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Careers Service Charter

Working with the Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services (AGCAS) and other partners, NUS has prepared a graduate careers service charter which outlines some of the best practice around the UK where universities are working to improve employment prospects for their graduates.  By pulling the best ideas and services into one document, we aim to encourage students’ unions and careers services to forge strategic partnerships and campaign for service improvement of their choosing in their institutions. 

The charter, which will be sent to students’ unions in due course, is released online for institutions, students, staff and students’ unions to discuss with instructions to begin an interactive strategic dialogue with careers services being published to support.  We’ll also be releasing a series of case studies expanding upon each point and explaining where it’s happening already or how we think this change would radically improve students’ employment prospects.

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We believe that the provision of excellent services in the field of employment and entrepreneurialism are essential services students studying in higher education should be offered.  From careers guidance to placements and internships and from part-time work to business start-up advice, we believe that these pillars form the basis of twenty-first century service delivery.  This document is intended to begin a dialogue between students’ unions and institutions to improve employment opportunities by working in partnership with careers and other services.

 

An excellent service will be able to demonstrate some or all of the following points, it will:

 

  • Have a formal strategic link between the students’ union and service which offers the opportunity for student-led service delivery and on-going dialogue for service development.
  • Have excellent links with alumni of the institution who offer skills, advice and mentoring to current students as part of structured joint institution and students’ union services.
  • Have opportunities to learn about entrepreneurialism and enterprise and include advice or sign-posting about how to start-up and sustain your own business.
  • Broker links between academic and course staff, employers and industry professionals to facilitate expert careers advice and provide work opportunities to students.
  • Actively seek to engage and collaborate with the small and medium sized enterprise community in order to generate and promote opportunities for students.
  • Actively seek to engage and collaborate with public and third sector organisations in order to generate and promote opportunities for students in these fields.
  • Work with other careers services and students’ unions to provide local and regional themed careers fairs to broaden the ‘horizons for action’ of students. 
  • Work to create placements and paid internships for students, whilst working to end unpaid internships.
  • Work to internationalise the horizons of all students by providing increased awareness of opportunities to study abroad, learn other languages and increase global employment prospects.
  • Support students who need to work whilst studying to find well-paid opportunities for employment through signposting other relevant services.
  • Have developed strong links with professional membership organisations to expand access to the professions.
  • Offer structured careers support post-graduation.
  • Provide information to students which sets realistic expectations of their individual responsibilities and career opportunities beyond graduation.  This should be easily accessible and impartial.
  • Work with trade unions to ensure students understand their rights in the work-place.