You Said...We Did
Your comments are very important to us and we welcome your feedback at all times. Below are just some of the comments and suggestions you have made over the last 12 months, with an explanation of what we have done to respond to your views:
"Job information should be easier to access, with details given about the different roles on offer to students."
We now have a new jobs display board in the window of the careers office which holds a number of job and volunteering roles. The information displayed contains job title, description, hours and pay where appropriate. Students are then encouraged to call into the careers office to discuss the roles in more detail. Students can also register for vacancies by visiting the Job Shop |web pages.
"Not enough staff available to see students on different days of the week."
In 2010 we recruited into a new Careers Adviser post. We now have Careers Adviser cover available from Monday to Friday. See here |for more details. (Please check the website as availability may be affected during holiday periods).
"An adviser could be allocated to schools or courses and specialise on information relevant just to those courses and make advice more relevant..."
Each academic School now has a linked Careers Adviser |attached, who acts as a first point of contact between the student in that School. The linked Careers Adviser also delivers a number of group work sessions to students within that School, therefore making delivery more consistent. Each School also has a Careers and Employability Champion attached who is an academic member of staff, whose role is to work more closely with the linked Careers Adviser's.
"It is difficult to find information on the website and I find it confusing!"
In April 2011 we launched our new careers website. Information is now organised into several key sections targeted at: prospective students, current students, graduates, staff and employers. We also have a volunteering section. We have tried to organise the information so that it is clear and concise, with a range of internal and external links, should you require greater detail and depth of information.
"It could best be improved by conducting periodical consultation with the service users."
We have started to consult our students on the range of provision and delivery of service that we provide. In July 2010 a survey was undertaken with all student course representatives to gather feedback. In September 2010, we also consulted students on the new Carers Service branding that has been developed. Throughout the year, the Volunteering Coordinator has held a number of support groups for student volunteers in order to gather their feedback and views, and to act as a source of support. We now have a comments box within the careers office, and in April 2011, our new website has a feedback facility in place so that students can post suggestions and comments.
"Try to advertise this service more to students especially during freshers week when most people are looking for all the information that can be provided."
The Careers Service has a new brand identity which was developed in 2010. A new Careers and Volunteering website was also launched in April 2011, with more detailed information directed at all key stakeholders. We now have a careers notice board in each academic School and a range of new publicity material for staff and students. We have contact details in the prospectus and student diary, and from 2011 we will have a careers and volunteering stand at the freshers event.