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UCL CAREERS SERVICE. The Role of Careers Services in International Alumni Work. Dr Kathy Barrett Joint Acting Head UCL Careers Service. www.ucl.ac.uk/careers. Increasing International Student Numbers. 00-01. 01-02. 02-03. 03-04. 04-05. 05-06. 06-07. 07-08. What do we do?. Guidance
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UCL CAREERS SERVICE The Role of Careers Services in International Alumni Work Dr Kathy Barrett Joint Acting Head UCL Careers Service www.ucl.ac.uk/careers
Increasing International Student Numbers 00-01 01-02 02-03 03-04 04-05 05-06 06-07 07-08
What do we do? • Guidance • Advice • Information • Facilitating • The student is encouraged to take responsibility for themselves
Additional Provision Needed for International Students • Demystifing the UK Job Market • An understanding of work permits • Appreciation of the job market in their home countries and how to sell their UK experience • We need to have a better understanding of their home culture and job market
International Students Forum • Feedback from current students, they wanted to talk to international alumni • Forum where 5 international alumni described their experience of the UK job market and any tips they would pass on • RHUL held similar event and included mentoring • How do we find alumni?
Finding International Alumni • UCL currently building up an alumni database • Building up a rapport with students who use the Careers Service while at UCL • Approaching employers known to be friendly to international students and asking if they have international alumni willing to help out • Teaching staff/student tutors • Only alumni employed in the UK
Warwick University Alumni Programme • Comprehensive alumni network with groups in each country • Groups generally social, but inevitably useful for networking for employment purposes • Also obtain profiles of international alumni for careers purposes • Success of group depends on enthusiasm of alumni
Making links with China • Oxford Brookes University – created a CD to hand out to their current students that included • Profiles of Chinese alumni • Labour market information compiled with the assistance of Chinese Alumni • Manchester University – recently visited Chinese Alumni • Helped them gain a better understanding of how to support current Chinese students • Connected them with employers that operate only in China
AGCASAssociation of Graduate Careers Advisory Services • Professional Body for HE Careers Advisory Services in the UK • Internationalisation Task Group • 6 Careers Advisers – Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Oxford Brookes, Loughborough and UCL • Employers • Currently planning a visit to China • Selecting alumni from various universities to meet, hold focus groups and obtain profiles
International Alumni Acting as Advocates • London Business School • Operate on a basis more akin to USA • International Alumni work as advocates within their own organisation to promote new LBS graduates
The Age of Technology • Easier to stay in contact • Better ways of communicating • Brunel University – Linking international students through Facebook