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Reading's student careers programme wins top award – University of Reading

The Career Management Skills programme at The University of Reading – which is designed to help students improve their chances of getting a graduate job after they finish university – has won the prestigious Enhancing Higher Education Student Employability Award. The award, sponsored by the Enhancing Student Employability Co-ordination Team (ESECT) and The Independent newspaper, was given to the University in recognition of its groundbreaking CMS programme, which combines lectures and online work. After just five years, the CMS programme has established itself as the leading product of its type, and it is now widely used in HE institutions in the UK and abroad. In announcing their decision the judges stated: "This programme is inspiring and exemplary for its comprehensive impact across the institution, its collaboration between academic and careers staff and its involvement of employers." CMS is delivered jointly by academic and careers staff, often with employer input, to a cohort of 2,500 undergraduate students. Departmental CMS co-ordinators work closely with careers staff to ensure that CMS is tailored to each discipline, with support from the Disability Officer, Job Shop and Work Experience staff. The development of CMS was influenced by employers, academics and students. Student evaluation has proved crucial in ensuring that CMS website is student friendly and accessible, and positive feedback indicates that the programme genuinely stimulates career thinking. The programme, which is a taught and assessed component in all undergraduate degree programmes, enables students to see all the options linked to their degree discipline, consider what sort of careers they want, audit and develop their skills, plus know how to apply effectively for jobs, as well as post-graduate opportunities. Carey Widdows, Acting Director of the University's Careers Advisory Service, welcomed the announcement of Reading's success. "To receive this recognition is extremely important for the University. It demonstrates to prospective students that The University of Reading is able to combine excellent teaching and learning with quality provision for the support and development of future career plans." Anyone wishing to find out more about the CMS programme should contact: Richard Connolly, Careers Education Manager Blandford Lodge, Whiteknights, Reading, RG6 6AH Tel: 0118 378 6960 Email: r.h.connolly@reading.ac.uk End Notes for editors -The ESECT Enhancing Higher Education Student Employability Award was presented on Thursday 27 January at the Enhancing Student Employability conference taking place at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Birmingham. For more information, visit the website: http://www.qualityresearchinternational.com/ese/index.htm -ESECT, which is funded by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), was established in 2002 to promote the Employability agenda within the HE sector. ESECT is due to close in February 2005, when its essential work will be taken up by the HE Academy. For more details, see: http://www.heacademy.ac.uk -For media enquiries only, please contact Craig Hillsley, the University of Reading's press officer. Tel: 0118 378 7388 Email: c.hillsley@rdg.ac.uk