The Annual Fund has supported many employability activities this year

Employability boost for Sociology Society

The newly-reformed Sociology Society was one of the main beneficiaries of the 2011/2012 Employability Bursary scheme funded by the Annual Fund. Esther Craddock-Taylor, former president of the Sociology Society reflects on what having the extra support has meant for the society.

"I was the President of the Sociology Society for two years at the University of Exeter and alongside this role I worked very closely with Julia Paci organising careers events with alumni.  I wanted to increase the opportunities for students to engage with sociology alumni, so that fellow sociology students could be inspired as to the variety of career paths that someone with a sociology degree can follow.

Working with the staff in the College of Social Sciences and International Studies was a great experience and as a result I have gained enormously valuable skills in planning and organising events. I liaised with several alumni and helped them shape their talks to cover the things we wanted to hear about: how to get into a particular career in a difficult economic climate, the positive and negative elements of their past and present jobs, and lastly tips on interviews, CVs and application forms. The feedback I received from the students who attended the careers events was always extremely positive. Students seemed to find it inspiring hearing from someone who went to the same University and was doing their desired job or was working in their ideal career sector.  Students valued the alumni’s informed opinions and first-hand experience.

I am hugely appreciative of all of the support we received from the alumni who came to talk to Exeter students. As a small society with limited funds, I am also hugely thankful that the Employability fund was able to help us with some of the expenses that we occurred with setting up these events as we couldn’t have done them without it."

Date: 18 June 2012