An award-winning careers course for Wrexham Glyndŵr University (WGU) students will run again this year, but with a difference. Make Summer Work For You, which is usually taught face to face on campus, has been adapted for online delivery to help participants find jobs during the coronavirus lockdown.
The course beat entrants across the UK in 2018 to win the Supporting Student/Graduate Employability category at the Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Service Awards for Excellence and was commended by judges for its innovation, engagement and impact.
Make Summer Work For You is an extracurricular programme which strengthens students’ employment prospects over several months by providing flexible career-related support and guidance.
The programme came about after the Careers team ran consultations with students and found that working to boost their confidence, resilience and well- being would help them secure the career they were looking for. Now, the careers team at WGU have kept the core of the programme, but adapted it so that they can continue to help and support students’ career development online.
The course started on June 1st, but there are additional chances to join in July and August. It is free and easy for students to join online.
Jenny Whittaker, Careers and Employability Adviser at WGU, said: “Make Summer Work For You has been a popular course among our students and has helped them find roles in their chosen careers too. When it became clear that we wouldn’t be able to run the course on campus due to the coronavirus restrictions, we decided to take the course online instead.
“Students and graduates who take part can expect a range of weekly workshops to engage with throughout the lockdown. There are videos, presentations, exercises and workshop resources all designed to support and encourage our participants to navigate their way through the coming months. There is advice on everything from writing personal statements, winning CVs, creating practical applications to developing interview skills. There is also a range of careers guides, videos, apps, links and more for participants to explore.
“For those students who tell us what the most useful part of the course was for them, there’s the chance to win a £20 Amazon voucher too!”
The Make Summer Work For You online course is the latest innovation by the university’s Careers department, which is providing full online support to students throughout the pandemic.
Jenny added: “Just as we’ve taken Make Summer Work For You online, we’ve adapted the support we offer so we can provide it remotely. Whether that is booking telephone guidance appointments, online video appointments or e-guidance, any student or graduate at WGU can access help.
“This can be anything from career planning, CV and application form reviews, through to interview skills support and tips for managing online interviews and assessment centres. We even prepare students for psychometric tests.”
Students and graduates from WGU can find out more by signing into the university’s careers portal at wguconnect.glyndwr.ac.uk.
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