University of Winchester Careers & Opportunities Team Statement of Service 1. About us The Careers and Opportunities Team empower, inspire, and guide learners, students, and graduates to navigate their professional journeys with confidence and purpose. We provide careers education in partnership with the curriculum using the Winchester Career Capabilities Framework, ensuring students receive consistent, timely careers education throughout their time at university and beyond, developing career capabilities, curiosity and confidence. Our dedicated team supports individuals at every stage of their career journey, offering support and guidance on key areas including CVs and applications, volunteering, placements, career exploration and next steps. Watch our short film to find out more. The service is part of Student Support and Success and has a welcoming culture, emphasising a partnership approach to enable students to take ownership of their employability and career development. We work with a range of stakeholders, including students, learners, graduates, academic programme teams, and opportunity providers such as employers, charities, and community organisations. We are members of the Graduate Futures Institute (GFI) and ASET, who offer sector advice and support for professionals working in careers education, work based and placement learning. Impartiality is core to careers education, information, advice and guidance. We support students and graduates to make well informed decisions about their career and to align their career plans with their values and ethics. As a profession, impartiality is fundamental and written into the GFI Code of Ethics We ask students and graduates to feedback on their one-to-one appointments and within curriculum delivery with students. The University also has a 'Student Complaints Policy' which can be found on the external website. The Head of Graduate Success is responsible for ensuring staff adhere to this Statement of Service and ensuring that the statement is updated on an annual basis.
2. Students and graduates The Careers & Opportunities Team is based in St. Alphege building, room 303 on King Alfred Campus (building 19 on the Campus Map,) Students and learners All current students/ learners have access to the Careers and Opportunities team. Students who are interrupting their studies Students/learners who are interrupting their studies have the same access to careers provision as a current student. Students who are leaving the university with no exit award Students/learners who are leaving the university with no exit award such as a Certificate/Diploma in Higher Education are entitled to one careers guidance appointment to support with transition planning.
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Prospective students If a prospective student/learner contact us, we will signpost to external resources or to the relevant area of the University, if appropriate. We attend Open Days and provide general advice and guidance on careers and employability support and opportunities offered at the University. Prospective students are welcome to follow our Instagram account uowcareers We do not see prospective students for Careers Guidance appointments. Graduates We offer lifelong support for graduates after their course is completed. This also applies to individuals who have not completed their full degree but have achieved an exit award from their studies such as a Certificate or Diploma in Higher Education. By this we mean: •
Former students who have completed their course with the University can maintain access to the university careers platform, CareerConnect. Graduates will need to update their account with a non-University email address to maintain access.
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Graduates can access our drop-in service, Monday to Friday, term-time. Please contact careers@winchester.ac.uk for details.
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Graduates can book Careers Guidance Appointments online or in person via CareerConnect.
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Graduates can attend our events on campus by booking through CareerConnect or by emailing careers@winchester.ac.uk
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Graduates can sign up for job alerts related to graduate employment and receive our careers newsletter.
Students/ graduates can expect: •
A quality professional service which complies with the Graduate Futures Institute Code of Ethics.
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A service underpinned by the University’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Policy with a commitment to equality of opportunity regardless of age, disability, ethnic origin, nationality, gender, religion, sexual orientation or any other factor.
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Up-to-date digital careers information and resources through our careers platform.
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Opportunities to provide feedback on our provision to help shape our service.
We expect students/graduates to: •
Treat our space, staff, employers, visitors and other organisations with respect and consideration and use our spaces in a responsible manner.
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Arrive punctuality and notify us if they are unable to attend their booking, giving a notice period of 24 hours wherever possible. Multiple missed bookings may result in the withdrawal of future appointments.
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For appointments, inform us at the stage of booking of any requirements that they would like us to be aware of, such as a learning agreement, or any required adjustments.
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Register and engage in our careers platform throughout their degree.
