Eighty-three Westminster students and recent graduates joined Westminster Working Cultures (WWC) UK in June for programmes filled with inspiring alumni and partner speakers, new connections, thought-provoking advice, and personal and professional growth.
WWC UK is part of a wider programme of activity, including WWC International and WWC Professional, and is designed to support the employability skills development and global outlook of Westminster students. WWC UK hosts virtual five-day and three-day programmes which support the employability skills development of Westminster undergraduate students and recent graduates. It has hosted five programmes this academic year, which featured a range of successful alumni and partner organisations with over 240 Westminster students and recent graduates participating.
Throughout each programme, participants get the unique opportunity to network and engage with a diverse range of Westminster graduates and partners through a full itinerary of sessions and workshops. Each speaker shares their professional journey, hardships they’ve faced along the way, and their bespoke advice, tailored for each of the participants on the call.
Over the course of the two programmes held in June, 28 speakers shared their experiences of the professional world, offering valuable insights on an array of topics, seeking to inspire participants and address the employment-related anxieties felt by students and graduates during the pandemic. Speakers shared advice on maintaining your mental health through searching for jobs, from the specifics of building an application tracker spreadsheet and creating an email address solely for application contacts, to the broader tips of structuring your day to keep a work/life balance. Alongside discussion on recruitment, participants also gained life-changing guidance on finding and following your passion, building your belief in yourself, setting your values, and being a driving force for increased representation and diversity.
During the pandemic, students and graduates have faced obstacles in their path towards employment and each WWC UK session touched upon this, with speakers showing compassion towards those on the call and candidly sharing their own experiences with rejection or failure. The support that speakers provided was inspired and motivating, including advice such as “every setback is an opportunity for a comeback” from Miriam Hanna, Director at MadlinHanna Consulting, and Human and Medical Science BSc graduate, and reassurance that no matter how long your journey, “bit by bit you will achieve your dream” from Angela Jimu, Co-Founder at Zimbabwe Association of Female Photographers (ZAFP) and RevMedia, who studied on the Media Management MA course.
WWC UK included speakers from Santander, Facebook, Ipsos, Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) Institute, BT, IBM, Deloitte and more. Participants also heard from speakers who have started their own business, wrote their own book, or hosted their own podcast, learning about their entrepreneurial journey. Westminster alumni broadened the career horizons of participants, speaking of the opportunities beyond London, calling from UK cities like Edinburgh and Reading, and joining from New York, Columbia, Malawi, and Mumbai. The variety of sessions offered enlightening perspectives on the range of opportunities and working cultures available in the UK and abroad.
Speaking about the programme, Monique Noel Brown, a Spanish and Global Communication student, said: "What I enjoyed most about the programme was meeting various guest speakers, with a range of different academic and professional backgrounds. Meeting them really helped me understand that life is not a straight path, and that it's okay to try out different areas before you settle. WWC UK really helped me identify key areas of improvement for my LinkedIn profile, in addition to how I can utilise programmes such as this to attract employers. It has helped me boost my professional profile, whilst helping me gain strong public speaking and communication skills, which almost every employer is looking for."
WWC UK is grateful towards Santander Universities UK support of the 5-day June WWC UK programme, including hosting two engaging sessions and offering each participant a bursary to support their employability journey. The work of the WWC initiative is made possible by the generous funding support from the Quintin Hogg Trust and was organised by the Westminster Working Cultures team within the Alumni Relations office. Upcoming WWC UK activities will take place in September 2021 and applications are open for undergraduate students until Sunday 11 July, 23:59.
Find out more about WWC UK or email [email protected].
Read more student and speaker experiences of WWC UK June on LinkedIn through the hashtag #WestminsterWorkingCultures
