Nottingham Trent University has a top programme for graduates

You’ve got the degree – now it’s time to move on to the next challenge and kick-start your career.

Nottingham Trent University's Graduate Development Programme gives graduates from the university a chance to gain the skills and experience they need to launch them on the pathway to their future career.

An outstanding opportunity for NTU graduates

The programme is designed exclusively for Nottingham Trent University graduates. Graduates will undertake a paid 13-month job position with a salary of £23,000 in Nottingham Trent University's professional services to help provide an excellent student experience and work towards creating the University of the Future. This gives graduates the chance to develop skills needed for their career to make that transition between university life and employment a lot easier.

Develop and grow as a professional

In addition to your job role, you’ll be supported by a dedicated team providing you with industry-level development opportunities all throughout your experience. Among a rich range of workshops and events, you’ll have the chance to:

• deepen your knowledge and transferable skills through monthly workshops and formal training
• take part in a University Challenge working on a live project sponsored by senior staff to help directly shape the University’s future
• be supported by a line manager to provide you with guidance and constructive feedback all throughout your experience.
• join an exclusive NTU mentorship programme to motivate and inspire you
• grow your network through Team Away Days where you can build relationships with like-minded graduates and experienced professionals.

Nottingham Trent University takes a collaborative approach in designing its workshops, combining its expert knowledge of talent development with the developmental needs of the graduates. The University works to instil a sense of community within its graduate programme, providing you with a support network of like-minded young professionals

Job roles

Nottingham Trent University has more than 15 graduate vacancies on offer. With such a wide variety, there is a role for everyone to suit specific interests and career goals. Each role has been created to help graduates find their potential, identify their strengths and develop new skills, so that they finish the programme fully prepared for their chosen career path. These roles include:

• Business, Law and Social Sciences (BLSS)
• Employability
• Estates
• Finance
• Human Resources (HR)
• Information Systems (IS)
• Marketing
• Planning
• Vice-Chancellor’s Directorate

Meet the graduates

Meet past and current female graduates to find out what they have to say about the programme, the skills they’ve learned, and life after graduation.

Meet Safa Masud, Project Coordinator (Planning)

Safa spent four year at Nottingham Trent University studying International Business, but when she graduated she realised that she didn’t really know what she wanted to do. She joined the Graduate Development Programme after receiving an email saying they were looking for Nottingham Trent University graduates.

At university, Safa learned a lot about business theory, business strategy, and many other related disciplines, but didn't learn as much in terms of actual work-based skills and working with people. Nottingham Trent University's Graduate Development Programme has given Safa the chance to develop those work-based skills, which means she has grown so much more than she has ever thought possible.

"At university you’re never taught how to deal with situations that go wrong, or how to bounce back from failure," says Safa. "Working on this job and going through the programme has really taught me that failure isn’t a bad thing, rather it’s a development opportunity that can be used to make me a better professional."

The monthly workshops that are put on for graduates taught Safa valuable skills. They learned about leadership development, how to be resilient and among other transferable skills.

"As a graduate, this development is something that you really need. You might have a degree, even some work experience, but you won’t have the level of personal development skills that this programme can give you," explains Safa.

Being part of the Nottingham Trent University Graduate Development Programme gave Safa a better understanding of higher education and working for a university.

"Before the programme I would never have thought of a university as a viable place to work – in my eyes it was just a place to go study. It’s been so insightful to see behind the scenes and understand the amount of work that goes into making the student experience here so good," adds Safa.

"This programme really is the best stepping stone for your career. A lot of jobs you get out of university don’t offer you the support, development opportunities and experience that this does. I’ve loved being a part of the programme, and would recommend it to anyone who is looking to lay the foundation for their future career."

Emma Hollingworth, Information Security Analyst

At the start of Emma's studies, she was doing a pure Business Management degree, but she enjoyed the HR module so much that she decided to transfer over to Business Management and HR. Doing a different course meant that Emma was able to learn about subjects that she never thought she would be able to. Now, Emma is in a job that she hadn’t considered before, but she loves the constant learning curve and the freedom to do new things.

