Salford open up successful graduate development scheme

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For the first time the University of Salford is opening up its successful Graduate Gateway scheme to all North West based graduates - providing intensive skills coaching to boost employment prospects.

There are two, five-day courses available which run in November and January with 25 free spaces in each. Based at the University, the graduates, who must be unemployed or 'under-employed', will receive coaching from business experts in skills such as presenting, building their personal brand and will take part in intensive workshops.

One of the highlights of the week is a day of leadership training run by the army at a centre in Hulme. The graduates will also work on projects which they present in front of employers who, in the past, have included Deloitte, and web company UKFast.

The scheme has been running for Salford graduates since 2009, funded by the European Social Fund, and is being opened up to a wider pool of people as the University believes it can help boost regional skills in a difficult jobs market.

Mary Macfarlane from the University's Careers and Employability service explained: "We recognise that many graduates are unemployed or 'underemployed' - working in roles not suited to their skills.

"This scheme provides a solid grounding in skills such as leadership and communications and practical skills to help the participants get onto the career ladder."

One such graduate is Chris Burrows. "I've ended up working for 5live on the Tony Livesey and Stephen Nolan shows," he said. "It's directly linked to the contacts I made during the Graduate Gateway and further networking I did. I had a few offers from the Gateway networking event and I definitely chose the right one.

"Getting into media jobs is quite tricky and I'm finding it relies very heavily on networking to progress. Although I'm not quite where I want to be yet I've made big strides since graduating."

Applications open on 1 September and the deadline for application to the Graduate Gateway is 30 September. For the full criteria and to apply go to http://www.careers.salford.ac.uk/page/ggateway

This is part of broader partnership project supported by the European Social Fund, which includes 9 partner Universities. More information about this partnership is available online athttp://www.careers.salford.ac.uk/page/esf