How is the University of Essex adapting its programmes to cater to the evolving needs of Indian students and the global job market?
From speaking to Indian students, we know they are attracted to Essex for our wide range of courses including economics, computer science, data science, and business and management. These are important subjects which are increasingly attractive in the global job market, so we are fortunate these are among our strengths.
We are focused on developing job ready graduates, so we have a whole range of support to help students build their business skills, unlock their entrepreneurialism, and meet their career aspirations.
Indian students have told us a top priority is gaining work experience while they study. We offer students extensive opportunities to develop their employability skills for the future with placements available on many courses and our own internships programme offering paid work experience on our campuses.
At Essex our Indian students benefit from a year-long programme of skills development, industry networking and workshops including one-to-one sessions to talk through career options and prepare job applications and mentoring.
Our range of two-year Master's degrees include a professional work placement in the second year giving these students a particular advantage in their future careers.
We’ve seen students are now increasingly interested in setting up their own businesses or working in startups. And companies tell us they need innovators in their teams with an entrepreneurial mindset. This is where our Essex Startups team comes in by offering space and a programme of events to nurture entrepreneurialism.
At Essex we are developing a groundbreaking approach we call Essex For All which offers several strands of learning which go well beyond the degree course and develop skills which are attractive in the global job market from languages to data analytics — an option proving incredibly popular with students as they can see that data skills give you an advantage in virtually every career.
What are some of the key academic programmes that are popular among Indian students, and why?
We receive applications across our departments, but we have seen particularly strong applications from India for Essex Business School, Edge Hotel School, Department of Economics, Department of Government, the School of Philosophical, Historical and Interdisciplinary Studies, and the School of Computer Science and Electronic Engineering.
What career support services does the University of Essex provide to help Indian students secure employment after graduation, both in the UK and internationally?
We offer lots of opportunities for students to develop their skills for the future. This includes our Students’ Union’s award-winning volunteering programme, our Essex Startups programme for entrepreneurs, our year-long Skills for Success workshops programme and our extensive mentoring. Our Essex for All programmes also gives students the chance to gain skills for life alongside their courses from learning a language to developing their data skills.
We support students with extensive mentoring opportunities linked to careers they are interested in and support them to find placements relevant to their careers. On top of this we offer employment and internship opportunities on our campuses to build-up their CV.
Our Chart my Path and Big Essex Award programme ensure students can record all their work experience and extra-curricular activities so they are included on their degree transcripts and can be seen by potential employers.