STATEMENT OF SERVICE FOR STUDENTS
- Introduction
- Services we offer
- Who may use the Career Development Centre?
- Expectations
- Career Development Centre Staff
- Client feedback/improvement
- How to contact us
- Referral Policy
- Career Development Centre Policy on Handling Complaints
1. Introduction
Career Development Centre Mission Statement
The Career Development Centre aims to provide a professional Career Education, Information and Guidance Service to support students in making effective career decisions, developing employability skills and managing an effective transition from study to the next phase in their career development.
The Centre also contributes to the economic needs of the wider business community within Ireland and further afield through services that link UCD students and graduates to local, national and international employers and professional bodies.
Our Aims
- To help students make informed career decisions, develop a career action plan and implement short and longer term goals to realise career goals and aspirations.
- To complement the University's academic programmes by providing opportunities for students to add value to the UCD community and beyond, develop and employability skills and graduate attributes through activities within and external to the curriculum.
- To promote UCD students and graduates, resources and facilities to local, national and international recruiters.
- To provide access to a wide range of quality assured occupational and related information.
- To work within the policies, guidelines and procedures of the University and professional associations such as the Association of Higher Education Careers Services and the Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services.
- To contribute to the realisation of the UCD Strategic Plan: Forming Global Minds.
Objectives
Within the available resources- To develop and deliver a professional career education, information and guidance service to Schools and Colleges of the University.
- To ensure that provision is customer focused and of the highest quality.
- To maintain and develop beneficial relationships with employers.
- To advise and inform the University on all matters relating to graduate employment trends.
- To lobby the University and develop key University policies and strategies.
- To take an active role in the life of University and to support delivery of its mission at local and national level.
Association of Higher Education Careers Services (AHECS) Policies and procedures
Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services (AGCAS) Code of Practice on Guidance
The Matrix Standards for Information, Advice and Guidance Services (as a model of best practice)
Copies of all of these may be viewed on request.
The Career Development Centre has adopted a system of continuous improvement of its services (within the constraints of resources). It has written policy documents available on:
Information (under development) Data Protection and Freedom of Information (www.ucd.ie/foi)
Guidance Services (Under dev.)
Complaints Procedure (under dev.)
Equality and Diversity Policy (www.ucd.ie/hr)
Copies of all of these may be viewed on request.
2. Services we offer
The Career Development Centre aims to provide career education, information and guidance to students of all disciplines at all stages of study through:
Access to Guidance
- Individual career guidance either through same day quick query services or by booked appointment, where appropriate.
- A Quick Query Service is on offer with meetings lasting 15-20 minutes. It is intended to help you make a start, for example, by providing information or signposting to additional support or by providing help with making career plans, sourcing funding for graduate study etc. This service is available Monday-Thursday by booking a slot on the day you wish to visit. You may book a slot by visiting the Career Development Centre Reception Desk which opens daily at 9:00 am. We do not make bookings via email. The Quick Query Adviser will help with the full range of careers and employment issues or with work experience queries. Opening hours are under review, so check our website for up-to-date information (www.ucd.ie/careers.)
A quick query service (Monday - Thursday) offering advice specifically on CV's, other job applications and personal statements is being launched in September 2011. Details are available at www.ucd.ie/careers. - A guidance interview with a Careers Adviser is only available by appointment, after you have seen a quick query adviser and lasts around 45-60 minutes. This is an in-depth meeting designed to help you explore career related issues you may have, for example, how to go about making a career decision, understanding career options, to relate information to your own needs and circumstances and make decisions about your education, career choice and employment opportunities. Contents of your meeting and discussion will remain confidential unless it is in your best interests for information to be shared with other relevant staff/personnel. However, no sharing of information will take place without your permission to release details to a third party is given. An agreed summary of the main points and areas arising from the interview will be agreed between you and your Careers Adviser.
- The Career Development Centre aims to ensure that:
- Your quick query interview starts and finishes on time.
- Booked interviews are offered (in normal circumstances) within ten working days where it is agreed with a Quick Query Adviser that an interview is needed.
- Any change or delay to your interview time is clearly explained
- Any discussion with a Careers Adviser remains confidential and impartial
- Any records of your discussion with a Careers Adviser are available to you in accordance with the Data Protection and Freedom of Information Acts. - Career Development Centre will respond as far as possible to telephone and email inquiries, but reserves the right to refer students to other services as appropriate.
