Students urged to consider the invisible career option

New Prospects guide highlights Careers in Higher Education

Final year students and graduates who love the higher education environment could try looking closer to home when considering their career options, according to a new guide to careers in the sector.

With HE crying out for recruits in both support services and academia, CSU, the higher education Careers Services Unit, and Jobs.ac.uk have joined forces to produce Prospects Careers in Higher Education, a new publication providing information and advice for prospective employees.

The publication was devised in response to the findings of the Universities and Colleges Employers Association (UCEA) research last year which clearly highlighted the recruitment and retention difficulties faced by the higher education sector.

CSU chief executive Mike Hill explains:

ìThe report identified this as a situation which has worsened since 1998 and which will intensify given the Governmentís plans to expand higher education. We feel that it is critical to raise the profile of the higher education sector as an employer to encourage more graduates to include it in their career search. At the moment it is possible that HE is an invisible career option to final year students and graduates.î

Prospects Careers in Higher Education includes information about career possibilities in the HE sector, covering both academic roles and the wide range of non-academic jobs which includes archivists, librarians, IT trainers, human resources, lawyers, marketing, counselling and Careers Services professionals.

The foreword has been written by Charles Clarke, Secretary of State for Education & Skills, who tells students:

ìEven a major multinational company would be hard-pressed to offer the career opportunities found within a university. When thinking about your future career, be creative. Working in higher education doesnít necessarily mean lecturing. Think laterally. Universities and colleges offer pretty much all of the employment opportunities of big business, but with the added benefits of an academic environment.î

Editorial content from the publication is accessible on Prospects.ac.uk, while the hard copies are being distributed via Careers Services.