Top internships provider to visit UWS

Want to gain experience while studying and improve your employment prospects?

TSIS (Third Sector Internships Scotland) might be the answer. To date TSIS has provided nearly 300 internships to students studying in Scotland including a significant number of UWS students. Ed Blackburn from TSIS will be on Paisley campus on October 8th to promote the current set of internships and give you insider tips on applying. His information session will be video conferenced to other 3 campuses. Ed will be accompanied by Claudette Baker-Park who studied Contemporary Screen Acting at UWS and recently undertook an internship as a fundraising and appeals intern.

There are opportunities across Scotland with internships currently available in Ayrshire Glasgow and Lanarkshire in a range of disciplines from Business, the Creative sector, Policy and Research. The main attractions of these internships are the TSIS insistence that placements should be flexible and can fit around your studies and other commitments. All placements must also be live projects which challenge students and develop their skills. TSIS pay a “living wage” (currently £7.65ph) so that students are able to devote the time and not lose out financially.

Former UWS student Jason Dowd says
“TSIS was amazing for me as it gave me the much needed experience I required for working in the IT sector”

Given its popularity it is no surprise that TSIS receive over 20 applications per internship which means that your applications and interview skills need to be as good as they can be. Careers Advisers at UWS are on hand to give you vital hints and support in this process. You can also access some invaluable advice from TSIS on their website under “tips and pitfalls”.

TSIS was established to fill a gap in opportunities for Graduates in the Third Sector. There was demand from students for relevant experience and a desire from Third Sector to tap into their skills and knowledge. The project has been funded for the last four years by the Scottish Funding Council and is a partnership with the Scottish Universities and SCVO. More information about TSIS can be found at their website http://www.3rdsectorintern.com but why not come and hear from Ed and Claudette first hand on 8th October!

Any students wishing to attend the TSIS presentation at any of the campuses should visit http://www.uws.prospects.ac.uk and click on events Calendar. You will need to be registered with the site.

Make the most of your time at university

It’s extremely important to make the most of your time at university, not just because you will want to leave with a good degree, but because when you graduate and are looking for a job, employers will be looking for well-rounded candidates with a set of transferable skills, such as:

• communication
• team work
• absorbing and analysing information
• organisation, planning and time management
• working under pressure and meeting deadlines
• problem solving

So, while it’s important to do as well as you can academically, being at university isn’t just about getting a degree. Employers are also interested in the variety of skills you can pick up in other areas, such as:

• taking part in student activities
• getting involved in clubs or societies, the student association, or becoming a class rep
• work experience
• volunteering

Make sure you get involved in as much as you can and remember that in these competitive times it is vital to get some work experience during your time at university, related or unrelated to your course, through paid work or volunteering.

Register with our Vacancies and Events site here: www.uws.prospects.ac.uk

Find out about getting involved with the Student Association here: www.sauws.org.uk

For more information and ideas, check out the National Union of Students Guide: Working Towards Your Future

Placement of the Week – IT Service Desk Placement

This role involves providing an excellent level of first line infrastructure support to 600+ users in our office. The service will be delivered remotely from your desk in the majority of cases, but on some occasions it may be necessary to go to a user’s desk for physical fault finding or hardware replacement activity. You will manage requests for assistance from the point of logging through to successful closure and against service level agreements. You will work both individually and also as part of a larger support team.

You will be responsible for providing 1st line desktop and infrastructure support to 600+ users in our office.
You will provide support on Windows desktops and laptops, both office network connected and also users connecting via VPN.
You will provide support on general office productivity applications such as Microsoft Office, Visio, Adobe etc.
You will assist users with their use of the office printing infrastructure.
You will help staff up the Service Desk and record users requests for assistance in the Service Desk system.

You will be proficient and knowledgeable in PC desktop operating systems and standard office productivity applications, with a good grasp of networking, communications and Internet based technologies. Excellent communications skills are a requirement of this role, both written and verbal (via the telephone and face to face). You will be able to work individually with minimum supervision but also you will be comfortable working as part of a larger team of support professionals. You will provide first class customer service and help the team achieve a rapid turnaround on all technical issues involving users and infrastructure. You will be able to prioritise competing demands on your time and you will deliver to tight deadlines. You will be keen to learn and develop new skills and will be enthusiastic in your outlook.

Please note that this is a placement opportunity open to those who have completed their 3rd year of study.

Please apply with a recent C.V. and a covering letter saying why you think you would be suitable for this position.

j-hannah@dfid.gov.uk

Routes for All – Require UWS Students/Recent Graduates

Routes for All

Interested in working during term time next year, from October onwards?

We are looking for current students from Ayr, Hamilton & Paisley campus to work on Routes for All, which is a programme of activity promoting further and higher education with secondary school pupils from schools in the South West of Scotland who are considering their options after school.

Working for Routes for All is a highly enjoyable and rewarding experience, and offers excellent experience in working with young people.  The work is during the day during term time within selected secondary schools and can easily be fitted in around your university timetable.

