How can we support you

Breaking down barriers

There are many barriers to progressing into graduate level employment.

These can include a lack of professional networks, social capital to gain quality work experience or family commitments. All of these may have a negative impact on your time to plan your career.

There may be limited ‘just like me’ role models for inspiration and a sense of direction. There may even be barriers in recruitment and selection practices, which can lead to negative perceptions of yourself.

This project is about re-addressing the imbalance and creating a level playing field, enabling those who seek local employment to gain the personal support they need in terms of thinking about, planning and reaching their career goals.

Graduates should not have to move to London to get good jobs. It is essential that those who stay in their home towns and cities can enter high-skilled work and are not locked out of the graduate labour market.

Nicola Whitmont Dandridge CBE Chief Executive of Office for Students

54%

of young people in the region say that the job they want is available in the place they

27%

say that they can’t see the job they want in the future in the West Midlands

19%

are unsure of what job they’d like

*Young People in the West Midlands: Covid19 - it's impact on Young people, Communities and Careers (Beatfreeks and BMet report)

How does it work?

The project works by giving students access to progression coaching, which has more of a 1-2-1 focus, looking at the individual's goals and creating an action plan to work towards.

As well as careers support, the project has other benefits such as funding, work experience, events and mentoring that students can benefit from.

What does it aim to achieve?

Work-ready, local graduates learning skills which fit local industry needs
Creation of new diverse talent pipeline sought by employers to help diversify their workforce, igniting new ideas and innovation to remain competitive and enter new markets
Transforming skills capabilities of local students and graduates to fill the region’s skills gaps
Transforming employment outcomes of local students living in the West Midlands
Transforming how careers services work with under-represented groups and the way employers recruit and run recruitment practices

Am I eligible for support?

We work with final year undergraduate students and alumni of BA and BSc degrees in the graduation years of 2019 – 2022, who are either currently in part-time work, seeking a graduate level job or unemployed.

We also work closely with employers, supporting organisations and other stakeholders to build a stronger local eco-system of support.

"The feedback I received from hired@UCB pushed me to the limit at times, which motivated me to work even harder to achieve a positive outcome. By going over feedback with Daniella, my progression coach, she was able to identify areas that I needed to work on more. Focusing on these areas enabled me to develop my weaknesses and turn them into strengths."

Jai Mistry 2021 University College Birmingham BA (Hons) Sports Therapy graduate who progressed onto MSc Physiotherapy at University of Birmingham

Discover more

1-2-1 Progression Coaching

Coaching can help you realise and appreciate your strengths, to unlock your potential and inner motivation.

Reverse mentoring

By becoming a reverse mentor, you have the power to influence and shape the recruitment strategies and actions of businesses and employers.

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.

Helping you find success after university

Transformation West Midlands is all about giving local and regional students and graduates every chance possible to gain higher skilled employment.

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.

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…