Employabilty and Next Steps - South Devon College

Information and advice for our students and graduates, supporting you to develop your employability, explore your options and consider your next steps.

Email: [email protected]
Phone: 01803 540870

You can seek information, advice, and guidance from our dedicated Careers and Employability teams. We can help you with the following:

HE Employability – Student Support Hub

Update your CV, complete job applications, prepare for interviews.
Support you to think about the next steps after your studies.
Help you to identify any gaps in your skills, knowledge, and behaviours.
Consider how your studies and other activities are developing your skills.

Email [email protected] for more information.

Did you know?

As a University Centre South Devon graduate you can continue to access employability support for up to three years after you leave us.

Developing Your Employability

‘Employability’ refers to a broad range of skills, knowledge, and behaviours that employers are looking for in applicants. It is about identifying the next steps you need to take to achieve your goals. For many this may involve a career or employment, but ‘employability’ is not limited to these areas.

Exploring your Options

Career Planning

When making decisions about your career and the kind of work that will be rewarding and satisfying for you, it is important to take the time to reflect on your skills alongside your personality, values, motivations and goals.

Being aware of these will help you better identify what criteria a future career path needs to fulfil.

Take a look at this four step guide to developing a career plan (Prospects) to get started.

16 Personalities – a personality test which matches you with one of 16 different personality types
Career Planner – an interactive tool which matches your skills, motivations and desires to possible careers (Prospects)
Job Match – answer questions about what you find interesting, rewarding and purposeful and you’ll be matched with different job profiles (Prospects)
Use Labour Market Information (LMI) to research your future career using the current job market.

What can I do with my degree?

What can I do with my degree? from Prospects can help you to explore job options related to your degree, typical employers, and suggestions of skills which have been developed as part of your degree.

The resource also covers job options where your degree would be useful, as a result of the skills you will have developed. For many graduates, the skills developed and experience gained during their time at university can (and has!) opened doors to jobs and careers that they might not have previously considered.

Your Foundation Degree…what next? (TARGETjobs) provides advice on the options open to you after a foundation degree
I have a degree, now what? (TARGETjobs) provides advice on considering your options on completion of a full honours degree

How to research job sectors and occupations

Researching different sectors and job roles can you help you explore the options that are available to you, and what steps you might need to take to get there. The resources below provide detailed information on a wide range of job sectors and job profiles:

Job sectors (Prospects)
Job profiles (Prospects)

Entrepreneurship and Self-employment

Your studies may be a great foundation from which to work for yourself! Whether it is starting your own business or working for yourself, there are plenty of reasons to go self-employed.

Check the Government guidance about working for yourself.
Simply Business have great guides on how to become self-employed and a 9-step guide to starting your own business.
The Ultimate Accountancy Glossary by Contractor Umbrella is also a really useful guide to all those jargon terms!

Postgraduate Study

Undertaking postgraduate study can offer a number of benefits, including being an opportunity to build on your knowledge and specialise in an area of study.

There are various routes to postgraduate study, and at different levels.

Find out more about the benefits of Masters study (Prospects)
Search Masters and postgraduate qualifications (including part-time and distance learning routes)
Many of our students and graduates look to stay local when choosing a postgraduate course; the University of Plymouth, University of Exeter and Plymouth Marjon University are all popular choices.
Find out what you need to include in your personal statement (Prospects)

Funding

How to fund postgraduate study is often a significant factor to consider and is one of the biggest barriers to progression.

Find out about postgraduate funding options (Prospects)

Teacher Training

Whether you are looking to teach in early years, primary, secondary or further education, there are a number of different routes into teaching.

Prospects provides information on teacher training routes and funding options

Get into Teaching provides support and advice from the Department for Education on postgraduate teacher training for early years, primary and secondary teaching
Search and apply for postgraduate teacher training programmes in England and Wales via UCAS Teacher Training and GOV.UK.

You could also consider the Level 5 Diploma in Education and Training (DET) which qualifies you to teach students aged 14 and above, and is available to study at University Centre South Devon.

