1. Graduate opportunities
Jillian Gordon
Alan Cousins
Careers Service

2. Today we will cover Benefits of a degree/degree alternatives
How to make the most of your time at university
Selling yourself
You and what you want from your future – values, lifestyle, passions/aspirations
What graduate opportunities are available?
Labour Market information – Skills Barometer, graduate employers by sector

3. Benefits of a degree
Open doors/enhanced career prospects – especially if 2:1 or above
Transferable skills developed and sought by employers
Independent thinking and learning to become self-sufficient
Networking
Increased earning potential
Personal growth/following your passion

4. Transferable skills that graduates have
In-depth
Subject knowledge
Presentation
Communication – written/verbal
Time management
Graduate skills
Organisation
Problem-solving
Negotiation/persuasion
Leadership
Analytical

5. Making the most of your time at university
Societies and extra-curricular activities
Using University Careers Service
Work experience/integrated year abroad/year in industry
Developing language skills
Record-keeping/keep CV up-to-date
Job fairs/networking
Seizing opportunities
Students Union/Student representative

6. Selling yourself Don’t leave career preparation until the end
Evidence of your transferable skills from your degree/work experience/other activities
Reflecting upon your experiences
Honing your employability skills – CV writing, job-searching, interview skills etc – make use of Careers Service
Don’t underestimate yourself!!

7. Your future – what do you want to achieve?
Values – what’s important to you? Money, status, job satisfaction, etc.
Lifestyle – hours of work, weekend working, location/travel, fun, big company/small company, self-employment
Passions/aspirations – opportunity to make a difference, passion for the arts/creativity/human rights/politics – what drives you?

8. In the past, choosing a career looked like this…

9. It now looks more like this…

10. What graduate opportunities are available?
1. Employment
Temping
3. Further study
Conversion courses
Private sector
SMEs
Graduate opportunities
Masters/PHDs
Public sector
Information technology
4. Take time out
Work
experience
Management
Travel
2. Graduate training schemes, e.g.
Volunteering
Finance and professional services

11. What are the growth sectors in the economy?

12. What are the future job opportunities in Northern Ireland?
There are job opportunities across all occupational areas in Northern Ireland but there is higher demand in occupations relating to Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM).

13. Skills in Demand NI – examples of jobs by sector
Food technologist
Factory operative
Butcher
Health, safety and quality control
Creative and digital media
ICT
Agri food sector
Business and financial services
Software developer
Network manager
Data input
PC repair and maintenance
Game developer
Animator
Web designer
Film maker
Sound production
Payroll assistant
Accounting technician
Advertising
Marketing
Retail
Entrepreneurship
Future job opportunities
Health and life sciences
Advanced manufacturing and engineering
Allied Health Professions, e.g. Physiotherapy, Podiatrist
Nurse
Health care assistant
Lab technician
Gas fitter
Biomass engineer
Solar panel fitter
Recycling operative
Renewable energies and recycling
Machine operator
Welder
Engineer – all disciplines

14. Skills in demand – examples of employers
Moy Park
Mash Direct
Dunbia
Diageo
C&C Group
Creative and digital media
ICT
Agri food sector
Chain Reaction Cycles Ltd
Kainos
AllState NI
Total Mobile
Liberty IT
First Derivatives
Seagate Technology
Business and financial services
BBC
RTE
UTV
Sixteen South
Big Mountain Productions
Citi
PWC
Deloitte
KPMG EY
Danske Bank
Future job opportunities
Health and life sciences
Advanced manufacturing and engineering
Almac Group
HSCNI
Celerion
Randox Labs
Bluebuild Energy
H&W
Action Renewables
Renewable energies and recycling
B/E Aerospace
FP McCann
CDE Global Limited
NI Electricity
Thales Air Defence

15. Top 10 Graduate Employers in 2015-2016 (from The Times Top 100)
PWC
ALDI
GOOGLE
TEACH FIRST
CIVIL SERVICE
DELOITTE
NHS EY
KPMG
BBC

16. Top 10 growth sectors NI – (from the NI Skills Barometer report)
Professional, scientific and technical
ICT
Administration
Manufacturing
Retail
Hotels and restaurants
Health and social work
Construction
Transport
Art and Entertainment

17. Subjects in Demand - Degrees
Computer Science
Civil Engineering
Electronic and Electrical Engineering
Nursing
Information Systems
Mechanical Engineering
Physics
Mathematics
Marketing
Chemistry

18. Subjects in demand – Foundation degree Level/HLA qualifications
Science
Engineering
ICT
Creative Arts
Manufacturing
Law and legal
Sociology and social policy
Building and construction
Hospitality and catering

19. Employability Skills required
Good communication
Problem solving
Critical thinking
Team-working
People Management
Work experience and passion for the job were also highlighted in the Skills Barometer report
58% of graduate employers stated that they would be unlikely to recruit a candidate with no work experience

20. Summary Today we have covered: Benefits of a degree
Making the most of your time at university
Your future – your values/aspirations/lifestyle
Selling yourself
Graduate opportunities
Labour Market Information – Skills Barometer Report/Times Top 100 Graduate Employers

21. Some final points.... Flexibility – no such thing as “a job for life”
Many people change career multiple times in their lifetime
Career opportunities on a global scale
Don’t be put off by career/gender stereotypes
Research labour market info and career options
Don’t leave career preparation until the end of your degree
Keep records of all your achievements
Believe in yourself!!!!

23. Sources of information
– See “What can I do with my degree?” and graduate job search