Careerwise

CAREERWISE

Careerwise is a ground breaking annual work placement promotion gateway targeted at women studying STEM subjects at Scottish Universities and Colleges.

We promote placements that are designed, delivered and paid for by STEM employers. Employers are invited to advertise their STEM opportunities via Careerwise free of charge. Each advert will contain a link back to the employer’s website so applicants can apply direct to the organisation, meaning the employer has complete control over the application system.

Only opportunities aimed at under graduate level, 1^st to 4^th year students and HNC/HND level college students are promoted by the gateway. The placements advertised should be between 8-12 weeks and 6 months long, in industry or academia, that take place between June and August each year.

These placements are not job opportunities or access to future permanent jobs. We specifically promote these opportunities to women as they are significantly under-represented and disadvantaged in STEM fields and roles across Scotland. The opportunity to explore the particular type of role they are considering, enables women to make an informed decision as to whether to continue a career in STEM.

Additionally, the high quality work placements enable students to develop both the technical and soft skills desired by recruiting employers such as self-management, organisational and communication skills.

Careerwise also specifically supports women to apply for placements via CV and Interview workshops. However, opportunities advertised via the Careerwise gateway can be applied for, or discussed further, directly with the employer (or on other placement advertising websites) by any student who is interested.

Careerwise works with industry and academia to help increase the participation of women in STEM fields. The main objectives of Careerwise are to:

Improve access to STEM industry for women
Increase women’s awareness of STEM occupations as viable career options.
Increase women’s employability skills in preparation for future entry for actual STEM employment.
Support STEM employers to take positive action to increase opportunities for women considering STEM careers
Support Universities to take positive action to increase opportunities for girls and young women considering STEM further education

Students

Benefits

In today’s competitive job market, having a degree isn’t enough and gaining work experience and training related to your degree is so important for your future career success. A summer placement is the chance to apply the significant knowledge and skills you have gained during your studies in the real working environment. Employers are looking for applicants to have that added extra and work experience is a great way to get the added extra, ultimately making you stand out! It’s never too early to apply for a placement and the summer placements we advertise on behalf of employers are open to 1st-4th year under graduate students.

Access to high quality work placements can significantly impact on the career intentions of women undergraduates studying STEM subjects. Placements encourage women to enter STEM careers, develop their skills and build their self-confidence. Placements also provide an opportunity for women to establish new professional and support networks and gain experience of different organisational cultures and working methods.

One of the key aims of Careerwise is to improve women’s employability through the promotion of high quality placements that enable them to develop both the technical and soft skills desired by recruiting employers. The top 3 skills gained by Careerwise placementees are technical, effective communication/self-presentation and self-management/organisational skills. These are the top 3 skills reported by employers as lacking among job applicants

Outcomes

Through Careerwise, students have greater access to STEM industry opportunities, increased awareness of STEM occupations and increased employability skills in preparation for entry to STEM employment.

Careers Support

Careerwise is not just a placement promotion scheme. Careerwise will specifically support women to apply for placements via CV and Interview workshops ensuring students applications stand out to recruiting employers.

Women students who successfully obtain a placement (after an open recruitment process by the employer) will benefit from excellent careers advice to help safe guard their transition from education to a successful STEM career. Careerwise will invite successful placementees to our pre and post placement workshops.

The pre placement workshop provides students with various tools and techniques to make the most of their placement ensuring that they add value and maximise any training and learning opportunities whilst on placement. The post placement workshop explores the student’s future job search in line with their passions, values and strengths and enables students to capture and translate any new learning to their CV and at future job interviews.

Research shows that high quality placements combined with good careers advice and support, increase the likelihood of women applying successfully for STEM roles and staying in a STEM profession.

How to apply:

Each advert will outline what the application process will involve with each individual employer
Each advert will contain a link at the bottom of the page – hit apply and you will be directed to the employers website to make your application direct with the employer

Each employer will use their own recruitment and selection process. This may entail completing an online application, attaching a cover letter and CV, followed by a face to face interview. Or it may encompass a 4 stage internship applications process with various tests such as situational judgement, numeracy and logical reasoning test, video assessment with competency based questions and if successful an invitation to an assessment centre.

Students who make two or three tailored applications are more successful at obtaining a placement, compared to those students who make numerous generic applications. It is vital that students tailor their CV and cover letter to the placement and employer they are applying to. Our CV and Interview workshops will equip students with the skills to make a stand out tailored application.

Download our student resource containing useful information on what you should include in your cover letter and CV.

