University of Winchester Careers & Opportunities Team Statement of Service
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, confidence and curiosity. 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 career development.
We have a number of key stakeholders: our students, learners, graduates, programme teams, and opportunity providers (including employers, community organisations and charities). We have a dedicated staff team focussed on supporting careers, volunteering, placements, job hunting and more.
We are members of the Association for Graduate Careers Advisory Service (AGCAS) and ASET, who offer sector advice and support for professionals working in 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 AGCAS 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.
Services for students
The Careers & Opportunities Team has a physical space on the King Alfred campus in the St. Alphege building, room 303 where all visitors are welcome to drop-in to browse our resources and speak to one of the friendly team. Students and graduates may choose between an in-person or online appointment.
We offer: 15-minute drop-in appointments for CV advice, support with their job search, volunteering and more, weekdays, term time. Please check the University intranet for specific opening hours. 1
Access to all our services; booking appointments, finding work, exploring our events, and researching organisations, through our platform, CareerConnect.
One-to-one advice and guidance appointments which can be booked via CareerConnect:
40-minute individual careers guidance discussions with a Careers Consultant.
30-minute individual appointments to discuss work placement or volunteering module queries.
How to find us
Visit the Careers & Opportunities Team, located in the St. Alphege Building in Room 303 (building 19 on the Campus Map, opposite the Student Support & Success reception).
Careers Guidance Appointments
The appointment is designed to help students and graduates explore their career options and make informed decisions about their future.
Students can expect:
A confidential and impartial meeting with a professionally qualified Careers Consultant.
A quality service which complies with the AGCAS Code of Ethics.
To be directed to a range of up-to-date resources through multiple platforms.
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.
In these appointments, students or graduates have up to 40 minutes to talk to a Careers Consultant. Topics of conversation could include:
I have no idea what I want to do after I graduate, what are my options?
What jobs would complement my degree?
I know what I would like to do, but I don’t know my next steps.
How do my skills and strengths fit in the labour market?
I need support with preparing an application form for a job or further study.
I need to practice my interview skills in a mock interview.
I need to create or need support with reviewing my LinkedIn profile.
Should I use AI in the recruitment process?
I’m interested in taking a gap year after I graduate and I want to plan something employers will value.
I have no work experience and need guidance on how to obtain this.
I’m thinking of leaving/changing my course and would like to explore the implications of this in relation to my career plans.
I’m interested in doing a postgraduate course or PhD, what are my options?
I’m not sure how to disclose sensitive information to an employer.
The meetings are very informal and relaxed. Careers Consultants are there to help discuss things in a safe environment. We have two guidance rooms in SAB 303 or the meeting can take place on Teams.
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.
Confidential
The careers guidance appointment will take place in a confidential space. The Careers Consultant will make notes which will be added to the database (CRM) accessed by Student Support & Success colleagues.
Careers guidance discussions are confidential; however, the University of Winchester safeguarding policy is adhered to at all times.
If a student 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.
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.
What we can’t cover / provide
We are non-directive in our approach, meaning we will not tell students/graduates what to do, but 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.
We are not permitted to provide advice on visas or immigration rules. For advice, please contact international.support@winchester.ac.uk
We cannot provide advice on disability support or Access to Work. Students should contact diability@winchester.ac.uk for further guidance.
We cannot provide advice related to queries around moving / transferring from a course. Students should contact Registry for further guidance.
We will provide advice and guidance to enable students to create / revise CV/ application/cover letter/personal statement etc accordingly. We will not draft these for a student or graduate.
We cannot support with CVs/applications as part of a specific course assessment or provide specific guidance related to assessments. Students should contact their academic or Academic Skills for further support.
We cannot provide specific advice related to salaries.
Multiple appointments are permitted but are never guaranteed with the same Careers Consultant due to staff availability.
Appointments are offered in person and online within the working week and between the hours of 9am – 5pm.
How can students and graduates prepare for their careers guidance appointment?
Please provide as much information as possible in the booking form on CareerConnect to enable the Careers Consultant to prepare for the meeting. It may be useful to research any career ideas in advance on the following webpages:
CV, Covering Letters and Applications Interviews, Assessment Centres, Cognitive Testing and LinkedIn What Can I do With My Degree?
How can I book an appointment?
Students and graduates should book their appointment via the CareerConnect platform.
Please contact careers@winchester.ac.uk or call 01962 827310 or drop in if further help is needed.
Cancelling an appointment
Students and graduates are expected to cancel the appointment via the CareerConnect platform giving a notice period of 24 hours wherever possible.
Services for Graduates
We offer support for graduates for life after their course is completed.
By this we mean:
Students who have completed their course with the University can maintain access to CareerConnect.
Graduates will need to update their account with a non-University email address to maintain access.
Graduates can book Careers Guidance Appointments online or in person via CareerConnect.
Graduates can attend our events on campus by booking through CareerConnect or by emailing careers@winchester.ac.uk
Graduates can sign up for job alerts related to graduate employment.
Graduates can access our drop in for CV advice between 10.00am - 3.00pm Monday to Friday, term-time.
Prospective students
We do not see prospective students who are not currently studying at the University for Careers Guidance appointments.
We attend most Open Days and provide general advice and guidance on the employability support and opportunities offered at the University.
If a prospective student contacts us, we will signpost to external resources or to the relevant area of the University, if appropriate.
Prospective students are welcome to follow our social media account.
What we expect from students and graduates
We offer a welcoming supportive service and expect students and graduates to:
Arrive punctually for your appointments, workshops and other sessions.
Play an active part in your discussions with us and complete the notes section in CareerConnect when booking your appointment.
Students / graduates are encouraged to inform us through the appointment booking form of any disability / access requirements.
Notify us if you are unable to attend the appointments, events or workshops that you have signed up for giving a notice period of 24 hours wherever possible,
Act with agency and engage with the resources that may be recommended.
Opt-in / sign up to register with the CareerConnect platform.
Treat our staff, employers, visitors and other organisations with respect and consideration and use our spaces in a responsible manner.
Provide feedback on our services when requested and to complete the Graduate Outcomes Survey 15 months after the course finishes.
Central workshops and events throughout the year
Workshops might be on campus or virtual and will be advertised on CareerConnect, through social media and our e-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).
Futures Fair (usually February each year and focused on the humanities and social sciences)
Creative event (usually February / March each year, focused on opportunities / speakers from the creative industries).
Graduate scheme advice and guidance.
International volunteering 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 vacancy terms and conditions, and we strongly recommend that students and graduates research organisations before they apply as we are unable to substantiate the details of every vacancy.
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. Work-based 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 Work Placement Co-ordinators who work within the curriculum and via oneto-ones to support students considering or taking placement or volunteering modules.
Further Study
We will 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.
One-to-one appointments can support with researching courses and personal statements.
Start-up
We will tailor in-curriculum sessions, where relevant, to include signposting to startup / freelance resources.
Students can contact startup@winchester.ac.uk for individual queries.
Mentoring
We offer a Careers Professional Mentoring Programme for final year undergraduate students. More information can be found here.
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 Intranet page.
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.
Using the Winchester Career Capabilities Framework to deliver consistent, relevant and tailored employability sessions within the curriculum, through a menu of sessions.
With programme teams, Quality and Registry, providing feedback and insight into employability aspects with the validation and revalidation processes.
To provide information on the best practice in recruitment, trends and feedback from organisations.
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.
To support an employability rich curriculum and staff may find more about this within the staff Canvas pages.
Careers Consultants work across all faculties within the curriculum and see students and graduates from all courses.
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.
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, CareerConnect.
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.
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.
September, 2025