Student gives Media Talent Bank thumbs up
April 30th, 2010
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Local business, Media Talent Bank, held the first of many workshops last month, aimed at educating students with the skills and attitudes needed to survive in the media industry.
After attending the social media focussed workshop, Birmingham City University student, Jade Dale, told The Grade she felt the course had not only equipped her with many newly acquired online skills, but had opened up possible jobs opportunities after graduation.
“After speaking to Nicky Getgood, from ‘Talk about local’, I explained my interest in local radio and we just got chatting.
Podcast: What’s so helpful about career fairs?
The Grade hears from both employers and students about how you can use career fairs to your advantage when job hunting. Featuring opinions from Tripp Martin of Enterprise Rent-a-car and Osman Yousef of Remploy, we are reminded that despite difficult job seeking conditions at the moment, companies are still looking for graduating bright sparks.
Download or listen to the podcast below to find out more about today’s ‘Discover Potential’ careers event at Birmingham City University’s City North Campus.
The Grade’s First Edition
Now in our six month of production, The Grade has pulled its talents together to complete the first of many graduate magazines.
Packed with advice, information and tips for graduates in the Birmingham area, the magazine is a sought after companion of the final year student.
With a free audio CD of all our podcasts and interviews included you’d be silly to miss it!
Pick up a copy at any of the ‘Discover Potential – Improve Prospects’ events this week. For more information on the weeks line up and locations click here.
Insight Out 2010
As the Insight Out scheme opens for enrolment in May, The Grade caught up with existing participants to find out what they really thought.
Nationally renowned, Insight Out offers successful candidates the opportunity to start and maintain their own business. Awarding all participants with six-months of business training, office space and a £3,000 bursary payment, the Insight Out scheme could be the stepping stone needed by the budding graduate entrepreneur. (For more information on the scheme see our last post).
With March’s intake now two months into the scheme, The Grade joined one group to find out exactly what they thought of the scheme. Talking through the completed stages of the six-month training programme, the all female trainees felt that the scheme had already strengthened their entrepreneurial skill set.
Birmingham City University’s Employment Zone
With the “Discover Potential” graduate fair just days away, the Employement Zone have put together a series of videos about why you should attend.
The Grade will also launch its first issue at the event, so come and find us!
Media Talent Bank Makeover
Birmingham based creative industries organisation, Media Talent Bank, has taken a fresh look on its business strategy this month, launching the first of many workshops designed to help up and coming artistic talents.
Previously the organisation offered an online platform for creative talents to network and showcase their work, however, with the help of Trinket Creative, the Talent Bank is able to advertise its services amongst students through a series of specialist workshops.
Surviving the PGCE interview
So you think you have what it takes to become a teacher…. But what about having what it takes to tackle the PGCE interview?
With up to ten applicants for every one place at some universities, the course is in popular demand. Competition is high, so we thought you could do with a heads up on the interview process.
Sam Atkins from Birmingham has recently been accepted onto the Portsmouth University PGCE course for Secondary School teaching, key stages three and four. The Grade met up with Sam to find out more about how he coped with the lengthy interview and grueling process.
So what makes an ideal teaching candidate? After speaking with Sam it was clear why the interviewers decided to put him through onto the course, his friendly nature and passion for teaching were clear from the start of his tale.
Employment Zone part three: Graduate Fairs
The Discover Potential and Improve Prospects fairs are there to support students beyond the typical showcasing of job vacancies and placements opportunities. It is a chance for them to see what their options are in the world of work.
Graduate fairs are also a great opportunity to speak to potential employers and ask questions; giving you valuable information and insight into companies and industries. You can almost treat it as a networking event in itself. Companies are on hand to inform students about interviews and prepare them for what is to come. Going along to a graduate event will leave you well informed and hopefully provide you with some useful contacts.
Alongside all of the fairs we arrange we run several workshops including training sessions on networking.
If you are unable to attend these sort of events, we also have plans to launch our Life beyond Birmingham City University publication, which is a guide for all things you might be considering after graduation. This will be a great resource for all students and graduates thinking about their future plans.
These fairs are aimed at all students and are themed around entrepreneurship, volunteering, and employment for graduates.
Don’t forget, Birmingham City University’s three-day Graduate Fair starts Tuesday 27th April, 10am at MillenniumPoint.
Graduate Fair this month!
Birmingham City University are treating all of their students to the three day graduate fair, Discover Potential- Improve Prospects. Starting Tuesday 27th April, the fair will commence at Millennium Point 
on Tuesday, then City North Campus on Wednesday, and finishing at Gosta Green Campus on Thursday; all running from 10am -2pm.
This is the chance for you to receive advice from the experts and network with the professionals in charge of the hiring and firing in Birmingham.
We will also be there handing out the first issue of the magazine version of The Grade ever! Don’t miss out.
Work abroad with global experiences
If you have sunnier climates or fast paced cities on the brain then an international internship could be for you. Global Experiences offers a unique selection of exciting international destinations to graduates looking to set sail.
Global Experiences set out to design packages for people who want to work, study and live abroad. They cater for a wide range of industries, with everything from politics to fashion. So anyone can do it! You needn’t travel too far either, the destinations on offer range from Dublin to Australia, with many in between.
It is reassuring to know that Global Experiences’ advisors have all worked, lived or studied abroad themselves so they will be able to offer both expert advice and speak from personal experience. They say:
“We are a group of “do as I did” people, not “do as I say” posers.”
Working abroad can be an adventure and an amazing contribution to your CV too, working overseas shows courage, ambition and gives you priceless life experience.
For more information on the internships they offer visit their website.
