The Careers Group, University of London
Encyclopedia
The Careers Group, University of London is a division of the central University of London
notable for its long history and independent governance structure which answers to the University of London as a whole in the same way as the Senate House Libraries.They currently serve five groups, detailed below, and cite their mission as being "to help individuals achieve and maintain job satisfaction throughout their working lives".
of 14 June 1914. Their growing importance in the employment of University of London graduates was noted by Sanderson, M (1972).
Registration fell during the period of the First World War but continued to grow again steadily after the Board merged with The Commerce Degree Bureau of the University in 1922. Jointly they became the University of London Commerce Degree Bureau and Appointments Board, newly located in 46 Russell Square, Bloomsbury
. Registration topped the thousand mark for the first time, at 1,228, in 1927-28.
In 1936 the board enjoyed a brief spell at premises in the newly built Senate House
, only to be evacuated to Thornaugh Street, Bloomsbury, at the start of the Second World War to make way for the Ministry of Information. These temporary offices were very soon destroyed during the Blitz
in 1940. After the end of the war, the Board was once again stationed in Senate House, where registrations again began to climb towards 2,000, until it was given its own premises at 49 Gordon Square
in 1957 where huge organisational changes occurred.
The next major change occurred in July 1970 when the Senate of the University of London agreed that the name of the Appointments Board be changed to the University of London Careers Advisory Board and the services they provide be known as the University of London Careers Advisory Service or ULCAS. This also led to a further reorganisation of their structure into an integrated operations division which carried out the advisory work and a support services division which carried out all other functions. A further name change followed in 1994 when ULCAS was shortened to ULCS for convenience, but no major structural reorganization occurred.
In 2005, about a year after the re-branding exercise, The Careers Group moved to new purpose-built premises, having spent 48 years in Gordon Square. UCL Careers Service and SICS moved to the University of London Union Building whilst the Directorate, Central Services and C2 moved to Stewart House, Russell Square. The Chancellor, The Princess Royal
, visited the new premises as part of her tour of the newly-refurbished Stewart House.
in Russell Square
.
In addition, its constituent colleges operate their own on-site careers services at:
The Specialist Institutions’ Careers Service (SICS), located in the University of London Union
building serves the University's smaller specialist colleges, schools and institutes:
and The London School of Economics and Political Science operate their own independent careers services, due to their specialities and global acclaim.
Central Services consists of:
Communication Services and Vacancies
This department is responsible for the organisation, administration and promotion of a number of careers events including sector specific courses and conferences, sponsorship for these events and the production of publications and leaflets. It is also responsible for the development, production, sales and marketing of the products and services used to advertise employer jobs to students and graduates.
Consultancy and C2
Consultancy provides corporate clients with a broad range of career skills development and training programmes based on their individual needs. C2, The Graduate Careers Shop, provides a fee-paying advice, guidance and information service to graduates from any university, of all ages and at any stage in their careers. C2 was developed in partnership with Capital Careers, CfBT West London Careers, City University Careers Service, The London Institute Careers Service, Focus Central London Training and Enterprise Council and the DfES in 1998.
Events
Fairs
This department is responsible for the promotion and organisation of the portfolio of The Careers Group graduate recruitment and information fairs.
Conferences
This branch of the events department is responsible for designing and delivering the conferences. The conferences range from interactive forums to networking breakfasts and have a variety of target groups.
Graduate Research
This department is responsible for the collection, analysis and dissemination of statistical information for the careers service - especially all aspects of the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education (DLHE) survey and statistics of The Careers Group's users.
Information and Research
This department is responsible for the updating and maintenance of occupational careers information, videos and other areas such as working overseas, self-employment and voluntary work. It is also responsible for the selection and acquisition of reference books and periodicals. The department also manages content on the intranet and The Careers Group website.
Online Services
Online services is responsible for the maintenance and updating of all online services including the website, intranet and employer database for The Careers Group. They are not responsible for the content of these, however.
Sales
This department is responsible for developing, building and maintaining relationships with employers, identifying their graduate recruitment or admission needs and actively promoting and selling the most appropriate products and services from The Careers Group portfolio to meet their requirements.
There is also the Director’s Office, a Professional Development Unit, a Quality and College Services unit and several working groups.
University of London
-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
notable for its long history and independent governance structure which answers to the University of London as a whole in the same way as the Senate House Libraries.They currently serve five groups, detailed below, and cite their mission as being "to help individuals achieve and maintain job satisfaction throughout their working lives".
The Early Years
The organisation first came into existence in 1909 as the University of London Appointments Board when students and graduates paid five shillings to be registered. Within three years the first permanent full-time secretary, Dr Arthur Du Pre Denning, had been appointed, 307 students had been registered and 1,340 vacancies had been notified to graduates. With the appointment of the next secretary, Mr Henry James Crawford in 1910, these numbers continued to increase and the first advertisement of their services was placed in The TimesThe Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
of 14 June 1914. Their growing importance in the employment of University of London graduates was noted by Sanderson, M (1972).
