An innovative programme of employer led activities for business students was recently organised by the University of Glamorgan careers service in partnership with the Glamorgan Business School.
Over two days, students took part in a Surviving Assessment Centres workshop, participated in Your Career in Business – a Question Time inspired seminar – and competed in an Apprentice Student Challenge. The events were designed to give business students a realistic view of the current graduate job market, enable them to connect with employers, and find out ultimately what makes a graduate employable.
The Surviving Assessment Centres workshop was delivered by Martyn Flynn (recruitment and training manager, Enterprise-Rent-A-Car). In keeping with the desire for student and employer engagement this session was highly interactive and discussed many of the tests used by these centres. Students were able to find out what employers look for in successful candidates and participate in an assessed group based exercise and role play task.
The seminar Your Career in Business included a panel of business experts from a diverse range of organisations and sectors including: Meltwater News, Life Agency, Enterprise–Rent-A-Car and International Business Wales. In the true spirit of Question Time students were able to ask the panellists their own questions about opportunities available within these organisations, how to apply, and picked up useful tips on what employers look for in graduates.
Business students present their business plans to employer panel
The employability programme concluded with the Apprentice Student Challenge. The students’ brief was to create a recruitment company ‘for students run by students’ and pitch their ideas to a panel of judges from commerce in a boardroom scenario. The prestigious panel of judges included Mark Seymour (operations director – Hays Recruitment), Laurance Thomas (head of HR HMPS) and Ian Ashman (Glamorgan Business School Employability Unit Manager). The high level of student performance from all the teams was noted by the panel. Laurance Thomas said:
“Business operates in a global market and the cultural mix of the participants showed Glamorgan to be a global learning community. [I am] most impressed with the standard of the presentations which is an essential business skill.”
For more information on Business degrees at Glamorgan please visit the Undergraduate Study pages.
