The Networking Day for Humanities Careers Advisers is now an annual event in the English Subject Centre’s calendar. It is an opportunity for those careers advisers who specialise in working with Humanities students to get together to share issues, ideas and experiences. It is also an opportunity for the English Subject Centre to keep in touch with a professional group who can play a significant role in the student experience and who have much to contribute to employability initiatives. This year, it was held at the University of Birmingham, and the focus was on working with employers (in previous years the theme has been working with students and with academic staff). Organiser Jane Gawthrope reports: The day included practice-sharing sessions which showcased work-related learning modules as well as projects designed specifically to enhance services to English students. Three employers explained why they wanted to recruit Humanities graduates and what career opportunities they could offer them. These employers were not the ‘usual suspects’ based in publishing or the media. They were an infrastructure development consultancy (Halcrow), a financial consultancy (Deloitte UK) and a car rental company (Enterprise-Rent-a-Car). All three explained that they looked for graduates with creativity, analytical skills and commitment, regardless of subject background, and wished that more Humanities students would approach them. The day concluded with a series of discussions in ‘World Café’ format, where participants took great delight in writing on tablecloths and helping themselves to the jelly-babies provided to sustain them. The lesson I took from the day was that one of the attractions of a Humanities degree is that it opens a wide range of opportunities, so employability initiatives must cultivate a wide range of employers across a number of sectors, to help students fulfil their graduate potential.
More details, presentations and outcomes from the day can be viewed on the event page.
