25th March 2011
Sheffield universities lay groundwork for graduate employment
An exceptional partnership between the University of Sheffield and Sheffield Hallam University is ensuring that the students of Sheffield have the best chance of gaining meaningful employment after graduating.
The Sheffield Universities Recruitment Fairs (SURF) is a collaboration between the careers and employment services of both universities. SURF work on joint recruitment fairs and aim to offer employers and students the best recruitment prospects. Their joint Spring into Jobs Fair (Wednesday 30 March 2011) will be an opportunity for employers and students to take advantage of the work of SURF.
Michelle Dexter, SURF Manager, commented: “Working with both universities means that we can offer employers a wide range of graduate talent from across all kinds of subject areas and training. From the students’ perspective, our partnership enables us to attract the best employers, representing a broad variety of career options and potential future jobs.”
The Spring into Jobs fair consistently attracts prestigious national graduate employers such as Arcadia Group, IBM UK and Cummins Ltd who regularly recruit graduates from both universities. This year the fair is also welcoming top local employers such as Firth Rixson Limited, Greencore Prepared Meals, PHD and Ideasbynet.
Groundwork is an example of an employer who has benefited from the universities’ partnership in Sheffield. Groundwork is a national charity funded in part by the Department of Communities and Local Government. Their Dearne Valley office has been involved with SURF to recruit students as volunteers from both universities. Sheffield Hallam University students from a range of courses have been recruited to work on Groundwork’s community projects, whilst students from the University of Sheffield’s Department of Landscape Architecture have been given the opportunity to work as Landscape Architects for the charity.
The charity runs schemes throughout the year, recruiting students to volunteer for community projects that help to build their skills and strengthen their CV. Claire Shaw, Funding Co-ordinator at Groundwork Dearne Valley commented: "We are very impressed with the number of students who have shown an interest in Groundwork and the volunteering roles we have. Volunteering is the perfect opportunity for students to develop their skills and gain experience and we look forward to working closely with Sheffield universities in the future."
Steve Fish, Director of the University of Sheffield’s Careers Service, said: “Our ongoing partnership with Sheffield Hallam University is invaluable to students and employers, on a local and national scale. This partnership of two universities working together to ensure a bright future for the students of both is, as far as we know, only paralleled by the University of Liverpool and Liverpool John Moores University in the UK.
“We are proud that employers like Groundwork continue to benefit from both our careers services and graduates. The Spring into Jobs Fair will showcase the great work of SURF and give employers, students and graduates an opportunity to achieve their ambitions together.”