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Provide feedback on our services when requested and to complete the Graduate Outcomes Survey 15 months after the course finishes. 2
3. Our services: Access to the university careers platform Students and graduates have access to our careers platform, CareerConnect featuring a jobs and opportunities board, careers resources, weekly careers newsletter, events, and bookable appointments with our team. Employability drop–in (15 minutes) Students and graduates can drop in with enquiries and get support with CVs, job search, volunteering and more. Please check the University intranet for specific drop-in opening hours. Bookable appointments are also available on CareerConnect. Work placement/volunteering support (30 minutes) Students who are considering choosing/ chosen the placement or volunteering module as part of their course can book an appointment with a Placement Coordinator for advice and support on searching and applying for placement opportunities. Careers guidance (40 minutes) Students and graduates have access to careers guidance appointments to help them explore their career options and make informed decisions about their future. Impartial A Careers Consultant will not recommend one route over another; they are there to help explore the options objectively and through guidance skills empower students and graduates to make individual informed decisions. Non directive Careers Consultants do not tell students/graduates what to do. They provide a supportive environment that encourages reflective thinking and informed decision making. Direction is offered through conversation helping individuals to explore their options and clarify their goals. Challenging The Careers Consultant may use exploratory questions and guidance skills to question if goals are realistic and well thought through. This is part of careers guidance, ensuring choices are well explored to enable informed decision making. Part of a process Career choice is a process not an event. A careers guidance interview is a good starting point, but it will often require further research and actions. It is the responsibility of the student/graduate to ensure any actions are completed between any follow up appointments. Topics of conversation could include: •
I have no idea what I want to do after I graduate, what are my options?
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What jobs would complement my degree?
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I know what I would like to do, but I don’t know my next steps.
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How do my skills and strengths fit in the labour market?
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I need support with preparing an application form for a job or further study.
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I need to practice my interview skills in a mock interview. 3
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I need to create or need support with reviewing my LinkedIn profile.
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Should I use AI in the recruitment process?
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I’m interested in taking a gap year after I graduate and I want to plan something employers will value.
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I have no work experience and need guidance on how to obtain this.
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I’m thinking of leaving/changing my course and would like to explore the implications of this in relation to my career plans.
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I’m interested in doing a postgraduate course or PhD, what are my options?
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I’m not sure how to disclose sensitive information to an employer.
We cannot: •
Provide advice on Visas or immigration rules. Students can contact the international team for further support international.support@winchester.ac.uk
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Provide advice on disability support or Access to Work. Students can contact the disability team for further support, disability@winchester.ac.uk
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Provide advice related to queries around the logistics of moving / transferring from a course. Students can contact registry for further support registry.enquiries@winchester.ac.uk
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Provide support and feedback on CVs and applications as part of a specific course assessment/brief. Students can contact their academic or the academic skills team, academicskills@winchester.ac.uk
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Write a CV/application, cover letter, personal statement on behalf of a student/graduate.
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Provide specific advice related to job salaries.
Confidentiality Appointments are confidential; however, the University of Winchester safeguarding policy is adhered to at all times. Notes of the appointment are recorded to our CRM database, accessed by colleagues within the Student Support and Success team. If a student/learner discloses a disability within the appointment, and the university is not aware of this, we will need to feed this back to the disability team. Please see our Privacy Notice. Booking an appointment Students and graduates can book appointments via the CareerConnect platform. They can contact careers@winchester.ac.uk or 01962 827310 or drop in if further help is required. Appointments must be booked by the student or graduate who will be attending. Parents and carers are unable to make appointments on their behalf. If a student or graduate has a disability and requires a support person to attend the appointment with them, this should be indicated when making the booking. The careers team should be made aware of any requirements, such as a learning agreement, or any required adjustments ahead of the appointment. Multiple appointments are permitted but are never guaranteed with the same staff member. We cannot offer double appointment bookings; any further appointments should be made as a separate booking.
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Cancelled/missed appointments Students/graduates must notify us if they are unable to attend their booked appointment, giving a notice period of 24 hours wherever possible. Multiple missed appointments may result in the withdrawal of future appointments. Central sessions and events throughout the year Careers sessions and events are a mixture of on campus and online via Teams and are advertised through CareerConnect, social media and our newsletters. They focus on a range of different subjects including getting into teaching, exploring postgraduate study, placements, internships, graduate schemes and much more! Opportunities to meet employers or community organisations We invite organisations onto campus and there will be a range of opportunities on CareerConnect throughout the year, connecting students with organisations, placements and volunteering roles: •
Jobs and Placements Fair (usually November each year, a general event for all course areas).
