The teams dedicated to boosting the employability of students at De Montfort University Leicester (DMU) through work placements have been shortlisted for four national awards – more than any other university.
The National Undergraduate Employability (NUE) Awards identify those in the industry who are leading the way for undergraduate work experience.
The judges are looking for universities that make job-seeking ‘engaging, refreshing and exciting’, and recognise original initiatives that go the extra mile to support students.
DMU’s Careers and Employability Service has been shortlisted in the top five universities nationally in the following categories:
- Best Careers and Employability Service
- Best University Placement Service (over 100 placements) – Business & Law Placement Team
- Best University Placement Service (under 100 placements) – ADH Placement Team
- Best Collaboration between a University and an Employer
Adele Browne, Head of DMU Careers and Employability, said: “We’re thrilled to receive this recognition for our initiatives in 2017.
“Placements and internships can make all the difference to a student’s skills and networks, meaning they often walk straight into a graduate job as soon as they finish their finals.
“Employers these days want to meet students and identify future recruits from the first year of university and we really work hard to make this happen for DMU students.
“We bring employers onto campus to help deliver our courses and run projects and competitions; we run webinars all year round to support students with every employer deadline; we’ve launched an online essential placement skills course for first year students; and we’ve invested in placement tutors to support and visit students throughout their placement.”
One area in which DMU excels is the way it links up with employers and one of the nominations recognises its collaboration with Enterprise Rent-A-Car.
Becky Wheeldon, Talent Acquisition Specialist at Enterprise, said: “Working alongside DMU has been a great experience, linking our objectives to ensure we have a positive impact on each other.
“They are more than happy to try new methods in the effort to help all of their students gain experience in the business world.
“As an employer, we have seen substantial results in working with DMU to improve the stages of recruitment.
“We have been involved in mock assessment centres, boot camps, presentations and placement preparation sessions. They have given us the autonomy to run these sessions in the way we see best which has allowed ourselves to find students we are able to fast track through the process.”
English student Emer Walsh, currently on placement at a hospice for the terminally ill in Harrow with its fundraising and communications team, praised DMU for the support it gave her.
“I was very unsure how to approach the whole process,” she said. “The placement team, Humera and Sam particularly, were so friendly and helpful; they explained what the process was, helped narrow my interests and find job roles that best suited my skills.
“They were incredibly reliable and patient, always willing to check over any changes I’d made to my cover letters or CV, which made the search a lot less daunting.
“They recommended workshops and set up one-to-one meetings prior to interviews which allowed me to voice any concerns I had and left me feeling prepared and confident.”
Sponsored by Microsoft, SAP, ProspectSoft and M&S, the NUE Awards ceremony will take place in London on 23 February 2018.
Posted on Friday 22 December 2017