Hi everyone,

My name is Zafarine Iqbal (or Zaf for short); I am the Skills, Employability and Training Coordinator at Hallam Students' Union.

This year I have been working on putting together an employability programme for student committee members. Our society committee members do an amazing job running our societies and we appreciate all their hard work. One of the things I have always found difficult is when you meet students and they say they haven't got certain skills or they haven't got experience in a certain area, when they totally have! They often are involved in volunteering or a society committee, or are a course rep or do paid work, and by virtue of being in these roles have developed many skills that employers are looking for. With the right help and support students can start to appreciate and acknowledge their skills and experience and can then start to articulate these when applying for jobs or writing their CV.

I also understand that the world we live in is unpredictable. Things are always changing: new technologies, new demands on our skill set. Students are entering a world of work where they may feel underprepared. How can we ensure that students feel confident and can demonstrate that they can thrive in these new unprecedented times?!

Bearing these two things in mind; encouraging the appreciation, acknowledgement and articulation of employability enhancing skills and experience and helping students to feel equipped entering the modern workforce. I have put together a programme that focuses on meta skills and encourages reflective writing on practical experiences. Meta skills are enablers that help us to learn skills quickly and more effectively, ensuring that we are always ready to learn new skills whenever the need arises.

The programme will be open to a select group of society committee members that form our pilot. The following year (2023-24), all committee members will be invited to take part in the training programme. If you are interested in becoming a member then this is something that you can take advantage of.

Skills and the ability to articulate said skills in an appropriate manner are the springboard into the next stage in your life and I feel privileged to be in the position to help with that.

I look forward to meeting you soon!

Zaf