Applications Timeline

Round 1 is now closed.

Round 2 of applications opens on 10th February 2020 and will close on 30th April 2020.

Employers will aim to make all placement offers to the successful students by end of April 2020.

Employers

The business case

The case for increasing the participation of women in STEM is clear and simple – we have a STEM skills shortage, an ageing workforce and a generational gap. Women represent an untapped talent pool that employers can target to help plug the skills gap. For Scotland to be the best that it can be and remain globally competitive, we need to harness all our available talent in STEM fields to ensure future economic success.

Employer’s report that talent with STEM skills is becoming harder to recruit, work placements are therefore essential for building the early career talent pipeline. By advertising your opportunities with Careerwise you will attract applications from women STEM students with a diverse range of skills and experiences.

In addition, diversity is good for business! Research makes it increasingly clear that gender diverse companies are more successful and 15% more likely to financially outperform companies that are not. Companies that are gender diverse understand their customer’s needs and expectations better, they make better decisions, and design better products and services. Gender diverse companies benefit from greater employee satisfaction, which enables them to attract top talent; A diverse workforce is a source of competitive advantage and a key enabler of growth.

Benefits:

Access to a work placement promotion gateway that enables employers to specifically target women STEM students
Benefit from an enhanced company profile among women STEM students and their associated learning institutions
Be recognised as a progressive employer and become an employer of choice for women in STEM
PR opportunities to connect and engage women STEM students at various Equate Scotland student focused events

What employers get:

Free advertisement of your STEM work placement opportunity on our CareerHub, which normally costs £200 + VAT per advert
Review of your placement specification for any gendered language and suggestions on how to improve language
Full suite of promotion activities carried out on your behalf to all Scottish Universities and Colleges
Support provided by Careerwise to your student placementee whilst on placement ensuring they make a significant contribution to your organisation
Invitation to attend a Careerwise employer workshop ‘Hosting Student Work Placements’ to ensure the employer maximises business benefits of hosting student placements

How to participate

Any employer who offers student STEM summer placements can participate. Advertising placement opportunities via Careerwise is light touch and high impact for employers. It’s a simple 3 step process:

Step 1

Employers identify a training/work placement opportunity, which genuinely provides students with the opportunity to develop and acquire the professional skills and experience relevant to the students chosen career.

Employers considering hosting student work placements can download our resource for employers ‘A Guide to Hosting Internships’.

Step 2

Employers provide a placement advert and description for posting with a direct link for students to apply via your own website/other portal – it’s that easy!

We will read over your advert to ensure it meets Careerwise criteria e.g under graduate level and, we check for any gendered language. We then place the advert on our CareerHub and carryout lots of promotion on your behalf to encourage women STEM students to apply.

Step 3

Employers must place the same advert on their own website/other portal to enable anyone to apply. Employers carry out their own open and fair recruitment and selection process, whatever that may entail. It is entirely the employer’s own choice who they award their placement to.

Should a women be successful in obtaining a work placement with your organisation, we ask (with their permission) that you forward their details to Careerwise to allow the students to access the additional careers support and guidance provided by Careerwise and the Equate Student Network.

Employer Fees

There is no fee other than the placement student salary that the employer pays. Careerwise will only advertise work placements that are paid. We recommend that employers pay at least the real living wage.

To discuss advertising your placement opportunity via the Careerwise gateway please contact Joanna Glenfield, Project Officer – Careerwise on 0131 455 2267 or email .

Case Studies

Atkins
Atkins uses Careerwise to identify engineers of the future
Computer Application Services
Placements improve our profile on campus
NovaBiotics Ltd
Student helps leading Bio-Tech company develop quorum sensing assays
Technip UK Ltd
Engineering is much more than maths
URS Infrastructure and Environment UK Ltd
Site visit to Pulpit Rock gives student insight into significant engineering challenges
Edinburgh Napier University, Faculty of Health, Life and Social Sciences
Students get a taste for research work
AeCom
Placements allow us to promote our business to students
CH2M Hill
Placements allow us to pre-assess student potential
Kaiam Europe Ltd
Students make significant progress to strategic projects
Mid Lothian Council Commercial Operations
Council attracts women to construction
EDF Energy
New talent injects new energy
IES
Integrating more women to expand the talent of our workforce
Mercury Engineering
Students power up for a career in construction

Resources

Induction Check List
Employers Induction Check List
Top 10 Tips
Top 10 tips whilst on your placement
Top Ten Reasons
Top ten reasons why employers take on summer placement students

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