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The Careers Team at Â鶹ƵµÀ Leicester (DMU) is hoping to secure the top prize at a prestigious employability awards evening.

DMU is one of ten universities to be nominated for the Higher Education Careers Employability Team of the Year at the 2024 targetjobs National Graduate Recruitment Awards, which take place in London on Thursday 11 April.

The category recognises the significant impact that a university’s employability team has made in the last academic year. The 2022/23 academic year was particularly exciting for the DMU Careers Team as it launched its Careers Hub, a drop-in centre located in the Hugh Aston Building designed for students seeking advice in boosting their career prospects.

The team has also created an Employer Advisory Panel, comprising 20 employers based in the East Midlands who congregate twice a year to discuss recruitment trends and employability themes. This cohesion between industry and academia has enabled the Careers Team to identify skill gaps in the region’s economy and support graduates looking for work in Leicester after they graduate.

A new initiative, Training Day, was also launched and saw employers conduct training sessions with 166 students in areas including coding, project management, resilience and leadership, and interpreting stats and data.

For Richard Bowden, Head of Careers and Graduate Success at DMU, the award nomination reflected the hard work carried out by the Careers Team to ensure students had ample opportunities to build their careers.

He said: “These awards are really highly regarded in the sector so to be shortlisted is a testament to the hard work, dedication and professionalism of colleagues in the Careers Team here at DMU.

“We’re really proud to be up there against some excellent careers teams from other universities, all of us championing the importance of effective and impactful career support and guidance.

“Ultimately everything we do is aimed at helping students to achieve their potential and reach their goals. The team are driven by this and being recognised externally for their efforts is truly fantastic.”

The Careers Team at DMU has carved out an enviable reputation for helping its students secure work experience and graduate jobs.

The latest award nomination follows DMU’s successful showing in the RateMyPlacement Awards, where it was named the UK’s best university when it came to helping its students secure work experience.  

Last year, DMU Global and the DMU Careers Team were recognised as a Highly Commended finalist by the Professionals in International Education (PIE) for their Employability International Impact award as part of The PIEoneer Awards 2023.