1st years - Welcome to Year in Business

Welcome Event for NEW Year in Business students 

It was lovely to see over 120 new Year in Business students in the Moore building Lecture theatre during Welcome Week.

Dr Catherine Harbor gave an introduction to how the programme works and the benefits students can expect from a year in business. There is so much evidence now that points to the benefits of placements/ internships when it comes to looking for graduate roles.

Catherine quoted "Graduate Prospects website" which states:
 73% of employers have recruited interns as permanent stafff with 62% saying it's their main reason for taking on work experience candidates.

Emma Baker, the Careers Consultant for the YIB programme also talked of the importance of work experience, voluntary work and involvement in extra curricular activities as a way of enhancing CVs. She stressed that the market for placement jobs is highly competitive and students do need to start looking in their 1st years at ways of improving their chances when they apply in their second year.

Emma and Catherine both quoted a Ulster University study*  which concluded that students undertaking a placement year tend on average to graduate directly with a higher degree classification than those proceeding directly to the final year of studies. The study found that the impact of the placement year was statistically significant for both male and female students and associated with an increase classification from 2:2 to 2:1. 

So, it is hard work to secure the grades necessary to stay on the Year in Business programme and the placement market itself is highly competitive but the result of this hard work can be positive results for all.

After the meeting we enjoyed a plentiful lunch and it was good to chat to many new students over sandwiches and cake in the Management building foyer!

*Ulster study based on analysis of results over the period 2005 - 2010