Individual appointments are available to students wishing to discuss their plans and ideas with a Careers Adviser. The appointments run at thirty minute intervals and are booked daily. Students can arrange appointments by calling in to Careers Reception (in the Library) or telephoning (01752) 232255.
Email queries: [email protected] Careers Information
There is a wealth of information held in the Careers Library available in different formats. The Careers Library is located on the middle floor of the Library at the Plymouth campus. The information is available on a self help basis and covers a variety of topics including careers information, employers, study/work abroad, self employment, vacation work, voluntary work, postgraduate study/funding, job seeking skills, placements/work experience plus much more.
Computer Databases
A number of databases exist to help with student research into courses and employers. e.g., ECCTIS database covers all UK courses including postgraduate study, part time courses, etc. Other directories are available in CD format, e.g., Kompass Business Directory - all very useful for employer contact information.
Postgraduate Study Information
The Careers Library stocks postgraduate course directories, information on research councils and funding sources.
Presentations and Workshops
There are a variety of employer led and Careers Service presentations and workshops running from October - April. The employer led presentations concentrate on opportunities for graduates in a particular company or industry. The Careers Service workshops cover a number of career-related topics for finalists including Interview Skills, Writing CVs,
Application Forms, Assessment Centres and Psychometric Testing. Details of workshops and presentations are displayed on Careers Service notice boards and the Careers
Service web site. Vacancy Information
There is a wealth of vacancy information available for final year students from September onwards. Information includes FREE graduate directories, (e.g., 'Prospects Directory' and 'GET'), 'Prospects' Vacancy Bulletins (including 'Prospects Today' and 'Prospects Finalist') and the Careers Service Vacancy Bulletin. Vacancies are also displayed on Vacancy notice boards. Increasingly, vacancy information is available from various web sites including the Prospects website (www.prospects.csu.ac.uk.). If you need help locating these, contact the Careers Service for advice. There are also specialist publications and bulletins containing specific vacancies. Again, contact the Careers Service for further details of these.
Careers Fair
There is an annual Careers Fair at Plymouth University held every November. Around 45 local and national employers take part. Please contact the Careers Service for further details of the next event.
Campus Recruitment (‘Milk round’)
A number of employers visit Plymouth University each year to conduct selection interviews for their annual intake of graduates. Details of visiting employers looking to interview finalists are displayed in the Careers Service from September onwards.
Essential Careers Web sites
The main web sites for students to be aware of are: www.plymouth.ac.uk/careers
Includes details of Careers Service facilities/services, vacancies, graduate destinations, part-time jobs, Jewels Award, events, plus much more…
www.prospects.csu.ac.uk
Includes careers information, work experience/placements, vacancies, labour market information, graduate destinations, postgraduate study, help with job seeking, Prospects 'Quick Match', Prospects Direct CV service, plus much more…
www.gradsouthwest.com
Includes vacancies for jobseekers looking for work in the south west Opportunities
Students completing the course successfully are eligible to apply for registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council.
Employment rates are very high for qualified nurses.
Qualified nurses have access to a wide range of employment opportunities. These can include acute hospital care, community care, working in the independent sector, care organisations abroad and charitable organisations.
The University provides a range of higher degree programmes. There are opportunities for post-qualifying study at post-graduate level and short, specialist clinical skills courses. Employability and Volunteering
As a student at Plymouth University, you acquire many employability skills through academic and placement learning, life and by being a student. Volunteering, term time and vacation jobs, work placements and work-based learning all contribute to your experience of work and the reality of applying for and succeeding at work. Career Gateway is the place to find direct support for job opportunities, career guidance with careers advisers, placement opportunities and ideas for volunteering and extra-curricular activities. Some of these people will also contribute employability sessions to your studies. Reflection and education, thinking about what you are doing, deciding what you want to do, what works for you and where you are going next are an essential part of being an effective member of society. You will be helped to develop your reflective and evaluation skills during your time with us in a variety of ways, including via the personal tutor system and activities that lead to the Plymouth Award.
Your challenge is to get involved and make sure that your qualification is a pass “plus”. Your level of qualification will tell employers something about your subject knowledge and understanding as well as the skills and competencies you have developed that are specific to that discipline. However, they will be really interested in the additional activities in which you have engaged and how you have extended your knowledge, understanding skills and experience outside the curriculum through a huge range of opportunities which the University provides directly or to which it can signpost you. Not only do employers expect you to have done these extra-curricular activities, but they also expect you to have learnt from them and be able to talk about your skills and attributes and how you use them. Examples of nursing specific employability skills
Students of nursing develop skills that are transferable to the workplace including management and leadership; problem solving, communicating, counselling and many more specific to field of study e.g. Adult, Mental Health and Child.
DECIPHer ASSIST Trainers
In partnership with Plymouth City Council some Child Health students have been given the opportunity to become DECIPHer ASSIST Trainers, which is a peer supporter programme. It provides them with the opportunity to deliver a programme to prevent children from
smoking. Although delivered in the Plymouth vicinity there are moves to deliver this to a wider community providing more employability opportunities. This programme has been integrated into the nursing programme but provides opportunity outside of the university and beyond graduation.
Peer Assist Learning (PALs)
A number of our students are actively involved with Peer Assisted Learning (PALs). This involves regular discipline-specific group sessions run by experienced students (PALS Leaders) for new or less experienced students. As a PALS Leader, experienced students work with other students on their course to consolidate and deepen their learning in an informal group environment. This experience provides graduates with key skills in mentoring and facilitating others, in addition to enhancing interpersonal skills and confidence.
University Scholarships Research Degrees
Students who obtain a good (2:1 Upper Second or 1st) degree may wish to continue to
postgraduate study at the Faculty of Health and Human Sciences PhD projects could be supervised at any of the Faculty sites. For further information please refer to the
postgraduate opportunities on the Faculty of Health and Human Sciences website.