Registration fell during the period of the First World War but continued to grow again steadily after the Board merged with The Commerce Degree Bureau of the University in 1922. Jointly they became the University of London Commerce Degree Bureau and Appointments Board, newly located in 46 Russell Square, Bloomsbury
Bloomsbury
-Places:* Bloomsbury is an area in central London.* Bloomsbury , related local government unit* Bloomsbury, New Jersey, New Jersey, USA* Bloomsbury , listed on the NRHP in Maryland...
. Registration topped the thousand mark for the first time, at 1,228, in 1927-28.
In 1936 the board enjoyed a brief spell at premises in the newly built Senate House
Senate House (University of London)
Senate House is the administrative centre of the University of London, situated in the heart of Bloomsbury, London between the School of Oriental and African Studies to the north, with the British Museum to the south...
, only to be evacuated to Thornaugh Street, Bloomsbury, at the start of the Second World War to make way for the Ministry of Information. These temporary offices were very soon destroyed during the Blitz
The Blitz
The Blitz was the sustained strategic bombing of Britain by Nazi Germany between 7 September 1940 and 10 May 1941, during the Second World War. The city of London was bombed by the Luftwaffe for 76 consecutive nights and many towns and cities across the country followed...
in 1940. After the end of the war, the Board was once again stationed in Senate House, where registrations again began to climb towards 2,000, until it was given its own premises at 49 Gordon Square
Gordon Square
Gordon Square is in Bloomsbury, in the London Borough of Camden, London, England . It was developed by Thomas Cubitt in the 1820s, as one of a pair with Tavistock Square, which is a block away and has the same dimensions...
in 1957 where huge organisational changes occurred.
Adapting to Change
Use of the Board’s services had grown by 15.5% and 34.7% in 1961 and 1962 respectively and a new way had to be found to cope with not only the huge increase in student numbers but also the geographical spread of the University’s colleges and institutes. This was solved by the introduction of Field Officers in 1964 who were members of the Board stationed in the colleges themselves and who were therefore easily accessible to users. By 1966 Field Officers were present in a total of seven colleges, with King’s College London being the first to request their presence.The next major change occurred in July 1970 when the Senate of the University of London agreed that the name of the Appointments Board be changed to the University of London Careers Advisory Board and the services they provide be known as the University of London Careers Advisory Service or ULCAS. This also led to a further reorganisation of their structure into an integrated operations division which carried out the advisory work and a support services division which carried out all other functions. A further name change followed in 1994 when ULCAS was shortened to ULCS for convenience, but no major structural reorganization occurred.
Rebranding
On June 30, 2004, the Council of the University agreed that ULCS could change its name to The Careers Group, University of London as this more accurately reflected the nature of the organisation. The name change was accompanied by the launch of a new brand image which was rolled out across all products and services. Some re-structuring took place including within the Commercial Division which led to a unified Events Team.In 2005, about a year after the re-branding exercise, The Careers Group moved to new purpose-built premises, having spent 48 years in Gordon Square. UCL Careers Service and SICS moved to the University of London Union Building whilst the Directorate, Central Services and C2 moved to Stewart House, Russell Square. The Chancellor, The Princess Royal
Anne, Princess Royal
Princess Anne, Princess Royal , is the only daughter of Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh...
, visited the new premises as part of her tour of the newly-refurbished Stewart House.
Location
The Careers Group has its central headquarters in Stewart House, adjacent to Senate HouseSenate House (University of London)
Senate House is the administrative centre of the University of London, situated in the heart of Bloomsbury, London between the School of Oriental and African Studies to the north, with the British Museum to the south...
in Russell Square
Russell Square
Russell Square is a large garden square in Bloomsbury, in the London Borough of Camden. It is near the University of London's main buildings and the British Museum. To the north is Woburn Place and to the south-east is Southampton Row...
.
In addition, its constituent colleges operate their own on-site careers services at:
- Goldsmiths, University of London
- King's College LondonKing's College LondonKing's College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the federal University of London. King's has a claim to being the third oldest university in England, having been founded by King George IV and the Duke of Wellington in 1829, and...
(also serving the Courtauld Institute of ArtCourtauld Institute of ArtThe Courtauld Institute of Art is a self-governing college of the University of London specialising in the study of the history of art. The Courtauld is one of the premier centres for the teaching of art history in the world; it was the only History of Art department in the UK to be awarded a top...
) - Queen Mary, University of LondonQueen Mary, University of LondonQueen Mary, University of London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the federal University of London...
- Royal Holloway, University of LondonRoyal Holloway, University of LondonRoyal Holloway, University of London is a constituent college of the University of London. The college has three faculties, 18 academic departments, and about 8,000 undergraduate and postgraduate students from over 130 different countries...
- The School of Oriental and African Studies
- University College LondonUniversity College LondonUniversity College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and the oldest and largest constituent college of the federal University of London...
located in the University of London Union building
The Specialist Institutions’ Careers Service (SICS), located in the University of London Union
University of London Union
The University of London Union is the university-wide students' union for the University of London...
building serves the University's smaller specialist colleges, schools and institutes:
- Birkbeck, University of LondonBirkbeck, University of LondonBirkbeck, University of London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the federal University of London. It offers many Master's and Bachelor's degree programmes that can be studied either part-time or full-time, though nearly all teaching is...
