Over 50 international students and recent graduates attended the virtual Westminster Working Cultures (WWC) Professional - Career Insights events in China and Europe, to learn about the professional landscape, career opportunities, and working life in the labour market of their home countries.
WWC Professional is a virtual event series which supports the employability skills development of Westminster overseas students and recent overseas graduates from key international locations relevant to Westminster’s student and graduate community. The series is a unique opportunity to learn from Westminster alumni in their home countries about the local professional landscape and career opportunities, and how to cope with reverse culture shock when returning home after graduation.
The panels tailored their advice to support and address specific anxieties felt by international students and recent graduates during the pandemic, including concerns around how COVID-19 might affect their chances of securing employment in their home country as well as how to demonstrate their resilience during this particularly challenging time.
On Thursday 24 June, the ‘WWC Professional – Careers Insights: China’ event welcomed a panel of three speakers, including Documentary, Photography and Photojournalism MA graduate and Visual Journalist at Reuters Beijing Tingshu Wang; Interpreting MA graduate and General Manager at Grouphorse Translation Klink Zhou; and International Media Business BA graduate and Gaming Operations Manager at Aspiegel and Founder at UniFriend Zhenyu Gu. The panellists shared an array of practical advice and insights on the future of their sectors in China, and the importance of a degree and building networks from the University of Westminster in finding a role after graduating.
On Saturday 26 June, the ‘WWC Professional – Careers Insights: Europe’ event welcomed a panel of three speakers, including International Media Business MA graduate and Digital Editor at A.C. Milan Ennio Terrasi Borghesan; Psychology BSc graduate and Director, Talent Manager and I&D at GSK Beata Jaworska-Nell; and MA Applied Social and Market Research and Global Product Director at Ipsos Diana Livadic. The panel shared relevant interview tips and advice such as how to demonstrate the skills a Westminster graduate can bring to an organisation, the importance of international experience and how that can make candidates stand out when job searching and how the COVID-19 pandemic has been challenging but also positively changed the way of work across the region.
Talking about the event, first-year Architectural Technology BSc student Amjad Butt said: “It was a very informative and mind-opening webinar. The speakers shared inspiring knowledge on being creative, seeking opportunities, and being focused. Thank you to the panellists for their insightful and wonderful advice on working cultures abroad, how to become a better candidate for professional employment, and how to gain recognition in the European job market.”
Professor Alex Hughes, Deputy Vice Chancellor for Global Engagement and Employability, said: “We are delighted to expand our flagship Westminster Working Cultures programme in new directions, and to be able to support the career development of our international students and recent graduates, through our new WWC Professional events. The University of Westminster is a global community of students, colleagues and alumni, and our employability-centred WWC Professional sessions show how much that community means to us all.”
WWC Professional is part of a wider programme of activity, including WWC International and WWC UK and is one of the programmes that reflect the University’s commitment to maintaining an international outlook. In the 2020-21 academic year, 466 Westminster international students and recent graduates attended WWC Professional events, learning from and networking with 25 international alumni speakers from 14 countries worldwide. This programme was made possible by the generous funding support from the Quintin Hogg Trust and was organised by the WWC team within the Alumni Relations office.
The next events in the WWC Professional event series will take place in autumn 2021.
Learn more about Westminster Working Cultures Professional or email [email protected].