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Futures Fair (usually February each year and focused on the humanities and social sciences)
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FRAME - Creative event (usually February / March each year, focused on opportunities / speakers from the creative industries).
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Graduate scheme advice and guidance.
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International volunteering opportunities.
Jobs and opportunities CareerConnect, is for students and graduates to search for and apply to a range of opportunities, including part-time jobs, volunteering opportunities, placements, internships and graduate level jobs. Users may set their preferences to receive email alerts of the opportunities that suit them. We only approve vacancies that comply with our Code of Practice for Organisations, and we strongly recommend that students and graduates research organisations before they apply as we are unable to substantiate the details of every opportunity. Placements The University of Winchester recognises the importance of work-based and placement learning, including volunteering, within its modular provision, as an essential contribution to students’ employability, developing their curiosity, confidence and capabilities. Work-based learning can include live consultancy / briefs from industry, where students work on industry problems. Workbased and placement learning is integral to the University’s strategic plan to ensure that our graduates have the skills that they need in employment and beyond to have successful and meaningful lives. This provides authentic learning situations where students can use the experience to articulate their skills, attributes, knowledge and experience. The University uses an online placement management system called InPlace to manage placements. We have Placement Co-ordinators who work within the curriculum and via one-to-ones to support students considering or taking placement or volunteering modules.
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Further Study We tailor in-curriculum sessions, where relevant, to include information on further study options. Central sessions are delivered throughout the year to support with researching and applying for further study. Careers guidance appointments can support with exploring options, researching courses, and the application process. Start-up We tailor in-curriculum sessions, where relevant, to include signposting to start-up / freelance resources. Mentoring We offer a Careers Professional Mentoring Programme for final year undergraduate students. For more information, email mentoring.careers@winchester.ac.uk Winchester Employability Fund (WEF) The WEF is a fund available for eligible students to apply to and supports a range of employability activities. Further information can be found on the Careers Intranet page.
4. Services for programme teams, academics and other staff We work in partnership with Faculties and Professional Services and offer a range of resources that staff are welcome to access for their students and graduates. We work: •
With all departments and faculties to provide information, advice and guidance to empower our students and graduates with self-awareness, career management skills and the confidence and labour market knowledge needed to access a range of opportunities that will enhance their graduate outcomes and university experience.
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Using the Winchester Career Capabilities Framework to deliver consistent, relevant and tailored employability sessions within the curriculum, through a menu of sessions.
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With programme teams, Quality and Registry, providing feedback and insight into employability aspects with the validation and revalidation processes.
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To provide information on the best practice in recruitment, trends and feedback from organisations.
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To support courses to improve their Graduate Outcomes through the continuous monitoring process and through our recommendations for timetabled, in-curriculum sessions throughout the degree.
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To support an employability rich curriculum staff can access the staff Canvas pages.
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Careers Consultants work across all faculties within the curriculum and see students and graduates from all courses.
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We do not offer Careers Guidance appointments to University of Winchester staff, unless they are studying at the University of Winchester or are an alumnus of the institution.
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5. Services for organisations Organisations can access students and graduates in the following ways: • • • • • •
Advertise roles, free of charge to our students and graduates on our online jobs board, providing they meet the requirements in the Code of Practice for Organisations. Participate in our employer events/Careers/Volunteering/Placement Fairs during the year (where possible). Work to promote opportunities and events to relevant target groups, where possible. Refer to other University staff and departments (such as academic links) where appropriate. Promote to students and graduates to attend presentations or events employers are involved in. Opportunity to volunteer to mentor our students through the Careers Professional Mentoring Programme.
6. Confidentiality and privacy The University complies with the General Data Protection Regulation and other data protection law and our approach to data collection and processing is set out in our Privacy and Cookie Policy. The Careers and Opportunities Team also work within our own Privacy Notice. Updated September 2026
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