At the Careers Service we work in partnership with external organisations to bring a range of experiences to our students, and we like to think our brilliant students give a lot back too!
This year we have been working closely with Tutor the Nation, who have taken part in City Challenges and run mock interviews for our students as part of becoming an endorsing organisation for the Bristol PLUS Award.
City Challenges
Our City Challenges programme provides charities and social enterprises with the opportunity to collaborate with our talented students on real-life business challenges. Tutor the Nation wanted our students’ help to tackle how to grow their volunteer base using social media platforms.
Here’s how Sophia from Tutor the Nation thought it went:
“As a small organisation, we often find ourselves talking in circles as it can be difficult to gain an outside perspective on areas to improve upon, the presentations put together by the participants of City Challenges have been incredibly beneficial for us. Not only have they pointed out areas in which we are currently lacking, but they provided succinct, easy-to-implement solutions. Our team is very excited to use the feedback we received from the session in our social media moving forward.
Overall, City Challenges was a fantastic experience that I would recommend to any organisation seeking to gain an outside perspective on an issue they are trying to tackle. The student participants are incredibly creative and professional, showcasing skills that will undoubtedly be of use in their future careers. A few of the participants have even gone on to volunteer with us since the session!”
Students who attended said they had fun working with their team and learning about the organisation. They also felt they had the chance to work with people from different backgrounds and develop their skills in teamwork and ideas generation.
Mock Interviews
Tutor the Nation work closely in partnership with the Bristol PLUS Award team to help students develop and hone their skills through bespoke employer-led events. Anna Morris from Tutor the Nation recently held a series of mock interviews with students interested in the charity sector. This was an invaluable opportunity for students to gain insight into what interviewing for a charity, or third sector role is like, where the current team is small and tight knit.
“It was great to meet Bristol students and help them to practice their interviewing skills. They drew on a wide range of experiences and skillsets developed from both their courses and other experiences. It is fantastic to see both students and the Bristol Plus award prioritising employability skills and giving students the opportunity to practice these in a real-world context. The interviews were brilliantly organised by the Bristol PLUS team and I was provided with a great amount of guidance in terms of what to expect.” – Anna Morris, Growth and Fundraising Executive, Tutor the Nation
Get involved
Students
Find out how to get involved with City Challenges and the Bristol PLUS Award to stand out to employers. Sign-up to help Sparks Bristol on our next City Challenge event taking place 8 May.
Organisations
Find more information about City Challenges, Bristol PLUS, and other ways to get involved on the Careers Service website.