MY COMMUNITY,
MY CAREER
TRANSFORMATION WEST MIDLANDS
Helping homegrown students find success after university
There really is no place like home and Transformation West Midlands is all about giving local and regional students and graduates every chance possible to gain higher skilled employment.
The joint project with University of Birmingham and Newman University is also about building a diverse graduate talent pipeline for West Midlands employers, a key target in closing the regional skills gap.
Through progression coaching with a designated member of our experienced hired@UCB careers, placements and employability team, we have already helped countless local graduates seeking work close to home, by choice or by circumstance.
As well as receiving coaching, you can also get involved in reverse mentoring, giving you the opportunity to shape how businesses and organisations operate in their recruitment processes, giving you invaluable experience. We can also provide financial support, if money is stopping you moving forward.
Find out about how we are breaking down barriers and see if we can help you.
Contact
Daniella Barnicle
Progression coach
Email: d.barnicle@ucb.ac.uk
Tel: 0121 232 4329
- hired@UCB, Ground Floor, Moss House, Holland Street, B3 1JJ
Strength in numbers
- 17% of students - employed through our service
- 31% of students - successfully supported to progress into postgraduate education
- 76% of students - increased in career confidence after progression coaching
- 74% of students - increased in knowledge for finding a job
1-2-1 progression coaching
A progression coach is slightly different to a careers adviser in that the emphasis is not solely on offering careers advice, but more helping you look deeper into yourself, collaborating together to create ideas and set goals, moving you forward.
Coaching can help you realise and appreciate your strengths, to unlock your potential and inner motivation - giving you greater confidence to move forward and achieve your goals.
Progression coaching has been great as I can build a good relationship with my students and really get to know them. This has increased the amount of tailored support I can give and it also allows more time to explore options with students, creating a detailed action plan.
Reverse mentoring
By becoming a reverse mentor, you have the power to influence and shape the recruitment strategies and actions of businesses and employers – ensuring they have the most diverse workplace for students and graduates like you.
Working with senior staff within an organisation, you also get to build up key transferable soft skills such as leadership, communication and diplomacy, giving you more potential to secure a role in a sector you aspire to join.
"I’m glad I reached out for advice and support from my Progression Coach. She helped me make my CV relevant to each job and went out of her way to find roles I specifically asked for. She also introduced me to development courses such as the Bright Network’s business, management and operations course, which helped me secure my graduate role."
Workshops and events
Transforming the capabilities of local students and graduates to build soft and hard skills and fill the region’s skills gaps, we also provide support in the form of work-readiness workshops, online development and work-based learning.
Workshops and events you can tap into include Get into Teaching and the Future Faces panel.
Additionally to this, fortnightly Mailjets listing full-time jobs, part-time jobs, events and other opportunities in the West Midlands are sent out to all coaches.
Financial support
All students who are eligible for coaching and have engaged in the Transformation West Midlands project, are eligible to apply for financial assistance to help support with the development of skills and progression to a graduate career.
Who funds the project?
Transformation West Midlands, made up of the careers networks of University College Birmingham, Newman University and University of Birmingham, is funded through a £500K grant from the Office for Students (OfS) and will run until September 2022.
The funding is designed to help locally-domiciled students and graduates, particularly from black and minority ethnic groups and students and graduates with disabilities, who may face wider challenges to securing graduate level employment. They may also be the first in their family to attend university.
Discover more
How can we support you
This project is about enabling those who seek local employment to gain the personal support they need in terms of thinking about, planning and reaching their career goa…
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1-2-1 Progression Coaching
Coaching can help you realise and appreciate your strengths, to unlock your potential and inner motivation.
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Reverse mentoring
By becoming a reverse mentor, you have the power to influence and shape the recruitment strategies and actions of businesses and employers.
Read more
Financial support
All students who are eligible for coaching and have engaged in the Transformation West Midlands project, are eligible to apply for financial assistance.
Read more
Health and wellbeing
We know good health and wellbeing are essential for you to enjoy your university experience and study effectively. Our dedicated team are here to help you.
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Learning support
Whatever help you need to succeed in your studies, our learning support teams are committed to giving all our students the advice, skills and practical tools to discover your…
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