Transcript Slide 1

Careers and
Access to Work funding
Deb Viney, SOAS
Using information provided by the
University of London Careers Service
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Why think about careers now?
• For some careers, degree choice is crucial
(e.g. for teaching some subjects are unacceptable; for
psychology some courses are not fully recognised by the
BPS)
• Some degree subjects / courses have better results than
others in terms of students’ employability
• It never hurts to plan ahead! If you know where your
interests are you can seek appropriate volunteer / work
placements in vacations to get experience.
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What can the Careers Service provide?
A full range of products and services such as:
•
confidential, one-to-one careers advice
•
information and advice on volunteering
•
a careers information room with dedicated student computers
•
information on internships, full-time jobs, part-time jobs and recruitment agencies
•
a full programme of events
•
the chance to practise your interview skills (ahead of the real thing)
•
Graduate Careers Case Studies can inspire under-graduates …
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Some examples of Careers events
• What can I do with a degree
from SOAS?
• Jobs Fair
• International Committee of
the Red Cross
• SEO London: Underrepresented Ethnic Minority
Backgrounds - Securing
Internships in the City
• MBTI Personality Test
• Breaking into the museum and
galleries sector
• Teach First
• Linklaters Presentation
• Recruiter-in-Residence: Civil
Service Fast Stream
• Graduate opportunities with
Standard Chartered
• Sportsmark: Paid Opportunities
at the Olympic Games 2012
• Jones Day Presentation
• Recruiter-in-Residence: Reuters
• Day in the Life of…..a Barrister
• Law & Justice Fair
• Non-law students: Interested in a
Career in Law? GDL Taster
• Recruiter-in-Residence: Trowers
& Hamlins
• Day in the Life of….an MPs Private
Secretary
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Got an idea to start a business?
• The Enterprise Office and Careers Service can
help!
• They can offer you a range of workshops,
events, competitions, sign-post opportunities
for funding and give you some friendly advice
to enable you to achieve your full potential.
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Improving your CV
• The Careers Service offers individual appointments to review your
CV
• Consider voluntary activities
• What about Students’ Union clubs and societies?
• Try to get some work experience – especially in the vacations
(Careers Service has information on Internship Schemes and so on)
• Consider what skills you have developed as a direct or indirect
result of your disability
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Getting a job
•
Expect to have to make multiple applications, give each one individual attention,
tailor the information in the application to the job description and person
specification.
•
If your disability is obvious or you will need adjustments for the interview / other
aspects of the selection process, then provide the employer with this information
promptly, either with your application or as soon as you are offered an interview.
•
Emphasise the benefits which you have accrued from learning to manage your
situation (e.g. resilience, people management skills, self confidence) and say
something about the adjustments you will need (if any) to undertake the
advertised post.
•
If your impairments are hidden, and you need no adjustments during the
recruitment process, you can inform the employer after you receive the job offer.
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Employers
• Must not refuse a request for reasonable adjustments –
that would be direct discrimination – though they may
negotiate with you about how a need is met.
• Should not make assumptions about what your disability
means in terms of your ability to do the job.
• Should not ask a disabled person any questions during
interview they would not ask someone else.
• Apart from offering adjustments during the interview, they
must not ask about health / disability until AFTER they have
offered the post. Pre-employment screening
questionnaires may not be used until after the offer.
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Access to Work funding
• http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/DisabledPeople/Em
ploymentsupport/SupportWhileInWork/index.ht
m
• The employee must apply for A2W funding, this
cannot be done by the employer – and you must
apply in the first 6 weeks of employment (or
before starting)
• Employers make a contribution to the costs
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A2W can help with
• Communication support during a job interview
• Transport costs for travelling to / from work (where
these are increased as a result of your impairment)
• Transport costs incurred during work where these arise
from your disability
• Support workers needed during employment activities
(e.g. personal assistant, notetaker, BSL interpreter or
lipspeaker)
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The First Destinations Survey
•
The Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education survey undertaken every year
by most UK higher education institutions continues to provide the most valuable
indicator of the value of a degree.
•
The survey collects data from graduates approximately six months after
completion of their studies and focuses on their current activities.
•
This data is used as one of several benchmarks to rank universities on their overall
performance in publications such as The Times Good University Guide.
•
Over the last eight years the “What Happens Next” report has provided, for the
first time, real evidence of the effect of a disability on a graduate’s prospects in the
labour market. For the most part the reports have indicated that disabled
graduates generally fare well in this regard, or at least better than had generally
been assumed previous to the report’s inception.
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The 2011 First Destinations Report
•
This year’s report indicates that the full force of the economic recession struck the
graduate employment market in 2009, showing significant decreases in the
numbers of both disabled and non-disabled graduates entering full time
employment and higher numbers of both groups unemployed.
•
The proportion of both disabled and non-disabled graduates entering employment
in 2009 fell sharply although the decrease for disabled graduates overall was
marginally less than for their non disabled peers.
•
The numbers of graduates choosing “further study only” as an option following
graduation rose this year for both disabled and non disabled graduates - though
the percentage increase for those choosing this option was greater among
disabled graduates.
•
Unemployment levels went up for both groups although the increase was slightly
greater for non-disabled graduates, the opposite of last year.
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The 2011 First Destinations Report
•
The type of impairment continues to affect leavers’ prospects, with graduates with
a Specific Learning Difference and those with “unseen disabilities” generally
achieving more favourable outcomes than those with more apparent disabilities.
•
Graduates with mental health issues and those who are wheelchair users, or have
mobility impairments exhibited the lowest levels of full-time employment and the
highest levels of unemployment.
•
The proportion of graduates entering “graduate level” employment dropped this
year, with comparable figures for both disabled and non disabled graduates.
•
There was little difference in the types of industries both sets of graduates
entered, repeating similar results from previous surveys. The sector attracting the
highest numbers of both disabled and non-disabled graduates was “Human
health and social work”. The sector demonstrating greatest disparity between
the two groups was “Arts, entertainment and recreation” with significantly more
disabled graduates entering this area.
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The 2011 First Destinations Report
• There was similarity between disabled and non disabled graduates
in terms of the occupations they entered, although this year saw
marginally higher numbers of disabled graduates entering
“management” level occupations than their non-disabled peers.
• A significantly higher number of disabled graduates chose self
employment as an option than non-disabled graduates. [This
preference for self-employment is also reflected in the Access to
Work funding data]
• Earnings of disabled graduates compared well with non disabled
graduates although overall average starting salaries were down for
both groups.
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