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Employability
Employability is about supporting you to develop the knowledge, skills, behaviours and attitudes which will enable you to be successful in work and life. -
Being Enterprising
Gain the skills, confidence and resilience you need to embark on new ventures, spot opportunities and create positive change for yourself and the community. -
Open day FAQs
Coming to an open day? Find the answers to your questions here. Full details of the activities available at our open days will be provided in your open day guide which will be sent to you following your registration. In the meantime, we’ve put together these FAQs to help you prepare and make the most of your day at BGU. -
Enterprise Team Keeping Career Support 'Open for Business'
In true enterprising fashion, the team have adapted to the Campus closure and introduced activities to enhance the existing enterprise agenda. -
Clap for carers: How two BGU students are helping the most vulnerable during Covid-19
As the United Kingdom continues to grapple with ongoing Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic care providers across the country have been adapting their procedures to ensure that vulnerable people receive the support they need. EarlyBird Lifestyle Support is one of these hard-working groups and they’ve been sharing how the pandemic has impacted their work. Created and run by Bishop Grosseteste University students Damian Taylor (MA Health & Social Care) and Neil Martin (MA Education with TESOL) Earlybird prides itself on being a friendly well-being service supporting people throughout the city of Lincoln and surrounding areas with tasks such as cooking, cleaning, collecting prescriptions and medication, food shopping, trips out, escorting individuals to appointments and more. Damian discusses the changes the pandemic, and associated lockdown, has brought and how the team at Earlybird have adapted to it: “We work with many of groups left most vulnerable to COVID-19, primarily our older clients but also younger individuals suffering from mental health or other disability related problems. We wore a lot of protection anyway, but we’ve had to increase our use of PPE. It’s been so difficult to find supplies for reasonable prices though. We are also finding that many of our clients find the staff wearing the full PPE quite intimidating and try our best not to scare them off. Ultimately our team works to promote independence for vulnerable people, allowing them to lead their choice of lifestyle. That choice can be so easily lost at times like this and I’m proud to think we’re helping people to keep some level of freedom. I’d like to thank all our staff for their hard work during this time. Their enthusiasm and professionalism haven’t dropped once. They’re truly the backbone to the business, and we wouldn’t be where we are today without them.” Support from EarlyBird is available to anyone in Lincolnshire and the surrounding area, to find out how they can help you visit their website, or get in contact via email at info@ebls.co.uk or on 01522424161. Damian and Neil are the one of the many success stories to emerge from the BG Futures Business and Enterprise Centre at Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU). If you have got a vision for your own business but aren’t sure where to begin then the BG Futures team are the perfect place to start. With facilities and expert support available in their incubation centre, they’ll be able to get you on the road to success. Visit our website or contact them today to see how you can start your own adventure. -
BGU Community to Help Virtual TEDx Event Explore “Ideas in Isolation”
On the day that should have been TEDxBrayfordPool 2020 the team will be hosting a series of discussions with TEDxBrayfordPool alumni and team members around “Ideas in Isolation”. Join the first virtual TEDxBrayfordPool live on Facebook Live and Zoom webinar at 11am, 1pm, 3pm and 5pm for four, hour long interactive discussions based on the TEDxSalon format. Current and formers members of the BGU community form a large part of the event including: Business (Team Entrpereneurship) Coach Andy Farenden is curating the eventLecturer Lyndsay Muir is speakingBusiness (Team Entrepreneurship) student and SU Officer Owen Lewis is speakingAndrew Whitehouse, who delivers short courses at BGU, is speakingFormer BGU lecturer, Elinor Vettarino, will be speakingFormer BG Futures resident, Lizzie Jordan, will be speakingJo Tolley, alumni, will also be speaking at the eventAttendees can find full information on the day’s line up and register to take part by either joining on the “TEDxBrayfordPool” Facebook page or https://tedxbrayfordpool.eventbrite.com -
Golden Ticket Award sees Enactus BGU Lincoln succeed at Regional Finals
