Helen Jackson-Lyall (Graeae Theatre) talks to students

Creative Careers: A Festival for Students and a First for the University

During the first week of May, Student Employability and Academic Success (SEAS) and the College of Humanities collaborated on the University’s first Creative Careers: A Festival for Students, welcoming over three hundred students to a wide variety of employability and alumni events.

The Festival was generously supported by the University’s Annual Fund and amazing alumni community – in total, eight alumni from across a range of disciplines, from English to Biology, took part in the events. Developed in response to students’ demands for more careers activity linked to the creative and cultural sectors, a week of workshops, panel discussions and skill sessions was developed and delivered at both the Streatham and Penryn campuses. Thanks to this first festival, the University has made brand-new friends in organisations and industry professionals such as Graeae Theatre Company, WMA, the Arnolfini, Libraries Unlimited, and Hauser & Wirth, with whom both the SEAS and Humanities teams hope to work closely in the future.

“We had an excellent range of employers and alumni from across the creative industries on our campuses over the course of the festival,” said Paul Blackmore, Head of Student Employability and Academic Success, “And we are grateful to them all for taking time out of their busy schedules to speak to students at this fledgling festival.”

“The festival offered opportunities for everyone – regardless of study year or stage of employability development – and provided a range of insights to help inform students’ career planning both now and in the future. It was a unique opportunity for students to meet with a variety of representatives over the course of a week.”

A truly collaborative experience for all involved, both teams from SEAS and Humanities hope to see Creative Careers return to campus in the future – bigger, better and even more successful than its first year.

Date: 26 May 2017

Read more University News