employability and Skills team at Queen’s, which received the Gold award in its category.
The award was given in recognition of Queen’s Workplace Study Tours, which bring undergraduates to meet key potential employers in London and Brussels across the sectors of law, finance and the European market. Currently 94% of Queen’s graduates are in employment or further study six months after graduating.
On each tour, 24 students attend workshops hosted by significant graduate employers, where they are given immediate feedback on their skills and employability. The students also take part in workshops, network with inspirational role models in their area and meet alumni. When they return to Queen’s, they host ‘dissemination’ events, attended by up to 100 students, where they share what they learned on the tour.
Student development manager at the Careers’ Team, Roisin Copeland, said the success rate of the tours was significant.
As a result of the 2013 law tour, 50% of those who took part secured an internship interview, with at least 20% going on to secure an internship, training or job contract.
Commenting on this, Roisin said: “We now have plans in place to make our tours accessible to more students, in more employment sectors and in more geographical areas, making the reach even more international.”
Meanwhile, the first ‘Skills Hub’ initiative in the UK has been officially launched. The objective of a ‘Skills Hub’ is to enable employers to facilitate the secondment of highly skilled members of staff to other organisations and SMEs in the surrounding area. This project encourages employers to share skills, offer work experience opportunities, and practical ideas that will assist capacity issues and improve staff development and retention, allowing more efficient deployment of people and skills. The launch follows a successful pilot in Ballymena.
Speaking at the launch, Minister for Employment and Learning Stephen Farry said: “I welcome this private sector led collaborative initiative and am pleased that the first ever launch has taken place in Northern Ireland. I therefore applaud the local companies, and the Northern Regional College, for getting involved and providing the funding to launch this scheme.”
The Hub is being funded by Dunbia, Harland & Wolff, JTI, Michelin, Moy Park, Northern Regional College, Ulster Bank and Wright Bus, allowing smaller SMEs and others to benefit from the skills exchange free of charge. Four regional online Hubs will focus on the North East, North West, South East and South West, centred in Belfast, Craigavon, Derry and Ballymena.