CVs, Applications and Interviews

A CV is a marketing tool, giving you an opportunity to promote the skills, experience, and qualities that you have to offer.

It is most commonly used to send to a prospective employer when applying for a job, or as part of a speculative application (getting in touch to ask if there are any suitable job or work experience opportunities).

Writing a CV

It is key that you target and tailor your CV to each employer and position you are applying for. To start this, begin by looking at the job description of the role you are applying for.

Your aim should be to quickly and effectively demonstrate that you are a suitable candidate.

DID YOU KNOW?
Glassdoor.co.uk share that research indicates recruiters only spend around seven seconds reviewing a CV before they decide to accept or reject the application.

Although there are some general UK conventions, requirements may vary depending on the job or sector you are applying for. For example, it’s not usually advisable to include a photograph, but in the Superyacht industry a photograph is an essential element of the CV. Always do your research, and speak to a lecturer or industry professional if you can.

Get advice on how to write a CV (Prospects), or a Student CV (2021, Zety)
Take a look at some example CVs including skills-based, technical and teaching CVs (Prospects). There are more here (2021, Zety)
CV Templates (2021, Zety) can also be used as a guide
Looking to gain experience or graduate employment in the creative industries? You may be required to submit a Creative CV to showcase your creative skills. This short guide will help you get started (University of Plymouth)
How to explain a gap in your CV (Prospects)
How to write about your interests in your CV (2021, Zety)

Cover letter

A cover letter is usually required alongside a CV, acting as the ‘front cover’.

It provides some more context to your application, such as what interests you about the role and why you want to work for the employer. It is also an opportunity to highlight any relevant skills and/or experience in more detail, further demonstrating your suitability for the role.

Find out how to write a winning cover letter (Prospects)
Applying speculatively? Find out what to include in a speculative cover letter to help unveil any hidden opportunities (Prospects)

Application forms

Many larger and/or public sector employers require you to complete a standardised application form instead of submitting a CV.

The use of an application form allows employers to determine the information they need about applicants, which helps them compare and filter out unsuitable candidates more easily.

Typically, you will need to include some basic personal details, information on your employment history and education, and a personal or supporting statement outlining why you are suitable for the job. The application form may also include competency-based questions, which are sometimes used in interviews. Competency-based questions ask you to provide evidence of a time when you have demonstrated a particular skill.

Get advice on writing a successful job application (Prospects)
Find answers to some example competency-based questions (Prospects)

Interviews

Interviews are used primarily by employers to establish that you fit the role you have applied for, and to allow you to build on what you have said in your application. For the employer, it is also an opportunity to gauge how you would fit into the organisation and work within a team.

It is very normal to find interviews nerve-wracking. However, with careful preparation and practice, you can be confident that you are putting your best foot forward. It’s important to remember that if you make it to the interview stage, the recruiter already sees you as a strong prospect.

Find out how to prepare for an interview, including types of interview, the importance of research and how to make a good impression (Prospects)
Get advice on how to respond to some common interview questions (Prospects)
As many employers move to remote recruitment practices, understand what to expect from telephone and video interviews (Prospects)

Psychometric tests

Many large graduate employers will include psychometric tests as part of the application or interview process. They are used as an objective measure of your skills, knowledge and/or personality. Find out about psychometric tests and how to practice.

Assessment centres

If you are applying to a large graduate employer, you may be invited to attend an assessment centre as part of the interview process. Usually taking place over one or two days, they are designed to assess your performance in action through specific tasks, such as problem-solving games. Find out how to approach an assessment centre.

Equality and diversity

TARGETjobs provide advice and useful resources on equality and diversity during the recruitment process, covering characteristics including sexual orientation, sex, age and disability.

Information on disclosing a disability

There are no legal requirements for you to disclose your disability or health condition to a prospective employer, either at the application stage or at interview.

For more information on disability rights and employment, visit the dedicated GOV.UK webpages.

A benefit of being open about your disability or health condition during the selection process, is that a prospective employer must consider reasonable adjustments for anything linked to your disability or health condition. This could include providing materials in an alternative format, or extra time when completing written exercises.