• The post holder must be a recent graduate of the University or be studying towards a qualification within the University
• Willing to be checked under the Protected Vulnerable Groups Scheme
• A sound understanding of the benefits of University provision, the University and the locations of central University services and departments
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
• Excellent team and independent working skills
• Knowledge of Scottish secondary school education system and a willingness to keep this knowledge up to date
• Friendly and student- centred
• An ability to work as part of a team as well as independently
• Enthusiasm for wider access and education

Desirable

• Experience of working with young people
• Experience studying at a college then articulating to University
• Awareness of wider access issues

Application Deadline is 30th June 2014. For further enquiries or an application form, please contact routesforall@uws.ac.uk

Interested in spending the summer in the USA?

A representative from these organisations will be on campus on the following dates:

Camp Leaders – www.campleaders.com

Ayr Campus	Friday 9th November 2012	12.30-1.30
Hamilton Campus	Monday 19th November 2012	12.30-1.30
Paisley Campus	Monday 12th November 2012	12.30-1.30

Camp America – www.campamerica.co.uk

Ayr Campus	Thursday 15th November 2012	12.30-1.30
Hamilton Campus	Wednesday 14th November 2012	12.1
Paisley Campus	Wednesday 14th November 2012	3.30-4.30

 

Third Sector Internships Scotland – 20 New Part-Time Internships launched 8th October

Third Sector Internships Scotland helps any student currently studying at a Scottish University find paid work experience in the third sector. The latest set of TSIS part-time internships is now open for applications on the TSIS website.  There are 20 positions across Scotland, with a closing date of Friday 19^th October – please note each  internship has a specific closing time on the day.

TSIS will also be launching a further 21 part-time internships on Monday 15^th October, with a closing date of Friday 26^th October.

https://www.3rdsectorintern.com/internships/

Please note: Ed Blackburn from TSIS will be at the student Link on Paisley Campus on Friday 12^th to answer any student enquiries.

For help with completing your application or with interview skills contact the Careers and Employability Service on your Campus.

The importance of work experience

A new research report has hit the news this morning that emphasises the importance of work experience.

The report from High Fliers Research shows that employers are recruiting more graduates – but also that there are record numbers of graduates chasing these jobs. The report also warns that graduates from the ‘Class of 2012’ who’ve had no work experience at all whilst at university stand little or no chance of getting a job offer from the country’s most prestigious graduate employers – and that a record 36% of this year’s graduate vacancies are expected to be filled by applicants who have already worked for the organisation during their studies.

Media Reports:

BBC – Graduate jobs ‘taken by work experience students’

Guardian – Graduates without work experience face struggle to secure jobs, report says

Mail Online – ‘Jobs bottleneck’ as graduates struggling to find work creates backlog

The full report can be downloaded from the High Fliers Website

The Careers Service and Placement Support Service can help our students and recent graduates to secure relevant work experience opportunities. Visit us on Campus or Online

Thinking about Placement? Not sure what the benefits are?

Top 10 Benefits of Placement

Taken from feedback from UWS students who have undertaken placements:

• Improve your career prospects. Employers are very interested in placement experience.
• Boost your confidence
• Improve commercial awareness and business acumen
• Build people skills such as communication, problem solving, team work and self management
• Improve knowledge about yourself
• Opportunity to network and build up industry contacts
• Develop new skills
• Transfer theoretical knowledge into practical experience
• Clarify career plans
• Make your CV stand out from the crowd

Visit www.uws.ac.uk/placement for more information, or pop into the Employability Link  on Paisley Campus, or Student Link on Ayr, Dumfries & Hamilton Campuses.

New Paid Internships from TSIS

The latest batch of internships from Third Sector Internships Scotland have been released on their website and applications are now open! Don’t miss out on these fabulous opportunities!

 

These paid internships are open to all students and can be worked around your studies.

There are 18 new opportunities in total, and many of them are in the West of Scotland area. A few examples:

• Research Intern Exploring alternative energy and communications in Africa, located in the west end of Glasgow
• Marketing Development Intern Greenock
• Communications and Outreach Intern Govan Road, Glasgow
• Development Intern (Moving Stories Education Competition project) Glasgow
• Digital and Social Media Intern Glasgow or Edinburgh

For full information and how to apply visit: http://www.3rdsectorintern.com/internships/

As a UWS student you are encouraged to see a UWS careers adviser for help with your application. We have already had 5 of our students take part in this scheme.

Apply now for London 2012 Summer Jobs

Working for London 2012 is your chance to share a moment of history – not just in the UK, but on a global stage.

The London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games are taking place in London and across the UK next summer, and they need talented and dedicated people to be a part of them. There are all sorts of job opportunities for all sorts of people. More than 100,000 people will be paid to work on the Games, all of them with different backgrounds, skills and experiences. From catering to IT, cleaning to ticketing, there are a wide range of paid roles.

Recruitment is underway and if you’re keen to get involved you will find something you can apply for.

Visit http://www.london2012.com/jobs for more information and to register your interest.

Also if you’re interested in volunteering at the Games visit: http://www.london2012.com/volunteer