What are employability skills? Why are they important?
It is important to get employability skills before you graduate. Employers want more than a degree and employability skills can make your application stand out from the crowd!
Employability skills are soft skills that employers say are essential for the workplace. These are transferable skills that you develop over time and you take with you as your career develops. These skills can be gained through part-time work experience and volunteering that fits around your studies.
Training for UCL students
There are various courses you can view here at E-Learning: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/isd/linkedin-learning
UCL deliver free, academically focused IT training to all students at UCL. Student Courses and Materials: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/isd/services/learning-teaching/digital-skills/courses-materials/student-courses-training-materials
UCL Careers assists students looking for full-time employment/internships. They offer workshops to students on employability - https://www.ucl.ac.uk/careers/about/events/skills
Volunteering
Stand out from the crowd! Employers are looking for candidates who show commitment, passion and maturity. Volunteering makes you more employable – it gets you out in the community and helps you build the skills you’ll need for the busy world of work.
Our Volunteering Service is here to help you connect with London’s charities and not-for-profit organisations. With over 500 live vacancies, you’re bound to find the volunteering that works for you – whether you’re short on time, or are looking for that longer-term commitment.
They can even help you set up and run your own community project, providing project management training, one-to-one support and funding.
But don’t just take it from us! Take a look at what current volunteers say about how volunteering has helped them.
Skills Development
At the Students’ Union, we are here to empower you and provide you with the skills you need for your personal and professional development.
We arrange bespoke skills sessions run by professional trainers, designed to help you gain new skills and enhance your existing skills. Are you a club or society officer, a student representative or community volunteer? Our skills sessions are designed to enable you to excel in your roles, as well as develop the key skills needed by graduates entering employment.
Through consultation with UCL Careers and employers from a broad range of sectors, we have developed a series of skills sessions focusing on a broad range of skills needed in graduate employment and Students’ Union volunteer roles. Our skills sessions will cover topics such as:
Problem Solving
Leadership
Effective communication
Project management
Using social media
Public speaking
Driving change
Motivating volunteers
Negotiation and persuasion
Conflict management
Teamwork
Analytical and critical thinking
Adaptability
Creativity
Resilience and motivation
Decision making and judgement
Check out our skills sessions here:
http://studentsunionucl.org/skills-sessions