Helping motivate students from the classroom into a career has seen De Montfort University, Leicester (DMU) ranked as one of the top universities in the country for its employability initiatives.
The inaugural University and Educator Awards by leading job simulation platform Forage, recognise the UK education institutions leading the way to find innovative ways to set their students up for success in the workplace.
Analysing over 100 universities, Forage awarded DMU a place in the top 20 in the inaugural list for its dedication and investment into the future of its students, by ensuring all students have the opportunity to gain valuable employability skills alongside their studies; including guaranteed work experience opportunities.
Talking about the university’s success, DMU's Head of Careers and Graduate Success, Richard Bowden, said: “This recognition is further validation of the outstanding work that has been put in to developing the institution’s approach to careers support and provision over the past few years.
“It not only reflects the amazing work and dedication of colleagues in our service, but also the way that the whole university and our employer partners have embraced a collaborative approach to supporting our students.”
He added: “The opening of our new Careers Hub, a dedicated space for our students to access careers related support, takes place in early March 2023.
“This is another example of the commitment the university is making to its students so that they are confident, prepared and equipped with the skills they need to successfully progress in their professional lives after they graduate.”
The university’s Career Team, was named Best University Careers/Employability Service at the 2021 National Undergraduate Employability (NUE) Awards.
In this new ranking, Forage further commended the Careers Team for its commitment towards tailored career support, enhancing employability skills, application support and guaranteed work experience opportunities with well-known organisations.
The university also stood out above the others for its Employability Mentoring scheme, giving students the opportunity to work with industry professionals, providing an insight into potential career paths and helping them to fulfil their aspirations for employment.
The awards were scored and then ranked by Forage based on three key areas within work-based learning opportunities, including; student engagement, faculty involvement and early participation- in which DMU scored highly in all three categories.
Henry McCarron, Forages UK Education Partnerships Manager said, “We are thrilled to see high-quality work-based learning being delivered at scale.
“What separates the leading education institutions is that they’re in touch with the needs of students. Top institutions recognise that work-based learning must be core to the student experience, closely aligned with a student’s academic experience.”
Posted on Tuesday 7 February 2023