If you have been in receipt of Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA) and have a Learner Support Plan (LSP), this would be a useful starting point when considering the type of support you might require in the selection process and workplace.

Current UK legislation also requires employers to make reasonable adjustments for employees in the workplace, such as providing equipment to help an employee do their job.

Take a look at this example of how to disclose a disability in a cover letter
My Plus Students’ Club offers advice and useful resources on job searching with a disability, covering practical steps to being open with an employer, accounting for differences on your CV and asking for adjustments in the recruitment process.
EmployAbility is a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to assisting students and graduates with all disabilities, including dyslexia or long term health conditions, into employment.
Scope also offer disability support for employment.
If you are employed and the support you need is not covered by an employer making reasonable adjustments, you can get help from the Access to Work scheme.

Jobs and Work Experience

Information and resources to support you with searching for graduate roles, internships, part-time work and more.

Did you know…?

Not all vacancies are advertised – in fact research suggests around 70% (Graduate Recruitment Bureau 2020). This is common for smaller employers who may not have the budget to advertise; or look to their own network for their next hire.

To locate these hidden opportunities, it is important that you take the initiative in your search. Identify an employer or sector of interest and do your research, so you are clued up on what would make a suitable candidate. Then you could try asking someone you know if they can put you in touch with a contact (also known as networking) for example, or approach an employer with a speculative application.

Internships and placements

Search for paid internships and other work experience opportunities.

Part-time work whilst you study

Part-time work can be a valuable way to gain employable skills and experience (HEPI 2023).

Apply to become a University Centre South Devon Student Ambassador

Volunteering

You can search for volunteering opportunities across the UK on Do-it.org
Information on types of volunteering and how it can help your career (Prospects)
Information on your rights as a volunteer including cover for expenses (GOV.UK)

Graduate jobs

Graduate level roles are advertised on the Gov.uk website, where you can also explore employer profiles and learn more about those you might like to join.

You could also take a look and register for alerts on Gradsouthwest, a graduate jobs board advertising permanent roles, internships and other opportunities in the South West.

Advice on using social media for your job search (Prospects)
Learn how recruitment agencies can help you search for a job (Prospects)
Get advice on where to look for jobs and requirements if you are looking to work abroad (Prospects)

Networking

Networking is all about speaking to people and making contacts to help you in your career. These contacts may be able to help by:

Giving you advice about your future career, including the skills you’ll need to succeed
Sharing insights into a career path or employer
Offering you work experience or giving you advice on how to get your foot in the door
Signposting you to job opportunities
Helping you to meet new contacts

Developing your network will take time and effort. Many students (and professionals) find it nerve-wracking and not everyone will be willing and able to help. It’s a good idea to start small and build your confidence (and contacts) from there.

Basic Networking: 5 rules to follow (Career Experts)
11+ Top Networking Skills (Novoresume, 2022)

How do I build my network?

Start with who you know – speak to family, friends, lecturers and colleagues who may be able to help you directly, or put you in touch with someone else.
Get involved with relevant activities and organisations, such as course-specific projects and events, local groups and professional organisations. If you’re attending an event, do some research beforehand and prepare a few questions you might like to ask.
Social media – both LinkedIn and Twitter can be great tools for networking with professionals and employers online.
You could also reach out to a professional or organisation by email.

LinkedIn

LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional networking platform. Create an online profile to promote your skills, knowledge and experience, and connect with other students, recent graduates and professionals in your field(s) of interest.
You can also follow employers, join relevant professional groups and receive personal recommendations/endorsements from people you have worked with.
LinkedIn’s guides for students provide advice on how to get started.
The University of Plymouth Careers and Employability Service have also created a number of videos:

How do I use my network?

Think about what you want to achieve – do you want to talk to someone about getting work experience, learn more about their experiences, get advice or find a job?

