The Aspire Guide - Flipbook - Page 54
Employability Skills Gap
The employability skills gap refers to ‘soft skills’ that employers typically value, like confidence, teamwork
and leadership. Not all students have the same opportunities to develop these, for example, pupils at
private schools may have more opportunities to take part in extracurricular activities than those at state
schools. On the other hand, upReach research suggests that less-privileged students have more grit,
resilience, determination and self-awareness.
Available to students from their first term of university, upReach’s free professional development
programme works to close the employability skills gap.
In the meantime, there are three key steps you can take now to improve your employability skills:
1
Research career options online - for example, by attending our interactive Aspire Career Webinars,
watching our Aspire Career Video Library, or by contacting local employers to see if you can
organise work experience.
2
Pursue non-academic interests - join clubs or teams, and seek leadership positions within them.
3
Pre-register now to receive upReach’s free careers support once you’re at university
aspire.upreach.org.uk/register
Name: Dulcie
Subject: Law
University: University of Liverpool
The help and support offered by upReach cannot be underestimated! I registered my interest
in becoming an Associate after reading about the opportunities upReach offer students from
low socio-economic backgrounds. I had no legal connections prior to joining upReach and was
worried that this would put me at a disadvantage. Not only have I developed a legal network
since becoming an Associate, but I have also come to realise that with the right guidance,
a career in law is available to anybody.
My Programme Coordinator has been especially helpful during the application process. He read
through several of my applications and helped me re-draft them to a high standard and worked
with me to form a good quality CV. After my success in the initial stages of the application
process, he arranged a mock interview to help prepare for the assessment centre.
Another way in which upReach has helped me is through the mentoring scheme. I was partnered
with a trainee solicitor. We regularly exchange texts and emails and have even met for lunch on
two occasions. I can confidently say that without this exposure to the industry – and the firm
itself – I would not have felt as comfortable as I did during the assessment centre.
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