Earlier this month Bishop Grosseteste University’s (BGU) Enactus team headed to the head offices of Arla Foods in Leeds to compete in the regional Enactus finals. Enactus aims to support young people to engage in youth social action, and youth social enterprise. Their mission in the UK is to be recognised as a leader in developing a national network of socially minded young leaders of the future who transform communities and society through real life social action and environmentally responsible enterprise. At the regional finals team members Jessica Vernon and Courtney Simmons presented a TESOL focussed project centred around providing opportunities for English speaking practice to people that have English as a second language in disadvantaged communities while second year Geographers Mark Wright and Ellie Cordon presented a project focussed around disaster risk reduction in Fiji. The team’s passion, ideas, knowledge and project plan received high praise from the judges and the BGU team were highly commended by representatives from Asda, Arla and Enactus. The team were awarded a golden ticket on the day and will now progress to the Rookie League in April to showcase their projects to universities and organisations from across the UK. Enactus BGU Lincoln is supported by BG Futures, the careers, employability and enterprise team at BGU, and university advisers Nikki Smith and Becky Goodman, who is also the Programme Leader for Business and Enterprise, both of whom were incredibly proud of Enactus BGU’s success. Speaking following the finals Nikki said: “We are extremely proud of what the team have achieved in such a short space of time and look forward to supporting the team at the rookie League that will be held virtually in April. The team have worked exceptionally hard and that did not go unnoticed by the judges at the regionals.” Becky shared Nikki’s praise and expressed her excitement at the potential for the team: “It was great to see the team showcase a selection of their projects at the regionals, and it would be amazing to see more students from across the university getting involved with Enactus BGU Lincoln as they take the next step on this journey.” To find out more about joining Enactus email enactus@bishopg.ac.uk for more information. -
How collaboration across Bishop Grosseteste University is supporting students to adapt in uncertain times
By Cassie Rainey - BG Futures Administrator Covid-19 has transformed the world we live in, pushing us to adapt to a ‘new normal’. One aspect of this ‘new normal’ is the way in which graduates will have to navigate their transitions into the labour market. At Bishop Grosseteste University, the support of academic and professional support teams is more vital than ever to students and graduates. Last month, the Primary and Early Years ITE team and the BG Futures: Careers, Employability and Enterprise team collaborated to deliver a virtual session for students across programmes on the format and logistics of online interviews. The sessions incorporated information on best practice, tips for different video calling platforms and guidance on possible interview questions. The sessions included a Q&A from a recruitment industry expert and BG Futures tenant with questions put forward by students. Sarah Howe, Senior Lecturer on the PGCE Primary programme said: “The Covid – 19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the job application process for some of our students and trainees. Lecturers in the Primary and Early Years ITE Programmes turned to the Careers, Employability & Enterprise team at BG Futures to ensure that support offered at our institution, met the needs of our students and trainees. Several on-line workshops and personal tutorials have taken place with encouraging feedback.” Emma McCarthy, Co-Director of McCarthy Adams Recruitment Specialists, a tenant within the Business & Enterprise Centre in BG Futures, was on hand to provide expert tips to succeeding in online interviews and assisted with a video Q&A for the session. Andy Wright, Careers, Employability & Enterprise Coordinator at BG Futures commented: “This has been a great partnership between teaching staff, BG Futures, students and one of our own tenant businesses. We’ve been very excited to extend our reach to those students who are not able to access face-to-face support at this time, and we have been delighted with the results.” George Rhodes, BA (Hons) Primary Education student, who used this session to help prepare for an upcoming online job interview commented: “After being recommended by a fellow student, I joined an online interview support session which not only provided invaluable advice but also built up my self-confidence. I was successful in my interview, running against 90 other candidates, and I believe without attending the session with Andrew this may not have been the case.” Sarah Moseley, Enterprise Development Manager, said: “The BG Futures Business and Enterprise Centre offers 14 leasable office spaces for start-ups and is home to our Student Enterprise Club. With an emphasis on making a positive impact, we strive to attract tenants who will work collaboratively, to improve the lives of our students, bridging theory and practice. We are extremely thankful for Emma McCarthy’s time and input with this session” You can find out more about BG Futures here. You can explore our Primary and Early Years programmes here. -
Student Podcast Explores the Narratives and Cultural Impact of Video Games
