Law Society Bursary and Diversity Award Scheme

The Law Society's Bursary and Diversity Access awards for 2010-11 have now been announced. Both schemes offer assistance with fees for the Legal Practice Course (LPC) to exceptional aspiring entrants to the solicitors’ profession. Further information on applying is available on the Junior Lawyers Division website under "funding and financial assistance".

Both schemes will open on 1st March 2010 and close on 31st March 2010.

See http://www.juniorlawyers.lawsociety.org/

City Solicitors' Educational Trust Summer School 2010

The City Solicitors' Educational Trust Summer School is an all expenses paid 1 week residential summer school for first- year law students/ second year non- law students who have the right to work in the UK. The scheme is held at Imperial College, London. Students will have the chance to take part in the following:

- skills sessions on practical law, interview and application skills, commercial awareness and teamwork
- work with solicitors from top law firms
- participate in case studies and debating exercises

There are 2 x 1 week schemes available with 200 places on each. The dates are Mon 12th July- Sat 17th July and Mon 19th July- Sat 24th July 2010.

Further information, including an online application form is available at www.cset.org.uk/summerschool

Closing date 31st March at 5pm

Wired Sussex Internships Go Live March 1st!

The applications for the next 40 internships for the Sussex Internship Programme go live on Monday 1st march 2010. We have internships across Sussex within the content, creative and media industry sectors.

The internship programme has been a great success in helping graduates get their foot on the 1st rung of the ladder with over 65% of the interns from the 1st round being made a job offer.
If you want to find out more regarding the internship programme then please do not hesitate to call Nick Edwards, our Recruitment and Internships manager on 01273 692888 or come along to the Wired Sussex Jobs and Skills Fair on Thursday 4th March 2010 at The Corn Exchange Brighton where Nick will be on hand to answer your questions. The Sussex Internship Programme is a partnership programme led by Wired Sussex and the University of Sussex.

NABARRO OPEN DAY FOR 1st YEAR LAW STUDENTS

Nabarro LLP is a major UK law firm based in London, Sheffield and Brussels. They are looking for talented, positive and hard working first year students to attend their open day to be held at their London office on Friday April 9th 2010. This is a great opportunity to meet the graduate recruitment team in addition to other trainees and solicitors, learn about the firm and its work and impress a potential employer. It is important to understand that this is just as important as work experience. Interested students need to write 200 words on why they "relish" the opportunity to attend the open day and submit it directly to the firm.

Resources for women in STEM

There are still some careers where there are gender inequalities and science, technology, engineering and maths tend to have low levels of female employees compared with the levels of success and ability of women in these subjects when studying. Luckily for women interested in working in these fields there are a number of excellent resources on the web to help with training, networking and learning more about careers in STEM.

The UK Resource Centre for Women in SET tackles women's under-representation in the science, engineering and technology (SET) community. The GetSET women blog has some great profiles of women in interesting careers and there are many events and training opportunities.

The WISE Campaign encourages young women to stick with studying Maths and Physics and to consider careers in Science, Engineering and The Built Environment. Has useful news and links.

Equalitec seeks to address gender inequality in the Information Technology, Electronics and Communications (ITEC) industries. It has some downloadable career guides, events and resources.

Women in Technology has a great blog as well as jobs, careers advice and (mainly London based) events.

Cambridge AWiSE is a regional network for women in SET in both industry and academia. It has an excellent links and resources page with details of other networks and information on grants for further study.

There are lots of people and organisations worth following on twitter too. Sarah Blow, founder of Girl Geek Dinners (@girlygeekdom on Twitter) has created two particularly useful twitter lists: womenset and womensetcontd.

Finally, Imperial College London has a created 100 Women 100 Visions a series of portraits about women doing interesting things in science, technology, engineering and medicine.

Let us know if you come across any other useful links, resources, or tweeps to follow.

Guardian Positive Action Scheme

The Guardian is seeking to achieve a better representation of our diverse society in journalism, and each summer offers 12 two-week placements for students and graduates from racial minorities. Successful applicants will learn about different aspects of the profession, gaining an insight into the workings of the newspaper, website and multimedia department.

Details of how to apply for this opportunity can be found on the Guardian News and Media website and the deadline for applications is Friday 27 March 2010.

The Guardian have a great list of other diversity schemes in the media here including placements at the BBC and Channel4 and other opportunities for broadcast and newspaper journalists.

JOB SPOT

Duke of York's Picturehouse Cinema at Preston Circus are looking for a new Kids' Club Coordinator - a part-time position with about 10 hours a week. Go check it out!

Job spotted: 11am, 18th February on Twitter.

Researching LGBT Friendly Employers

Researching employers is an important part of your job search. How can you tell if an organisation is going to support their LGBT staff? Although discrimination at work on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity is illegal there are undoubtedly some employers who are better than others in providing LGBT friendly working environments.

A good place to start is the company literature, webpage and job adverts. Does the organisation have an equal opportunities policy or an equality and diversity officer? Are there support groups for LGBT employees? It may also be useful to get an idea of the work culture from current employees where possible.

For lesbian, gay & bisexual job seekers there are a few resources that may help in identifying employers to investigate further. Stonewall produce a list of Diversity Champions which are employers who are committed to creating gayfriendly workplaces. The Starting Out: Lesbian, Gay & Bisexual Recruitment Guide is available in the Careers and Employability Centre and we have several copies for students to take away. Additionally Stonewall's list of their top 100 employers can be downloaded from their website.
Additionally lesbians and bisexual women may need to look at any LGB workplace support groups to ensure that they are representative as a study has indicated that lesbians can sometimes feel discouraged at the way these groups were dominated by gay men leading to less involvement by women.
The University of Westminster careers service website has a useful list of LGB professional associations for a variety of sectors. Be sure to check out all their diversity information as it's full of useful tips and resources.