"The programme has made me much more confident in my abilities. When I first started I wasn’t sure that I would have enough knowledge and skills to be able to perform highly in my role and was reluctant to take on big responsibilities; I had a habit of doubting myself and not putting myself into difficult situations," says Emma.

"Now I am surer of myself and feel like I can adjust to anything that is thrown at me. Especially as I have gone into a job vastly different to my background, I don’t feel like I have to limit myself to what I am comfortable or used to because I am more confident about pushing myself out my comfort zone."

Emma believes that graduates who haven’t had the chance to do a placement year or work experience could lack a certain amount of expected professionalism at work. Emma struggled with even the most simple things, like sending an email in the correct format, or networking effectively.

One of the first workshops of programme focused on professionalism and how each participants presented themselves in the workplace. For Emma, these were skills that she wasn't necessarily taught at university but are very important factors of teamwork and organisation.

"I would recommend this programme to NTU graduates studying any course, whether they know what career they want to go into or if they are still unsure. It’s such a great way to improve yourself and learn to have more faith in your abilities in an environment where you are encouraged to develop and try new things that you are interested in," adds Emma.

"The aim of the programme is to provide you with as much experience as possible during the year – whether you decide to stay at NTU or not. Not many jobs will offer you this opportunity when they know you might leave them. You also get a lot of support from your fellow graduates and colleagues who all want to help you transition into the world of work."

Rebecca Bell, Market Research and Insight Assistant

Rebecca understood that not every graduate knows what they want to do after uni. She studied psychology at Nottingham Trent University because she loved the subject, but she was very open about where it could take her.

"Around about the time I was graduating, Kim – our team’s manager – sent out an email, advertising a graduate intern vacancy. They were looking specifically for psychology students: they target courses to make sure they’re getting people with the right knowledge and skills, and passion for the work. Straight away, I could imagine myself in the role. For my first ‘proper’ job, the familiarity of NTU made that transition into work a bit less daunting," said Rebecca.

"You’re so well looked after here. They’ve got the balance just right – you’re challenged, but in the right way. It’s very supportive. My parents are always joking that 'you’ve fallen on your feet there!'" Rebecca adds that's she's so lucky to have Kim as her manager. Kim has encouraged her to take up opportunities and get everything she can out of the role, to help her development. Rebecca has had the chance to get involved with schemes like the Graduate Development Programme – a series of workshops looking at things like resilience, leadership, team-working and conflict – and she's learned so much more about herself.

"To be given that sense of trust and ownership at such an early point was inspiring, and it really helped my confidence. I’ve done things I never thought I’d be capable of, and to secure a permanent position at the end of my internship was huge. I can’t imagine I’d have got this experience or these opportunities anywhere else," comments Rebecca.

Rebecca would encourage any Nottingham Trent University student to apply for a graduate intern position. "You might think you’re not ‘moving on’, but trust me, it’s a different world," adds Rebecca. "It’s really interesting to see how a university works once you’ve studied here: as a student, you assume it’s just you and the lecturers, but there’s an army of people behind the scenes. You find out how much the staff here actually care about the students – they genuinely want everyone who comes here to have the best years of their life, and they do everything they can to make sure that happens."

Kim Burt, Project Coordinator (HR)

When Kim finished her studies at Nottingham Trent University, she lacked confidence. Kim believes she is a naturally introverted person, and she would always find it difficult to find her voice in new situations. Getting involved in the graduate programme has helped Kim improve her confidence in different of situations in a significant way.

"The programme helped me explore why I lacked confidence, and once I understood why, it was so much easier to work on ways to boost my own self-assurance," explains Kim. "Before the programme I would never have been able to hold a conversation with senior staff, or stand in front of a room of people to deliver a presentation or a workshop. Now, thanks to the development opportunities on offer in this programme, I can confidently take on these tasks and know I can do a good job of it. I can honestly say that I wouldn’t be where I am at now without the programme."

