In November, the Careers Service hosted speakers from a variety of environmental career paths who are each tackling the biggest sustainability issues we currently face using their own unique skills and experiences.
Meet the panellists:
Ann Cousins, Associate, Resilience and Climate Change Advisory, ARUP
Ann is the lead in the resilience, energy and climate change advisory team at Arup which is a sustainability consultancy firm. The team is multidisciplinary including engineers, psychologists, and lawyers. Ann started as a receptionist with Arup after graduating with a French and Italian degree at the University of Bristol and worked her way up to their leading consultancy role.
Recently, Ann also assisted in setting up the Bristol One City environmental plan.
Pierce Griffith, Principal Economist (Chemical), the Environment Agency
Hi, my name is Harry and I am a final year Management with Innovation student at the University of Bristol. This course is a four-year integrated master’s degree, combining specialist core disciplines such as Management, Economics, Physics and many others, with Innovation, to tackle the growing needs of the 21st Century.
Over the summer, I had the wonderful opportunity to join INVISTA, a global manufacturer of fibers, polymers and chemical intermediates, and a subsidiary of Koch Industries. I worked as a Business Operations Intern, joining the wider EU Supply Chain team.
I engaged with the Careers Service at the University of Bristol several times in my third year, when I was looking at, and applying for internships. The service provided me with resources to help my application stand out and signposted internships, including the INVISTA summer programme that I recently completed.
During this internship, I worked in the relatively new Centre of Excellence (COE) team. This formed part of the wider Enablement team, where the focus is very much on innovation. I found the opportunity to be a part of this team exciting, as it allowed me to use the theory I had learned in my course and apply it in the real world to improve efficiency within selected Supply Chain processes.
From a more tangible perspective, I got the chance to experiment and use tools new to me, such as ChatGPT to automate a process, and worked with developers to enhance a current system of capturing customer information. Through the culture of Principled-Based Management™, I also had the opportunity to ‘fail’, and take it as a learning opportunity for when things don’t go to plan – as they so often do. Therefore, this role provided an opportunity for both personal and professional growth.
Following the conclusion of my internship, INVISTA kindly offered me a full-time position as a Business Operations Specialist beginning in 2024, following my graduation. I will be joining the Customer Experience team, where I will be the focal point for my customers to ensure they get the very best service we can provide. I am really looking forward to beginning my career at INVISTA and furthering my knowledge in supply chains and the manufacturing industry.
Whilst studying, I found taking part in activities such as representing the University in tennis and being part of the innovation society, (firstly as Kit Secretary before moving on to Equality Director) will help me develop skills for working life, through teamwork, leadership, and people-skills.
I think one of the key skills to work in this industry would be the drive to continually keep learning. However, there are some skills which would be more obvious to increase your chances of getting into this sector, like teamwork, customer service skills, and experience using software such as Salesforce, SAP, and PowerBi.
I would also encourage you to want to keep learning more about whatever it is you are doing. For example, before my internship, I had very little knowledge of supply chains, business operations or the manufacturing industry, before my internship, but I was given a chance to learn because I showed the drive and commitment to constantly and quickly learn or adapt.
As you begin life after university, it’s important to recognise that your development doesn’t stop when you get your degree.
The concept of graduate capital emphasizes the key resources that empower you to successfully navigate the job market. These capitals go beyond academic development to include human, social, cultural, identity, and psychological aspects.
Graduates who can draw on these capitals feel more confident and can better present their value to employers. This blog post will explain each capital and explore practical ways to develop them as a graduate.
In October, we ran our “How to get in AI and tech panel” event, which was for anyone with a non-technical degree, looking to enter the tech industry.
From Experience Design Leads to Senior Account Technology Leads, our panel provided anecdotal tips on applying for and flourishing within tech companies. All without an extensive understanding of technical practices. Below are a few of the keynotes that were particularly emphasised:
1. Don’t worry about your lack of technical knowledge
Lacking a tech background when working in the industry is no barrier. Most non-technical roles will involve some jargon that may mean nothing to you – and that’s okay!
Our speakers recommend getting comfortable with not knowing and asking questions.
Earlier in November, Bristol Student Hub teamed up with the Careers Service to run our latest City Challenge.
27 student volunteers attended in order to work together and generate ideas which would help Bristol Student Hub reflect on their current methods of community engagement and recommend new ways to build sustainable communities within their network of alumni and volunteers.
Bristol Hub is part of a national network that includes student hubs in Southampton, Bristol, and Cambridge as well as individual projects that run at other institutions.
“There are plenty of opportunities available for students looking for STEM placements and jobs! This is a great chance to discover where your degree can take you.”
In October, Gradcracker’s Jessica Luck presented to Bristol students. Gradcracker is the UK’s career website for science, technology, engineering, and maths (STEM) students. The online event outlined how to use the Gradcracker website to search for placements and graduate jobs within the STEM industry.
Key features of the Gradcracker website:
The event highlighted some of the many features available on the Gradcracker website, here are some of the best ones:
I entered into the internship process in a bit of an unusual state; I’d withdrawn from my PGCE (History) course earlier the same year and was just coming out of that self-reflective headspace we all go through when we’ve made our latest “big choice”.
At the University of Bristol, we are proud to celebrate neurodiversity. We recognise the unique strengths and perspectives that neurodiverse students bring to our campus.
In this blog post, we explore the resources and events available to neurodiverse students. Find out how these have been put into practice, to empower you on your journey through university and help you plan your next steps.
Join us in celebrating neurodiversity and uncovering the opportunities that await!
