St Mary’s University College caters for 900 students studying for Bachelor and Masters’ degrees as well as other post-graduate awards. It specialises in the BEd, BA (Liberal Arts) and MEd pathways.
The business issue
With over 200 teaching and support staff, the university is a sizable employer in its own right, so whilst its core remit is to prepare students for the world of work, it also wants to attract the best people to work in the College.
What St Mary’s did
St Mary’s offered local schools a unique opportunity to visit the campus and get an insight into the inner workings of the College. The event was designed to show post-primary pupils the different jobs that are essential for the operation of the university and get them thinking about the breadth of careers within any large organisation.
Over 40 students from five local schools participated in the event on 12 February 2013. The day was interesting and informative for students who got a flavour of the different skills and duties involved in a range of jobs, from finance and HR to administration. Pupils participated in group tasks in a number of the areas to demonstrate the types of skills that are needed as well as getting a tour of the College.
Impacts
- Over 40 students from five local schools participated, hearing first-hand about careers they may not have previously considered
- 93% of the pupils surveyed felt the Work Inspiration was a useful experience for them
Testimonial
“We enjoyed working with Business in the Community to demonstrate to the young people how our organisation operates and we hopefully inspired a number of those present to look to us in the future for career opportunities.”
Professor Peter B Finn, Principal, St Mary’s University College