Oxford’s efforts to address almuni career changes have been commended by the Financial Times as “the first initiative of its kind in the UK outside business schools”.
The event took place on Saturday 12th February and aimed at mid-career professionals who would like a boost to their career, or who are looking to “change direction.”
It comprised of panel discussions, talks, workshops and even a CV clinic, with a networking session at the end. A range of topics was discussed, from how to break into International Development to how to start your own business. There was also a session on “the benefits of gaining further qualifications.”
100 alumni paid £45 to attend this event, which addressed mid-career changes.
According to Jonathan Black, President of the Careers Service, a show of hands at the beginning revealed that a third of the attendees were definitely going to change their career, about a third were thinking about it, and a few had to change because they were being made redundant.
According to Dr. Daud Salim Faruquie a graduate student studying Evidence-Based Social Intervention, “people contemplate a switch in their career due to varied reasons”.
Having made a calculated move from academia to policy himself, Faruquie feels that such events are particularly useful in providing a platform where people can “evaluate their contemplations.”
The initiative taken by the Careers Service was a result of a policy changed two years ago to support alumni for life (the previous standard being four years).
According to Black, there are currently about 8000 alumni registered on CareerConnect, the Careers Service’s online job portal, with a number of them reportedly finding jobs through it.
