Creative content developer

An exciting work graduate opportunity is available in the Schools, Colleges and Community Outreach team from September 2016 for a highly creative and  proactive individual.
Are you the person we are looking for?

If you would like more information on applying please visit: https://vacancies.ntu.ac.uk/displayjob.aspx?jobid=2945

Family supper 2016

The family Supper events are collaborative events run at either Nottingham Trent University (NTU) or the University of Nottingham (UoN). They run from March to May and in 2016 saw over 410 attend the 3 NTU evenings with a similar number at UoN. Attendees were Year 10 pupils and their families from across Nottingham City and County. The aim of these events is to provide those Year 10 pupils and their families with information about higher education as well as allow them an opportunity to ask questions of current students at both institutions. 

Why people came?

Student discussing with her parents university.

The evenings are a great way to not only find out about the benefits of going into higher education, but also to get an understanding of what topics pupils would like to study, and  routes into university. This is done mostly through talking to current students who give examples of the real experiences they have gone through in attending university. This was all after a family dinner with other families, staff and students from each university.

The main topics discussed on the night

Whilst year 10’s were concerned about having enough student loan to live (party) and study if they chose to come to university, parents and carers were more concerned about whether or not they would need to financially support their young people in higher education. An overview of student finance was provided through an interactive quiz but more information can be found on the Student Finance England website.

Student ambassador answering parents questions

Another concern was what if I don’t get the grades or I haven’t picked the right subjects for post-16… Each university student on the event had a different experience when it came to how they got to university. Families got a chance to talk to UK based and international students as well as mature students and those further on in their HE study working towards a masters or PhD. Essentially the advice coming from all was do some early research if you have an idea about what you want to do or do something you enjoy if you have no idea what you want to be ‘when you’re a grown up’. The UCAS website has a section on it for pupils aged 16-18 to help them through this.

Family playing quiz together

Families left with some questions answered about higher education but most importantly an overall sense of positivity about the prospect of higher education for their futures.

Lucy's Marathon

          
 Meet Lucy, a member of our outreach team and a runner in the London Marathon this year. She will be one of tens of thousands of runners taking part in the London Marathon on Sunday 24 April, and is aiming to raise £2,200 for the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC).Having recently gone to ‘the Jenny Farr house in Nottingham to see some of the work that goes on locally. ‘ Lucy’s going to be running for both herself and the charity.

What  Lucy had to say about running for NSPCC:

“As well as a personal goal to get through the training and the distance on the day (in a time I’m not ashamed of!), I am raising money for the NSPCC. You can find details of their amazing work here, and yes, here’s the plea to your charitable sides and the link to my donation page should you feel you are able to contribute.” 

How ready are you?

“A couple of weeks ago I wasn’t convinced I’d ever be ready, but after an encouraging long run hitting 31km at the weekend, I’m feeling a little more encouraged about reaching that finish line on the day. “

Click here to donate and help Lucy reach her target!

Ben's finance teaching volunteering

Name: Ben 

Course studied at NTU: Business Studies 

Year Of Graduation : 2017

Organisation name: NTU

What volunteering were you involved in whilst a student at NTU?  Was it course related or to help with a particular career choice?

I volunteered on Santander’s Financial Literacy Scheme at Meden School from 6^th Feb 2015 to 27^th Feb. The project was related to my course, as I am studying International business and this opportunity allowed me to develop my presentation and team working skills. Along with my ability to efficiently communicate information that can be difficult to understand to a specific audience that may not be able to fully grasp the topics that I was communicating.

Has your volunteering helped your employability since graduating?  If so, in what way?

I was involved in two training sessions and was then tasked with creating a presentation with another student and then delivering this to classes of 15-year-old pupils at Meden School. Volunteering has greatly help develop my employability skills as well as my CV as it has shown that I am proactive and diverse. Volunteering has also made me think about my career direction, this is mainly because of the contacts I have made while volunteering. As I was given a small insight into banking I decided to use the contacts I have made to gain some work experience in the banking world, which has made me direct my career approach to this field.

 What advice would you give students when considering taking part in extra-curricular activities such as volunteering?

 I would absolutely encourage people to take up volunteering, for many of the reasons that I have mentioned above, as well as the sense of achievement you get and the fact that you are helping your community as well as yourself. I would continue to volunteer, as the more experience you have, the more you can stand out.

Nicola's 'Art'astic Time Volunteering

Name: Nicola

Course studied at NTU: Sociology

Year of graduation: 2015

Current Job :  Volunteer counsellor

Organisation name: NSPCC’s Childline

What volunteering were you involved in whilst a student at NTU?  Was it course related or to help with a particular career choice?

“I volunteered for the ARTiculate project whilst studying at NTU. I got involved by volunteering with the programme during my first year and then became project leader for two years. The project runs fun arts and crafts sessions on Saturday’s for children from the charity Spiral, who have experienced a close bereavement or domestic abuse at home.

 As a project leader I was responsible for recruiting eight volunteers each academic year to help prepare and run the sessions. I carried out the communication to the parents/guardians of the children, the charity spiral and the Nottingham Trent volunteering team who fund the project. I also undertook safeguarding and leadership training for the role. The project had a great impact on the charity, reducing the waiting list of children not engaged.

Has your volunteering helped your employability since graduating?  If so, in what way?

I choose to volunteer for the programme because I love working with young people and the project stuck out as something really amazing to get involved with. I found giving a little bit of my time to others also had great benefits to me. I was working alongside so many inspirational people, whom I learnt lots of new skills from, all of which made me realise I wanted a career with a sense of purpose within the charity sector.

Therefore, I am just about to start a graduate level job at a youth charity, where I will be delivering a widening participation programme to disadvantaged children and young people. My volunteering experience was a great boost in my application and interviewers were really impressed to hear about the volunteering I had done.

What advice would you give students when considering taking part in extra-curricular activities such as volunteering?

I wanted to keep on volunteering after university and am very excited to start the training course for a volunteer counsellor role at NSPCC’s Childline service. I would advise everyone to do some volunteering whilst at university you will meet amazing people, learn so much and not regret it giving a little bit of your time!”