On Wednesday 17 February 2010 students at Writtle College enjoyed a careers presentation from Claire Beecroft of the Environment Agency. The presentation was held as one of the regular ‘Lunch and Learn’ sessions hosted by the Careers department at the College where students are invited to meet a potential employer.
Claire, who has worked for the Environment Agency for ten years, was able to give first hand information about the numerous and diverse career opportunities available to keen applicants. Like many other organisations around the UK they have currently scaled down recruitment, but are still recruiting to certain key posts.
Employing 12,000 staff, the Agency attracts applicants with good technical knowledge, but it was also stressed that other skills including communication and team working are vital. Potential applicants are encouraged to pay particular attention to the skills and competencies required when applying and demonstrate clearly how they meet each of these. The Agency is keen to employ a diverse work force and operate flexible working hours. For details of current vacancies, look at www.environment-agency.gov.uk.
Angela Kinloch, Head of Careers at Writtle College said: “We all know how hard it is for graduates to find suitable employment during this current economic climate and to be able to proactively guide our students we have organised a number of ‘lunch and learn’ sessions. Over the academic year we have invited potential employers to the College and asked them to talk to our students about careers and employability – we have received excellent feedback from the event and look forward to hosting our next one.”
The Careers Department at Writtle can advise students on any part of their job search and career development throughout their time at the College and for up to three years after graduation.