Career advisors from four INU member universities talk about their diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, to help students overcome the barriers they may encounter due to their race or socio-economic background, when seeking employment. The panel will share experiences, challenges and case studies, before inviting the audience to join the discussion.

The session will begin with the panel presenting examples from their individual institutions:

Adopting a Project Approach to Support Target Student Groups, De Montfort University (UK)

Data tells us which students need support but enticing them to access their careers service is a huge challenge. This session will provide details of 2 targeted projects that have been established at De Montfort University which aim to overcome this challenge; the Times Higher Education award winning Leicester’s Future Leaders programme and the Rise Excel programme, run in partnership with upReach. Both of these are examples of how we are trying to help our students overcome the challenges they face, due to their race or socio-economic background, to maximise their potential and secure graduate level employment after their studies.

Career Pilot Project - Navigating Career Entry for International Students, European University Viadrina (Germany)

Almost 30% of the students at the European University Viadrina come from abroad and many of them would like to build their career in Germany or elsewhere in Europe. In addition, from a political and business viewpoint, the aim is to keep the talent of international graduates in the country after their studies. However, many international graduates do not succeed in starting a career in Germany; they lack the language skills, the job market and application know-how and the networks. This is where a project of the EUV Career Centre comes in, which aims to support international students for their career entry and reach those who have specific needs, which aren‘t met by Career Service provision for all students.

During the session, we would like to present our project, discuss with you the related challenges and also learn about your experiences with international students and your targeted offer for this group.

Building Career Advocates Across Campus, James Madison University (USA)

Access to career education is a social justice issue. Our students don't have the same connections or social capital but utilizing a network of faculty to have career conversations with students can help to level the playing field. In response, JMU's Career Center developed a Career Advocates program - a workshop series centered around helping faculty more effectively engage students in career conversations including career exploration, incorporating identity in the job search, networking, and more. It takes a campus community to work towards career preparedness of all our college graduates, not just the proactive students.

Elevate Accelerator Programme, Kingston University (UK)

In response to the Black Lives Matter movement, Kingston Universities Careers service created an accelerator programme for black British students from African & Caribbean descent. The programme empowers and upskills black students, providing holistic employability support through student careers coordinators, developing students both personally and professionally.

Sourcing events, providing resources and engaging employers, the initiative inspires students to consider careers they were previously unaware of, enabling them to broaden their horizons.

Over 300 students have directly benefited from the initiative, 20 + employer partners, and 20 students currently either being mentored, on internships, or have internships lined up. A quote from a participant brings to life the incredible impact of the initiative: “I don’t come from a family or network of wealth… I don’t even have the resources to apply for funding, so this was a really big opportunity for me to be able to create my dreams because as a 21 year old Black woman, these opportunities don’t come around at all"

This session aims to highlight key factors that contribute to developing a successful EDI student led programme.

The presentations will be followed by a panel discussion and an open Q&A with the audience. This will then be followed by break out rooms for open dialogue between attendees, to share their own experiences and challenges from their home institutions.

This session is targeted at those working within Careers departments at INU institutions, as well as academic staff and support staff with a commitment to bridging the gaps in student outcomes.

Speakers

Richard Bowden , Graduate Development Programmes Manager, De Montfort University (UK)

Thekla Lange, Career Center, European University Viadrina (Germany)

Sylvana Janisch, Career Center, European University Viadrina (Germany)

Kate Bergey , Career Advisor, James Madison University (USA)

Chandra Lane, Associate Director for Outreach and Engagement , James Madison University (USA)

Zion Sengulay , Careers & Employability Advisor, Kingston University (UK)

Questions

For any questions, please contact the International Network of Universities Coordinator on: inu@kingston.ac.uk

This session will be attended by faculty and staff from the 10 member universities of the International Network of Universities:

- De Montfort University, UK

- European University Viadrina, Germany

- Hiroshima University, Japan

- James Madison University, USA

- Kingston University, UK

- Malmö University, Sweden

- Parahyangan Catholic University, Indonesia

- Rovira i Virgili University, Spain

- Stellenbosch University, South Africa

- Universidad Nacional del Litoral, Argentina

The link to join the session will be sent out to registrants a week prior to the event.

Exploring diversity, equity, & inclusion initiatives within career services