Students from Keele University have taken part in a new programme, bringing students, global employers and Keele alumni together in London to explore graduate career opportunities.

‘My Career in the City’ is a new programme aimed at Keele students who are keen to explore their career options and are the first in their family to attend university and/or are in receipt of a University bursary. The programme aims to open doors to large, global employers, and this first trip focused on London as a possible career destination city.

Supported by Santander funding, Keele students spent two days in the capital meeting a range of employers including Sparta Global, The Guardian, BBC, Engine, Ministry of Defence and YouTube/Google. Students met recruiters and discussed how to get into various industries and sectors, explored what it is like to work in London, and had the additional benefit of networking with Keele alumni.

Lisa Magar, a first year Film and Media Studies student who took part in the two-day visit to London commented:

“I enjoyed everything about the programme. I discovered that many degree disciplines are acceptable to employers and visiting them allowed me to see them from the inside and understand how people work. I would recommend the programme to others.”

Dan Whitworth, a Keele graduate and now a BBC reporter commented:

“It’s important to help out Keele alumni if you can because we all remember what it was like starting out in our careers… Through Keele we all have something that connects us - whether it’s the halls of residence, the union nights, the sports fields, the endless banter, the memories made for life – so why not offer a bit of advice, insight or experience – it could make the world of difference to someone starting out in life, fresh out of Keele.”

Terry Dray, Associate Director for Employability and Employer Engagement at Keele University commented:

“Our students are ambitious and aspire to develop careers that challenge, inspire and motivate them. We developed this programme to allow our students to engage with leading-edge employers and brands and to show them that the very largest and most successful organisations are within their reach.

“This can be achieved locally, but sometimes this means that London and other large cities are the places to go. Keele alumni were - as always - very supportive, and Santander funds supported the programme. Most importantly, the students were encouraged to ‘think big’ and consider what might be possible.”

Employability and Employer Engagement at Keele University is part of the Keele Institute for Innovation and Teaching Excellence - which supports Keele’s Vision for Education.