For trans job seekers finding friendly employers can be a little more complex. Press for Change have an award for equal opportunities but it isn't as well known as the Stonewall list and it is difficult to find out how employers get it. If you are applying for a job in the public sector the Gender Equality Duty requires public authorities to promote equality and eliminate unlawful sex discrimination. You can look at their gender equality scheme which should detail how they are avoiding discrimination against trans employees and customers.
Another thing to look out for is whether the employer has a policy on transitioning at work as well as looking at their harrassment, and equal opportunities policies to see whether they are trans inclusive. Again I would recommend the University of Westminster for further reading as their web resources are great.

If you have any questions about researching employers, disclosure or any other job or career related issues do come and see us in the Careers and Employability Centre. Appointments with Careers Advisers are available every day.

New TARGETjobs Magazine

We have received the new February edition of TARGETjobs magazine. This issue has a valentines theme and looks at finding a job 'match' at their website, striking the right tone with employers, and a focus on personal statements for postgraduate course applications. There is also a useful list of deadlines for grad schemes and internships.

TARGETjobs and other free careers magazines are available to pick up in the Careers and Employability Centre in Falmer House.

Diversity Milkround- graduate opportunities

Diversity Milkround is a website which advertises graduate opportunities, internships, placements and professional positions from employers who champion diversity in their workplace. There are also interesting news articles and a list of employers keen to show their commitment to equal opportunities. Register for weekly updates.

Feedback Fortnight Survey

This year as part of our quality initiative we are seeking input from you about how you access Careers and Employability Centre services. Whether you use us or not we want to hear what you think. Your comments are important to help us improve the service we offer.

All eligible entries received by Friday 26 February will be entered into a prize draw to win a Flip Video Ultra Camcorder. This survey will only take a few minutes and you can find it at www.surveymonkey.com/s/feedbackfortnight

To request the survey in a different format or complete the survey over the phone, please contact us on 01273 678429 or email careers@sussex.ac.uk

Disclosing your disability to employers

One of the questions that we get asked a lot at short interview is when is an appropriate time to disclose a health issue or impairment to an employer and if it is even important to disclose at all. It may be that you have a visible impairment but are not sure if you want to put personal information on a job application or it may be that you have a hidden condition which you don't feel will affect your ability to do a particular job and thus don't feel it is appropriate to tell an employer. There isnt a black and white answer to these questions and every case is unique but it may help you to be aware of your rights and to think about some of the issues and there are some excellent resources available to help you.



Skill produce some excellent resources including a leaflet called "Disclosing your disability". Prospects also have an interesting page all about handling discrimination in the workplace. You can also visit our Careers & Employability Diversity pages for further links to information or come and see an adviser for a short interview where we can discuss your own situation individually.

Diversity Week 15 - 19 February 2010

15 - 19 February 2010 is Diversity Week at the University of Sussex and there are lots of interesting events, discussions and workshops celebrating diversity and promoting equalities.

As part of the festivities the Careers and Employability Centre is hosting two events: a CV workshop for mature students on Tuesday and career planning for international students on Thursday. Both of these sessions can be booked via our events listing. We will also be blogging here throughout the week on diversity issues in careers, employment and job-seeking. This will include methods of disclosure, tips on researching LGBT friendly employers and resources for women in science, engineering and technology.

Let us know if there are any diversity or equality issues you particularly want to hear about this week. A full programme for the diversity festival can be found here.

Learning to lead

Are you a future leader? The Careers and Employability centre has teamed up with an international management training consultancy, Clemorton, to offer students the chance to apply for a fully funded place on a leadership training programme. Develop a real understanding of the skills and techniques of leadership, management and policy research.

There a 25 places available, and it's fully funded by the University. Students completing the programme will also receive affiliate membership of the Institute of Leadership and Management

Find out more and download an application form now! The deadline is 17th February

City Reads Volunteering

Volunteers are being sought for this year's City Reads project. There will be an informal meeting Tuesday 16 February 2010 5.30pm – 6.45pm at the Jubilee Library Learning Centre where you can find out which book has been chosen and how to take part.

This is a great opportunity to volunteer with books and reading. If you plan on joining in please RSVP to: cityreadsbrighton@googlemail.com

PriceWaterhouseCoopers Insight Day

PriceWaterhouseCoopers have another of their 1NS1GHT days in their Gatwick Office on 11 February 2010. It is a great opportunity to find out about what PwC do and develop new skills. Sign up online.

Wired Sussex Media Jobs + Skills Fair

Looking to work in TV, journalism, games, animation and design, marketing or the web industries? The Wired Sussex Media Jobs + Skills Fair includes over 20 local media companies actively recruiting including - iCrossing, Fresh Egg, WPM Internet & Leapfrogg; panel sessions with a range of industry experts on different media careers, and how to get that vital first step on the ladder. The fair will be held on March 4th at the Corn Exchange in central Brighton.
Register and find out more at http://www.brightonjobfair.co.uk/

Job Spot

Full-time Sales Assistant at Traid, Duke Street, South Lanes, Brighton.
Apply instore or call 01273 746 346 for details.

Spotted 6th February.

Hot Job!

Are you a Psychology or Education graduate (or finalist) interested in working with autistic children? Step by Step is an independent school near East Grinstead which strives to combine the principles of Applied Behaviour Analysis with the best of teaching practice. They are now recruiting graduates to work one-to-one with pupils to support their learning. Positions are available immediately but they would consider current finalists who will be able to work part time, going full time from June. For more information see our website

Hot Job!

Ricardo Engineering, based in Shoreham near Brighton, have immediate vacancies for Graduate Engineers. They are looking to recruit self motivated engineers with a strong desire to work within the automotive industry demonstrated through study or outside interest. Please see our website for further information