Future space hosts London's first virtual careers insight event
Loughborough University London's Future Space team recently held their biggest ever career event to date.
On Thursday 18 March 2021, the Future Space team delivered a three-and-a-half-hour event consisting of 12 sessions for current students, alumni and prospective students. Almost 30 speakers were involved from companies such as Facebook, Google, KPMG, Accenture and BT Sport. Of those 30 speakers, 18 were recent Loughborough University graduates with 12 having graduated from Loughborough University London in the last 5 years.
Industry professionals provided predictions of the post-pandemic future and quantitative research around how to effectively recognise and utilise new growth cycles. Alongside this the team offered a variety of skill sessions focusing on improving attendees employability and career prospects. With an array of highly knowledgeable industry experts offering intuitive insights, the event provided practical advice that can be immediately utilised by our students and graduates at any stage of their career journey.
The event began with an opening keynote from Andrew Roughan, Managing Director at Plexal. Andrew highlighted the innovation methodologies and co-working ecosystem Plexal is built from and the post pandemic future for how we work. Andrew’s talk focused on how historically, major global events such as a pandemic can have positive long-term implications on our future. Andrew concluded that the pandemic has accelerated the way we work and could be a staple for change in terms of a hybrid future built on mutual trust, improved cyber security and polycentricity.
Ben Cole, Head of Strategic Projects and Future Space said “Connecting our students to the world of work has always been central to the mission of Loughborough University London. As we emerge from the global pandemic, we want to ensure our students are ready and prepared to make the most of the opportunities this presents. Events like our Future Space Career Insights Event are so important in providing a connection between study and work.”
The next sessions featured some our Loughborough University London alumni who have secured roles with major firms such as Accenture, Watford FC and the House of Commons. They discussed the importance of networking and attending networking events and explained how they originally discovered their roles at these major companies through vast networking. They offered students an insight of what they can expect during application processes and what skills are desirable and imperative to employers. Insight is offered on how skills can be honed to an agile state and the importance of that in a now hybrid working world. The alumni talk us through their individual experiences of securing graduate jobs. Simultaneously alongside this session, Dr Jessica Noske- Turner, Senior Lecturer at Loughborough University London, hosted a panel of PhD’s from Google, Capital One, Mercer and Formula E who openly discussed how they have effectivity implicated their doctorate within their roles and offering industry advice for those interested in internships and research opportunities.
The second cluster of sessions kicked off with Loughborough University London’s next-door neighbours, BT Sports. Ben Cole hosted this session joined by BT Sport employees: JT (Creative Team), Charlie (Commercial Team) and Andrew (Digital Team). The BT Sport employees offered an insight into their roles and what they consist of. Chris Knight, who is the Internal Communications Manager at BT Sport also joined the session to provide an overview of his role and duties and took attendees behind the scenes at the BT Sports studios for a full virtual tour. Simultaneously, Professor Graham Hitchen, Senior Enterprise Fellow at Loughborough University London compiled an Alumni Panel to discuss creativity and communication with creative industry professionals from the Wellcome Trust and Rise to name a few. The skill session in this segment was presented by Miguel Garcia, who talks through the importance of effectively utilising LinkedIn and offered practical procedures for maximising networking opportunities through the portal.
The final sessions featured an insight to working at Facebook with Stephanie Cunningham (Industry Marketing Manager at Facebook) as she offers candid advice about the practicalities of work and the company culture. The skill section in this segment is held by Dr Ruth Cherrington, an experienced cultural studies researcher, writer and presenter who has worked as a lecturer and training consultant across Eastern/Central Europe and Central Asia. The skill section focused on enhancing your personal brands and tips on how to effectively do so. The final segment in these sessions was hosted by Learning Partnerships Manager, Ashley Gray, who divulged into how to effectively use Collaborate to boost your career opportunities. Alumni guests provide examples of how Collaborate has enabled them to network with industry giants such as the BBC, Multi-Ball and Forresters and how the importance collaborations have impacted the opportunities of their future.
Ben Cole, Head of Strategic Projects and Future Space, wrapped up the event with an exclusive networking opportunity for those who had attended. This event offered comprehensive advice, with real life journeys, expert industry advice, forward thinking ideas and predictions. At Loughborough University London we recognise that choosing the right career path needs a lot of exploring, thinking and exposure to make the right choice. Our location at Here East combines innovation, academia, business and government all in one community striving for social impact, innovation and growth perfectly positioning our campus to utilise effective collaboration and exciting, new opportunities for our student community.
The event sessions remain open for current students to view on the Future Space LEARN pages.
To find out more about future events and activities, please see our events page.
To find out more about the Future Space team, please see our Future Space pages.