- The Central School of Speech and Drama
- Heythrop CollegeHeythrop CollegeHeythrop College is the specialist philosophy and theology constituent college of the University of London situated in Kensington Square, Kensington, London. It offers undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in philosophy, theology and psychology, as well as research in related fields.It was founded...
- The Institute of Cancer ResearchInstitute of Cancer ResearchThe Institute of Cancer Research is a cancer research institute located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the federal University of London. The ICR was founded in 1909 as a research department of the Royal Marsden Hospital and joined the University of London in 2003...
- Institute of EducationInstitute of EducationThe Institute of Education is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom specialised in postgraduate study and research in the field of education and a constituent college of the federal University of London. It is the largest education research body in the United Kingdom, with...
- London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
- Royal Academy of MusicRoyal Academy of MusicThe Royal Academy of Music in London, England, is a conservatoire, Britain's oldest degree-granting music school and a constituent college of the University of London since 1999. The Academy was founded by Lord Burghersh in 1822 with the help and ideas of the French harpist and composer Nicolas...
- The Royal Veterinary CollegeRoyal Veterinary CollegeThe Royal Veterinary College is a veterinary school located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the federal University of London. The RVC was founded in 1791 and joined the University of London in 1949...
- School of Pharmacy, University of London
- St. George's, University of London
- School of Advanced StudySchool of Advanced StudyThe School of Advanced Study, a postgraduate institution of the University of London, is the UK's national centre for the promotion and facilitation of research in the humanities and social sciences...
, University of London - University of London Institute in ParisUniversity of London Institute in ParisThe University of London Institute in Paris is a college of the University of London located in Paris. It is currently the only UK University Institute in Continental Europe.-History:...
- University Marine Biological Station, Millport
Non-affiliated colleges
Two of the University's constituent colleges (London Business SchoolLondon Business School
London Business School is an international business school and a constituent college of the federal University of London, located in central London, beside Regent's Park...
and The London School of Economics and Political Science operate their own independent careers services, due to their specialities and global acclaim.
Structure and Organisation
Each college careers service is managed by a head, usually a senior careers adviser, who negotiates with the college authorities to ensure the on-site service meets the needs of the college.Central Services consists of:
Communication Services and Vacancies
This department is responsible for the organisation, administration and promotion of a number of careers events including sector specific courses and conferences, sponsorship for these events and the production of publications and leaflets. It is also responsible for the development, production, sales and marketing of the products and services used to advertise employer jobs to students and graduates.
Consultancy and C2
Consultancy provides corporate clients with a broad range of career skills development and training programmes based on their individual needs. C2, The Graduate Careers Shop, provides a fee-paying advice, guidance and information service to graduates from any university, of all ages and at any stage in their careers. C2 was developed in partnership with Capital Careers, CfBT West London Careers, City University Careers Service, The London Institute Careers Service, Focus Central London Training and Enterprise Council and the DfES in 1998.
Events
Fairs
This department is responsible for the promotion and organisation of the portfolio of The Careers Group graduate recruitment and information fairs.
Conferences
This branch of the events department is responsible for designing and delivering the conferences. The conferences range from interactive forums to networking breakfasts and have a variety of target groups.
Graduate Research
This department is responsible for the collection, analysis and dissemination of statistical information for the careers service - especially all aspects of the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education (DLHE) survey and statistics of The Careers Group's users.
Information and Research
This department is responsible for the updating and maintenance of occupational careers information, videos and other areas such as working overseas, self-employment and voluntary work. It is also responsible for the selection and acquisition of reference books and periodicals. The department also manages content on the intranet and The Careers Group website.
Online Services
Online services is responsible for the maintenance and updating of all online services including the website, intranet and employer database for The Careers Group. They are not responsible for the content of these, however.
Sales
This department is responsible for developing, building and maintaining relationships with employers, identifying their graduate recruitment or admission needs and actively promoting and selling the most appropriate products and services from The Careers Group portfolio to meet their requirements.
There is also the Director’s Office, a Professional Development Unit, a Quality and College Services unit and several working groups.
Personnel
In addition to the Director and Assistant Director, there are approximately 35 permanent careers advisers and 35 permanent support and commercial staff who are employed by the University of London. There are an additional 23 or so information and employer liaison staff who are employed directly by the college in which they work. Careers advisers are allocated to one or more college careers service or to C2 and the Consultancy unit.Quality Assurance
The Careers Group has been accredited with the Matrix quality standard, for information advice and guidance services, since 2004. It most recently passed re-accreditation in May 2007. They are also a member of the Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services (AGCAS).External links
- The Careers Group home page
- The University of London home page
- AGCAS - Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services
- The Matrix Quality Standard
- The Higher Education Statistics Agency web site which includes information on DLHE
- Goldsmiths Careers Service
- King’s College London Careers Service
- Queen Mary, University of London Careers Service
- Royal Holloway, University of London Careers Service
- School of Oriental and African Studies Careers Service
- St Mary’s University College, University of Surrey Careers Service
- University College London Careers Service
- The Specialist Institutions’ Careers Service (SICS