Placing our students and graduates at the heart of business

The£2.4m European Social Fund -supported project LJMU Graduate Futures is set to leave a lasting legacy across the Liverpool City Region. In the short duration of the project, LJMU has built a brand that champions graduate employability in the Liverpool City Region, creating jobs and opportunities to retain graduate talent in our region.

Working in collaboration with local businesses, the Graduate Futures team has produced almost 200 job descriptions, allowing LJMU students and graduates to dip their toe into the world of work and gain invaluable experience. Throughout the project, 306 local SMEs have been engaged, and the Graduate Futures team has connected over 100 students and graduates with roles in various dynamic sectors, with more in the pipeline.

Speaking about the project, Shulah Jones, Project lead said: “Working with so many Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU) students and SMEs across the Graduate Futures project has been immensely rewarding. Through our ongoing guidance, mentoring, and support, we have seen over 100 students pass through the Graduate Futures doors into their chosen career.”

“Central to our mission at LJMU is a commitment to support our students to succeed in their chosen profession whilst nurturing businesses using our talent. I’m so proud to say that the Graduate Futures project has delivered on that promise placing our students and graduates at the heart of business.”

“We’ve grown many new partnerships across the Liverpool city region to create a lasting legacy for our project, in which we aim to continue to embed LJMU’s impact across the region’s economy, alongside a continued drive to retain graduate talent.”

Since its inception, students and graduates have been at the heart of everything that the project has set out to achieve. That’s why the team has delivered over 200 hours of 1-1 support to the many students and graduates who have taken up roles through us. The Graduate Futures team has also dedicated 191 hours of training to other students yet to be placed in jobs, as well as 165 hours of online training support.

Always with the personal development of students and graduates in mind, the team has delivered events and webinars around resilience and confidence building towards employment in a post-COVID landscape. This consideration was reinforced further with the set up the Graduate Futures ‘Future Leaders Advisory Group’ (FLAG) to represent the ‘student voice’ across project delivery. 30 students and graduates joined FLAG to advise on the project’s strategic decision-making and take the opportunity to speak direct to businesses in Project Board meetings.

In conversation about the project, Creative Content Coordinator at A&B Marketing, Abbey Davies said: “The Graduate Futures project has helped me to access an industry that was made for me. Having studied Film Making at LJMU, I wasn’t quite sure what I wanted to do in the long-run, but with the help and guidance of Shulah and the team my career journey is in full flow.”

“The ongoing support that the Graduate Futures team has given me has not only helped to build my confidence, but also help navigate the intricacies of working in an SME.”

In addition to helping students and graduates secure roles in industry, the Graduate Futures mission was to create a community that fostered collaboration and partnership working. This agenda helped to establish a monthly Coffee Club to allow students and graduates to network in a safe space in the heart of Liverpool’s business district with SMEs and supported by the project team to transition into the world of employment.

On reflection, the Graduate Futures project will be one that is remembered for years to come. Not just because of its vital economic influence across the Liverpool City Region, but through its contribution to the lives of students and graduates that have accessed support, training, and career guidance.

While this is a ‘goodbye’ from LJMU Graduate Futures, it’s a ‘hello’ to the future leaders that will continue to push our region towards prosperity.