If you’re meeting with someone to find out information, do some research in advance and prepare some questions to ask. Here are some examples:

Tell me about your current role
Tell me about your career path so far
What was the recruitment process for your role?
What type of work experience was useful to help you get your job?
What skills are essential/useful for this sector?
What advice could you give me about using my time at university effectively?
Are there any recruitment agencies I could sign up with?
Do you know anyone else who could give me advice/information?

Progression

Once you have completed a HNC or Foundation degree, you will have the option to progress onto a respective Foundation degree or honours degree.

From a HNC: On completion of your HNC you may have the option to progress to year two of the relevant foundation degree at University Centre South Devon. Alternatively, you may be able to progress to an associated course at another provider.

From a Foundation Degree: On completion of your foundation degree, you may be able to progress onto the final year of an approved or associated course to top up to a full Bachelor’s degree. Depending on your programme of study, you may have the option to top-up at University Centre South Devon, University of Plymouth or another provider.

If you decide to follow an unapproved route to top-up your foundation degree, you may need to complete more than one year’s additional study, such as entering the second year of a programme.

You can find information on progression route(s) for your course in your Programme Quality Handbook.

Progression will also be covered during Tutorial where you will have the opportunity to discuss your options with your Personal Tutor.

Applying to progress

To apply to top-up at University Centre South Devon

If you are a current student and want to apply to progress from a Foundation Degree onto a BSc / BA (Hons) Top-up programme at University Centre South Devon, you need to complete the University Centre South Devon Progression Form in full.

University Centre South Devon Progression Form

If you have any questions, please speak to your personal tutor or email [email protected].

To apply to top-up at the University of Plymouth

If you are studying on a programme awarded by the University of Plymouth at University Centre South Devon, you will need to download, print and complete a copy of the ‘Progression form to start at UoP’ available on the University of Plymouth website here. Download and complete the form and then bring into the University Centre South Devon Faculty Office for submission.

If you are studying on a programme awarded by South Devon College at University Centre South Devon and would like to progress to the University of Plymouth for a Level 6 top-up year, you should apply via UCAS

2025/2026 Academic Year Deadline: 31st January 2025

To apply to top-up at another university

If you are planning to top-up at another university, other than Plymouth, you will need to complete a UCAS application. However, in the first instance we advise you check with the university’s Admissions department on how/when to apply and entry requirements.

Please note there is a deadline for progression applications and places may be subject to availability.

Useful links for progression to the University of Plymouth:

University and Your Future: Career Planning and Making the Most of Your Degree

This course will help you to identify ways university can help you work towards your career goals, whatever degree you choose. Start straight away and learn at your own pace!

Graduate Outcomes

About Graduate Outcomes

Graduate Outcomes is a national survey capturing information about the activities and perspectives of graduates 15 months after they finish their studies.

It looks to understand whether recent graduates are in employment, have continued with further study, or are doing something else – and to what extent their qualification played a part.

The survey covers all full-time and part-time courses and qualifications from HNC level, including Higher Apprenticeships.

https://youtu.be/TotfFOlCtYo

Why should I take part?

As a University Centre South Devon graduate, your responses will help us to:

understand the many and varied career paths of our graduates
inform current and future students about their options after graduation
evaluate and promote our courses

The survey takes 10 minutes to complete online.

How will I be contacted?

If you complete a higher education qualification with us after 1^st August 2017, you will receive an email approximately 15 months after doing so, inviting you to complete the survey online.

You may also be contacted by telephone and asked to complete the survey over the phone. If you are not contactable by email, text or phone, the third party contractor (on behalf of HESA) may seek your contact details from a third party, such as a family member who answers the phone.

Your contact details

To support the survey, we are required by law to provide accurate contact details for all of our graduates. It’s important that you let us know of any changes to your contact details once you graduate – simply email [email protected].

The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) who own the survey, have published guidance on how your contact details will be used here.

Further information

For more information about the Graduate Outcomes survey visit www.graduateoutcomes.ac.uk.

Alumni

Once you have completed your studies with us, we want to stay in touch to hear about all the great things you go on to do. You can get involved with University Centre South Devon as a graduate, and volunteer some time to share your experience of study and valuable career insights with students.