Kim is appreciative of the support from the staff at Nottingham Trent University. Kim's line manager is both supportive and values Kim's independence. She and the rest of the line managers on the graduate programme are also good at giving participants like Kim the chance to develop and improve yourself.

"They’re all so committed to seeing us graduates be the best professionals we can, and it’s comforting to know that we have so many people invested in us," adds Kim.

One suggestion Kim would make to anyone who is about to take on a role on the Graduate Development Programme is to seize every opportunity. Kim believes you need to go out of your comfort zone to make the most of the graduate programme.

"Even if they offer you something that you really don’t think is for you, take a leap of faith and go for it because you could surprise yourself and really excel in that area of work." says Kim.

"I would 100% would recommend the programme to a friend, it’s the best thing I ever did for my professional development. It’s coached me to have the drive to push on when projects come to a stop, rather than just buckling under the pressure. But I think most of all, it’s helped me to think of myself as a professional, rather than just a student who is in a job."

Betty Barucco, Junior Creative

Betty moved to the UK about three years ago to study at Nottingham Trent University, where she graduated in Fashion Communication & Promotion. She had never been to Nottingham, she didn’t know anyone in the city, and her family are still all living in Italy. For Betty, it was a big change – but she loved Nottingham Trent University so much that she decided to stay.

At first, Betty was so busy working on her final year projects that she didn't have much time to consider jobs. Shortly after graduating, Betty was looking for vacancies on FutureHub (Nottingham Trent University's own employability website) and she discovered two of the roles on the Graduate Development Programme that were available at the time. For Betty, they all sounded great, but she applied for the one that she felt suited her the most. Betty was so happy when she actually got the job.

"One of the most valuable things I’ve learnt so far is probably that you never stop learning. As my first proper job, I was worried that I’d struggle to fit in and have any real impact on such a big, established organisation," says Betty. "But that wasn’t the case at all – from day one I felt welcomed and I was treated like a valuable part of the team. It’s great to see higher management actually interested in your perspective as a young graduate, and it has made me less worried about feeling inadequate or not experienced enough because it feels like a safe place to learn and make mistakes.

Betty believes that most graduates leave university with lots of skill and lots of enthusiasm, but often lack interpersonal skills. For Betty, the graduate programme is a perfect bridge between university and the workplace; you get to be part of a professional team and work with your line manager and other senior staff, while also establishing a support network with other people of a similar who are going through a similar experience.

"Both the workshops and the job role itself have definitely helped me better understand myself as a professional and as a person. Facing people, situations and challenges that you’re normally not exposed to can bring out aspects of yourself that you didn’t know before, especially after spending so many years in the safe, sheltered environment that is education," adds Betty.

"I would definitely recommend this programme to any Nottingham Trent University graduate who want to measure themselves against professional standards and experience first-hand the ins and outs of working within such a large organisation. It’s also great if you’re not totally sure what you want to do yet, as you basically get to take an extra year at NTU and have the opportunity to work on a variety of different projects while also getting paid to do it!"

Who can apply?

The Nottingham Trent University Graduate Development Programme applicants must be either:

• a current undergraduate from Nottingham Trent University in their last year of study, on track to receive a grade of 2:1 or above
• a Nottingham Trent University graduate who has graduated within the last two years, achieving a grade of 2:1 or above
• a Nottingham Trent University postgraduate who also gained their undergraduate from Nottingham Trent University (within the last two years).

Make the transition from university to work easier with NTU

If you want to make the transition from work to university easier, have a look at Nottingham Trent University's dedicated page for more information about the application process, how to prepare for it and what to expect if an applicant is successful.

Check on their page to see when applications open again or apply for a job at the University now.

Find out more

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