Students at DMU shaped their future careers at our first Steer Your Career Conference on Wednesday.
Students at De Montfort University (DMU) shaped their future careers at De Montfort Students’ Union (DSU)’s first Steer Your Career Conference on Wednesday.
The conference was the brainchild of Mollie Footitt, DP Education at DSU, and pulled in experts from the private sector, ‘third’ sector, and in-house experts at DMU to deliver sessions on topics as diverse as mindfulness, psychometric testing, and planning for life after university.
Mollie said: “It was quite nice to hear – being nosey – students chatting about their future and being positive, as I know it can be quite daunting being at university and thinking about ‘the big wide world’, so it was good to help put students’ minds at ease.
“We had some brilliant speakers including Mike Grey [from Gradconsult] and Rachel Wall [from DMU].
“It was nice to hear students coming out of sessions and telling me that the conference had helped them decide what they want to do when they finish at DMU and the steps they need to take.”
Mollie, who hopes to complete a PhD after finishing her role as DP Education at DSU this summer, also took away her own personal advice.
“In the last session we started to think about where we want to be,” she explained. “We looked at the paths we need to take to get there, and it was nice for me personally to map that out, as well as the five steps I need to take to get there.”
The conference was the brainchild of Mollie Footitt, DP Education at DSU, after you told us that you want more support when it comes to planning life after university.
Aoife Carry is a third-year Fashion Buying with Design student at DMU as well as a Course Rep.
She explained: “I came along to gain information on moving forward in my career after struggling for a while [with] searching for jobs, and to hear what the experts had to say.
“It has completely changed my approach and [showed] that our mind set and the way we approach jobs is the only thing that can hold us back.”
Meanwhile, Thom Chapman, a second-year Business and Globalisation student, said: “I think it was a really useful event to go along to.
“The conference has motivated me to make sure I am still applying for placements and not giving up on opportunities, and really made me think about what I want to do when I graduate.
“One piece of advice that really stands out for me is to never give up. There’s always still opportunities out there, and it’s just a case of finding them.
“It’s really important that the students’ union puts on events like this because it shows not only how they’re representing our academic interests, but our future interests too, and it shows that they really care about students.”
Mike Grey, Head of University Partnerships at Gradconsult, opened the conference by speaking about how an open and positive mindset is one of the most important ‘skills’ that graduate employers look for.
The conference also saw the launch of #DMUworks, the university’s ambitious programme to ensure all DMU students are work-ready, as well as our Student Skills Passport, which will help students who have engaged with DSU talk about the skills they have gained in both applications and job interviews.
Rosie Webbon is in the final year of her Fashion Buying with Marketing course at DMU.
“With me being in my final year of uni, employability is pretty much my main concern,” she said.
“The fact that the SU offers events really relevant to me is amazing. It’s quite an intimidating thought leaving uni and having to go into the world of work but the workshops were really informative and useful.
“The main point I took from the day was that there is experience in everything.
“Many aspects of my life have given me varied experiences which can be transferred [into] work skills.”
You can find out more about our Student Skills Passport, including how to get your hands on one, here.
Those at the conference gained an insight into three different ‘streams’ of work or further study.
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