University of East London

The University of East London is an engine of social mobility in the locality, working to widen access to transformative higher education and eliminating gaps in equality of opportunity throughout the student lifecycle. We are one of the most ethnically diverse universities in the UK. Our students represent 158 nationalities with over 70% from Black and minority ethnic backgrounds and over 55% the first in their family to go to university.

The University runs a range of social mobility initiatives to support access to university and progression to graduate employment. This includes our Diversity of Thought programme where we connect aspirational employers with our students on a bespoke programme of engagement, involving mentoring and work experience, based on the organisations needs and capacity to provide support. This is a mutually beneficial way for students to showcase their talent and for organisations to increase their reach and diversify their talent pipelines.

How does the Diversity of Thought programme work?
We work closely with organisations to co-create a tailored programme of activities that provides students with insight into the organisation, recruitment processes and the skills necessary to secure graduate employment within the industry.

There are two routes to choose from:
Route 1 – The two-year programme in which a group of second year students take part through their penultimate and final year of university. This route allows a deeper level of engagement
Route 2 – A one-year programme working with a group of students in either their second or final year.

What is required of the organisation?
As part of this programme we ask organisations to commit to delivering a minimum of three insight activities per year which can include mentoring, job shadowing, group consultancy projects, employability workshops, mock interviews, internships and any other type of work-related learning opportunities.

What support does University of East London provide?
We support organisations and students throughout the duration of the programme. There is no charge for participating in the programme.

We work closely with participating organisations to design a programme suitable for the needs of the business. The opportunity will be publicised in several ways to ensure maximum exposure and to increase brand awareness, including:
• Social media campaigns
• Lecture talks
• Career Zone platform
• Careers & Student Enterprise Ambassadors

This initiative does not only provide a life changing opportunity for the students on the programme, it also has a positive impact on a wider group of students who apply. The Careers & Student Enterprise team support students during the application stage by running insight sessions and workshops. By applying, students gain a deeper insight into the application process and the skills they need to improve on, and if unsuccessful, they will be sign posted to receive further support.

If you are interested in hearing more about the programme, please contact careerzone@uel.ac.uk to register your interest and you will be contacted to organise an initial meeting.