Second year student Josh Sykes has launched a new podcast exploring the narratives of video games. Created as part of his work studying English Literature at Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU), the podcast offers listeners the chance to join Josh as he, and guests, discuss how settings and stories are shaped along with how games can offer explorations of topics such as war and mental health. Despite having no previous experience creating podcasts Josh explains what drew him to the project: “The English@Work module presented a unique opportunity to explore my own interests and hobbies whilst at the same time allowing me to discover how these interests can be applied to workplace scenarios. For me, I have a deep interest in the world of videogames including the way settings and stories are shaped to the way in which games can engage with the player through explorations of topics such as war and mental health. Thus, through the English@Work module, I could explore these topics in a greater detail whilst also illustrating how I can take the topic of videogames and apply it to any workplace situation. At the start of this project I was new to the world of podcast and audio production but through the progression of it I was able to develop a good level of knowledge in editing and recording of audio files whilst also developing a critical eye for what was best placed in the podcast. The experience of creating the podcast has been enjoyable and I am pleased with the final outcome and the feedback received has been positive, but I am also pleased that I chose to do the podcast project as it allowed me to meet a variety of people from experts on videogames to audio professionals as well as develop a variety of skills that I did not possess at the start of the project.” You can listen to the first episode of the podcast, where Josh is joined Esther MacCallum-Stewart, an Associate Professor at Staffordshire University and an expert in narratives in games, by clicking here. English@Work is a second-year module that focuses specifically on employability and opportunities to apply subject-specific skills and knowledge and develop an enhanced awareness of the transferability of those skills through project-based learning. In partnership with BG Futures team, and this module embeds students’ understanding of their transferable communication skills and information literacies in specific, employability contexts. Dr Claudia Capancioni, Programme Leader for English at BGU, praised both Josh and his peers for how they have embraced their projects despite wider international complications: “The sudden and unprecedented circumstances caused by Covid-19 had an immediate impact on the projects our students worked on this academic year but our students' reaction and resilience have given us fantastic stories of achievement. Colleagues from across BGU who have worked with the students, including our BG Futures team and Nikki Smith, Lecturer in Business, have been incredibly impressed with their efforts and particularly how successfully they have adapted and transformed their projects demonstrating incredible resourcefulness, and creativity.” For more information on how you can become apart of BGU’s learning community, visit our website, or speak to a member of our Enquiries Team. -
Enterprising student’s journey to mastering the art of teaching and painting
The partnership between BG Futures, the Careers, Employability and Enterprise department at Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) and the Prince’s Trust continues to flourish with another of our students benefiting from the Prince’s Trust Enterprise Programme, which helps 18 to 30-year olds turn their big ideas into a business reality. Sarah Moseley, Enterprise Development Manager at BG Futures spoke to 1st year BA (Hons) Education Studies (SEDS) student Laurent McCready about how the Princes Trust webinar has helped him with his ideas for an Interior and Exterior Painting & Decorating Business. Laurent explains: “My degree choice was as a result of 3 years of voluntary work coaching primary school age children hockey for my Bronze, Silver and Gold Duke of Edinburgh award. I felt the children connected with me and I enjoyed the sessions. Following 2 weeks of work experience at St Peters in Eastgate primary school I decided that I wanted to go into teaching as a career.” Teaching is very different to painting & decorating so what is the connection? “I also really enjoy painting and decorating and feel confident doing it, having started about a year ago. I heard about the Princes Trust webinar via a notification on my BGU account and decided to take part. I have now developed my knowledge of how to set my own business up. The most useful part of the webinar for me was being encouraged to talk about the idea and learning the key aspects such as taxation and national insurance, as well as being able to ask questions. I see my biggest challenge is to actually brave up and start the business. The next step is to do this once I have conducted a little more research about gaining customers and my competitors” Laurent is already succeeding in balancing his University work, position as a Student Ambassador, part time work at the Doubletree by Hilton, and his role with NCS running workshops with older children leading to a community-based project. When asked what the future may hold Laurent said: “Currently my training to become a primary school teacher comes first, however this may differ if I set up my own business and if that happens, I hope to be running Duvalsdecorating (Duval being my middle name) and perhaps a couple others!” To see Laurent’s painting & decorating projects follow duvalsdecorating on Instagram. Contact sarah.moseley@bishopg.ac.uk to discover more about the work of the Enterprise Team at BG Futures Explore BGUs range of Undergraduate and Postgraduate Teaching programmes For further details of The Prince’s Trust programme contact John Holliday on 07766 778341
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