Career Education and Events
- Career education initiatives and related events on career choice, preparation for placement, job search, recruitment and selection processes, further and postgraduate study are targeted, primarily, at final year students in the first semester and at first and pre-final year students in the second semester.
Career Development Centre in the Curriculum
- Modules in Personal and Career Development have been introduced to a number of academic areas and bear up to 5 credits. These areas include: Computer Science, Information and Library Studies, Psychology and Nursing. A review of these modules will be undertaken to assess impact on Schools and students during 2011/12 academic year.
Information
- Information resources contain up-to-date reference and take away material relating to:
- Career areas
- Training opportunities
- Graduate employers
- Job search
- Further and postgraduate study
- Vacancies - full-time, part-time, graduate, placement.
For full details of our Information Service see Information Policy (under development). - Students and graduates have access to:
- On line data and websites.
- Interactive career guidance systems - Careers Report (www.gradireland.com/careers-report). and Prospects Planner (www.prospects.ac.uk).
- Organised recruitment, skills workshops and information activities.
- Vacancy and other information relating to opportunities with employers through Career Development Centre website.
- Practice Psychometric Tests and Personality Inventories - web-based at www.ucd.ie/careers.
Recruitment Programmes
The Career Development Centre annually organises a series of events designed to help students and graduates make contact with graduate recruiters and access graduate, placement and internship vacancies. Details of these can be found on the Careers Events Calendar at www.ucd.ie/careers/events.
3. Who may use the Career Development Centre?
Current undergraduate and postgraduate students and graduates (up to two years standing) of University College Dublin may access the full range of services. Students and graduates of other universities and prospective students may access information facilities and Quick Query sessions, subject to resources.
Early stage research staff (Postdoctoral Fellows) may access the full range of bespoke services developed by the Career Development Adviser (Postdoctoral Fellows).
4. Expectations
What you can expect from the Career Development Centre?
We operate in accordance with the AGCAS Code of Practice on Guidance, so you can expect the career education, information and guidance provided to be:
- Impartial.
- Confidential.
- Focused on your needs.
- Non directive.
- Underpinned by equality of opportunity.
- Accessible to eligible users.
What we expect from our users
We expect you, as a user of our service, to:
- Seek help if you cannot access what you are looking for.
- Seek help if you have specialist needs (for example large print format).
- Inform us in good time if you are unable to attend booked interviews, seminar workshops etc.
- Complete any preparatory work we request, for example, prior to a guidance interview.
- Use computer and other facilities appropriately.
- Attend in good time for interviews and group sessions.
- Be prepared to recognize and work through the guidance process.
- Take responsibility for making your own decisions, researching your career choices and taking action to realise your career goals.
5. Career Development Centre Staff
The Director, Deputy Director and Careers Development Advisers are professionally qualified and experienced staff engaged in programmes of life-long learning and professional development. Administrative staff are trained for their particular roles and participate in appropriate professional development activities.
6. Client feedback/improvement
The Career Development Centre is developing a system of continuous quality improvement and therefore has systems designed to capture feedback. We ask you to be patient if asked to complete feedback forms for different services on offer. In addition to formal feedback we are interested in your views on any aspect of the service. A Suggestion Box is situated in the Careers Information area.
Should there be cause for complaint, this should be made in writing to the Director of the Career Development Centre. A copy of our policy on complaints procedure is available for consultation at Reception.
7. How to contact us
Career Development Centre
Telephone: 01 7167574
Email: careersreception@ucd.ie
In Person: UCD Career Development Centre, Library Building, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin
Opening Hours: Monday - Friday, 09:00am - 5:00pm
8. Referral Policy
The Career Development Centre may, where appropriate, refer a student or graduate to other services within or external to the University. The reasons for referral will be clearly explained to the student and details of the department or service to which the student is referred will be provided. Only in exceptional circumstances and with the student's permission will an adviser make direct contact with the referral unit on behalf of the student.9. Career Development Centre Policy on Handling Complaints
Our aim is to provide a quality service to all of the groups we serve. The Career Development Centre is committed to continuous quality improvement and we have put in place systems to capture feedback and inform future planning. These systems include feedback questionnaires, focus groups and the facility to make suggestions or comments on the service.
Should there be cause for complaint about any aspect of the Career Development Centre this should be made in writing to the Director of Career Development Centre, Library Building, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4.
Your letter will be acknowledged within seven working days of date of receipt and a formal written response provided within twenty-one days from date of acknowledgement of complaint.