Access employability support

We also understand that finding work and making decisions about your next steps as a graduate isn’t always plain sailing. That’s why employability support is available to you for up to three years after you graduate. Simply contact us via email on [email protected] to arrange a 1-1.

Feature in a graduate profile

Could you complete a questionnaire capturing your student experience and career journey so far, to help inspire the next generation of University Centre graduates? Email [email protected] for more information.

Speak to current students

Could you share your career experiences since graduating, and any insights into how our students can make themselves as employable as possible? If you would like to volunteer an hour or two as a guest speaker in person or virtually, we would love to hear from you. Email [email protected] for more information.

Share a job opportunity, or offer work experience

Could you provide work experience to a current student or recent graduate, or refer your employer? Anything from a few weeks of work experience to placement hours or an internship could provide invaluable support to our students in achieving their career goals. Email [email protected] for more information.

The University Centre South Devon Employability and Enterprise Framework

At University Centre South Devon, our aim is to support you to become a ‘work ready’ graduate. Employability is a way of thinking about your skills, knowledge, and behaviour in terms of how you can meet the needs of employers. As a form of support, this means that employability reflects one of the myriad ways you are encouraged to reflect on your personal and professional experience.

The University Centre Employability and Enterprise Framework is way of understanding how your skills, knowledge, and behaviours can be matched to an employer’s needs. The Framework consists of the following 9 criteria:

You can find out more information and examples of each of these criteria in the University Centre Employability and Enterprise Framework.

Labour Market Information

Labour Market Information (LMI) is information about the world of work in the UK. This data shows trends in who and where is hiring on a national and local scale, and conversely which career areas are in decline.

Labour Market Information (LMI) is a really helpful tool that can support your search for future careers:

If you have no idea about what career you may want, you can search for jobs locally and nationally to find areas that are in demand. Using LMI in this way will increase your career prospects generally, allowing you to pursue market trends in your employment.
If you do know what you’d like to do, LMI can help you research and plan to gain employment and succeed in that area. LMI can highlight what employment in your desired career area is like in your local area, what skills and experience are required, what pay to expect, and whether the job market is on the increase or in decline. All this information can help you plan your life to make the most of opportunities that present themselves.

Labour Market Profile – Torbay

The current Labour Market Profile for Torbay is a great way to get a sense of the job market in the local area. To use this data:

Looking at ‘Employment by Occupation’ will give you an overview of the numbers of jobs in different areas and levels, both locally and nationally. Comparing the local to national figures will allow you to get a sense of the kinds of jobs that are in particular demand in Torbay.
- You can also use the ‘view time-series’ option to see the trends of certain job areas over time. This can help you to spot trends and predict which job areas may be in demand in the coming years.
The ‘Labour Demand’ area provides you with a snapshot of the current job markets in different career areas, along with weekly earnings. Like the above, this can help you get a sense of the current situation in Torbay and nationally, allowing you to plan your career and life choices accordingly.
‘Qualifications’ enables you to see how employable different levels of qualification are locally and nationally.

Careerometer and Skillsometer

The Careerometer and Skillsometer draw on LMI data to explore and compare key information about occupations, help you learn about different occupations, and identify potential careers.

Careerometer

Employability Support for Disabled Students

25% of University Centre South Devon’s students have some sort of disability. Our HE Employability team ([email protected]) can support you every step of the way to build your employability skills and help you get into the next step of your career. Book in an appointment today.

There is also a lot of information, support, and guidance available online:

Government guidance

GOV.UK has information and guidance for accessing work with a disability or health condition.
Job Centres should have dedicated local Disability Employment Advisors and online support.
There is also local government guidance available here.

Graduate opportunities

My Plus Students’ Club has relevant graduate guidance, including careers events.
Employ-ability focusses on inclusive workplaces.

Advisors and helplines

Scope’s ‘Support to Work: employment support programme’ is a 12-week programme that can support you by working with a careers advisor.
The Association of Disabled Professionals offers advice and guidance for setting up your own business.
ACAS also has a helpline for supporting disabled employees.