At the University of Chester, we want you to get what counts for you. Throughout your studies, we’ll get you connected to people who will help your career, get you skilled up to face the future with confidence and offer you opportunity after opportunity to develop as a person, so you can graduate one step ahead.
Become career ready
Whether you’ve got a specific career path in mind or you’re looking for some inspiration and direction, our Careers and Employability team are there to give you all the support you need from the moment you begin your studies. Our Careers Service will work closely with you, helping to expand your knowledge of job roles and employers within your chosen field. Our extracurricular Career Workshop programme and Q&A Employer Panels are designed to give you a genuine insight into a specific role or industry, highlighting all of the skills and attributes that employers look for. Look out for the annual Careers Fair – Careers Fest – as this is the perfect opportunity to network with those all-important employers and meet previous graduates too.
It’s our priority to make sure that throughout your degree, the experiences you have will help you to become career ready. We can support you through all the stages of career planning, from creating career ideas through to action planning, as well as valuable 1-1 Career Chats and guidance appointments. It’s never too early to start thinking about your future.
Gain valuable experience
We understand how important it is to gain real-world work experience whilst you’re at university. With the University's integrated Work-Based Learning placements and well-connected lecturers, you’ll never be short of valuable real experience, helping you stand out from the crowd and preparing you for the world of work. The Careers and Employability team are on hand to support you with your Work Based Learning application and help advise how to make the most of this fantastic opportunity. These experiences help you build your contacts, equip you with transferable skills and leave you feeling confident and one step ahead by the time you graduate.
Become a ‘Citizen Student’ and get involved with the local community by applying for one of our Workplace Experiences. These can range from employer projects to graduate internships and will help shape your CV. Project Placement Scholarships are new and exciting opportunities available to you where you can undertake a specific project, working in a team, to make a meaningful impact for an employer.
Stand out from the crowd
We know how competitive different industries can be. That’s why we prioritise shaping you into a graduate who is set apart from the rest and stands out from the crowd.
Chester Difference Award
Get involved in your personalised Chester Difference Award, the University’s employability award, where you can gain recognition for a range of extracurricular activities, showcasing your skills and achievements to future employers. There are ten different pathways to choose from, designed to develop your confidence and skills in areas such as leadership, digital skills and enterprise.
Venture Programme
Our Venture Programme allows you to explore self-employment or freelancing opportunities and helps you develop the required skills, knowledge, confidence and connections to work for yourself; whether that’s starting your own business or building a freelance career.
Inspiring Futures
Our Inspiring Futures programme supports under-represented students and graduates in higher education to access opportunities in order to reach their full potential.
Looking for paid work whilst you study?
Lots of our students work part-time alongside their studies. You can apply for jobs on site or virtually through our UniJob scheme and we can help you to apply for part-time vacancies advertised on your career portal, CareerHub.
Our warm and friendly team are ready to welcome you and are excited to tell you more about these purposeful activities and events in which you can get involved. Look out for CareerHub, your career portal, when you arrive; connect with us via social media and contact us to find out more. There are plenty of career guides and resources and online training videos to get you started!
