Students get ‘Switched On’ to prepare for theworld of work

‘The Switch On’ programme is a regional college road show supporting final year college students in preparing for the world of work through practical master class clinics on CV and interview preparation and interpreting job descriptions.

The ‘Switch On’ road show recently visited South Eastern Regional College in Lisburn, where experienced Grafton Employment Group staff delivered practical and interactive career mentoring sessions first hand to students, along the requirements of the world of work. The road show will also return to the college on Wednesday March 14.

As well as improving students employability skills, this initiative provides an unparalleled opportunity for local students to come together to discuss employment issues that they are concerned about. Students also receive CV and interview advice with practical guidance and tips on Switching On their confidence and opportunities when applying for jobs and attending interviews.

Local students who participated in the ‘Switch On’ programme when it recently visited SERC in Lisburn gave the following feedback; “I really enjoyed it and a lot of the information was really useful like perceptions and how an employer might judge you just walking into an interview and the do’s and don’ts of interviews, quite a lot are common mistakes people would make. I would definitely use all the information I learnt today when applying for jobs in the future and in interviews as well,” said Jess Cullen (student, BA Business Management).

Matthew Sloan (student, BA Business Management) added, “This gives us an insight into what employers are going to ask and what qualities they are looking for. It also helps you to prepare for every interview to give you the best competitive edge.”

Paddy McCourt, Lecturer, SERC Lisburn also commented; “This is a fantastic opportunity for our students to gain an insight into what employers are actually looking for. We are preparing them for the technical side of their future lives but it is great to see our students getting the soft skills and inside information in terms of CV’s, interviews, cover letters and their outside lives and the impact it can have on them for example social networking, whereas they now have a realisation of what they can see as a private social circle can be seen by potential employers.”