OXFORD

GAINING EXPERIENCE + DEVELOPING SKILLS
EMPLOYABILITY PROGRAMMES
The Careers Service and Oxford University Student Union run several
programmes to help students develop and practise key employability skills.
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THE STUDENT CONSULTANCY
The Careers Service runs The Student Consultancy (TSC)
every term. It is designed to help Oxford University students
develop core employability skills, with selections in 0 th week
and consultancy training in 1 st week. Students then work in a
team through the rest of term on a strategic issue or business
problem for a client organisation, with project completion
targeted for 8 th week.
The TSC is a rich learning experience relevant to everyone, not
just those interested in a consulting career. No matter what
not least because TSC will provide a valuable source of
experiences for you to provide evidence of your skills and
impact in applications and interviews (see pp.53-55).
joining TSC. Students from all degrees and years are welcome
to participate, and TSC projects this year are likely to span:
] Work on projects across many functions, including market
research, promotion and publicity, website design and
international expansion.
] Work for clients drawn from a broad range of sectors,
including Arts & Heritage, Charities & Social Enterprise,
Retail & Sales, and Computing.
] Offering advice to organisations of all sizes (large, small
previous years shows: the Bodleian Library, Centrica, IBM,
Modern Art Oxford, Oxfam, Oxford City Council, OxFizz,
the Playhouse Theatre … and many, many more.
MORE INFORMATION
www.careers.ox.ac.uk/tsc
THE SPRINGBOARD PROGRAMME
Springboard is based on an award-winning programme for
female professionals, which was adapted for Oxford students
by The Careers Service and the Springboard Consultancy.
“Made me feel incredibly positive about getting a job,
my studies and the future in general, especially in areas
which I previously felt anxious about”
Undergraduate, Michaelmas Term 2015
Run in 9th week of Michaelmas and Hilary Terms, the
programme consists of workshops that help women take more
control over their own lives. You’ll be helped to identify the
clear, practical and realistic steps that you want to take – in an
extraordinarily wide range of situations – and develop the skills
are less likely than men to take this structured approach.
“I think the best thing about Springboard is the way in
which it is entirely unexpected – you enter with a vague
preconception of what you expect it to be, or hope you
will gain, and you leave with so much more than you
realised.”
Masters student, Michaelmas Term 2015
The format is tried and tested and has an impeccable track
record. Springboard is sponsored by Blackstone, Improbable,
Oliver Wyman, RBS Group, and Shell.
“Springboard has made me realise the importance
of ME and how much I had overlooked my personal
wellbeing. Thank you Springboard for opening my
eyes.”
Masters student, Michaelmas Term 2015
MORE INFORMATION
www.careers.ox.ac.uk/springboard
Shirley Halse
Lincoln College, English
Language and Literature, 2014
Marketing and Events
Manager, Brainlabs Digital
"I applied to the Springboard program in my final year
at Oxford, mostly because I was panicking about my
seemingly career-less future. It was a great decision
even though I was anxious not to have a ‘corporate’
career in finance or management consultancy. At the
time it helped me to think about what exactly it might
be that I would enjoy doing. Plus I met some fantastic
women whose different experiences gave me plenty of
new ideas about what I could do with my life - as well
as what I could do about current relationships.
Thanks to the program, I’ve continued to have more
confidence in myself and been aware of the ways I
might be holding myself back in the workplace. Women
are less likely to speak up, or put themselves up for
promotion for example. Plus I keep coming across these
fab women in my cohort. Two have just been hired at
Brainlabs - where I currently work - which I think speaks
volumes about the pro-activeness of those who choose
to participate in the program."
www.careers.ox.ac.uk 33