Pick up your free copy of the Gradcracker Careers Guide

70 applications for every graduate job! Did you hear this on the news recently from the Association of Graduate Recruiters' survey?

Well, luckily for you we had already come up with a solution to help you secure that job! We have printed a pocket-sized careers guide for you with what you need to know and what you need to do to get that job! Plus, Gradcracker employers have also included information on what they want from you!

So, to give you that extra edge in the application process, take a trip to your careers service and pick up a guide!

The following Universities have already ordered copies of the guide so you can go to the careers service and get your free copy.

Aberdeen, Aston, Brighton, Cardiff, Central London, Derby, Dundee, Glasgow, Glasgow Caledonian, Glyndwr, Greenwich, Hertfordshire, Huddersfield, Kent, Leeds, Leicester, Newport, Northumbria, Nottingham, Nottingham Trent, Oxford Brookes, Salford, Staffordshire, Surrey, Teesside, Ulster

Other Universities are ordering the guide as I write - if you find your careers service does not have any guides just tell them to give us a call.

Here's some of the feedback we've had from your careers advisors and the Gradcracker advertisers - so it's not just us saying it's great!

"I received your student job hunting pocket guide today. I think it offers excellent advice. Well done for doing this."
David Morris, AM Technology

"I am very impressed that such a tiny guide can contain so much helpful information and advice. It combines realism regarding where to look for jobs with the kind of advice on fairs and approaching employers which we give to students every day - but in a very concise form. I thought the employers' quotes were very helpful as was the advice on the kind of experience and skills which employers require graduates to have. Thank you particularly for the advice to make full use of the University Careers Service - it is good for students to know they are not alone in their job search and that there is professional help available to them locally. It is an excellent guide!"
Janice Montgomery, University of Aberdeen

"Thank you for your pocket careers guide which I received today. I think this is very accessible and highlights a lot of significant issues that our students would benefit from hearing about (and also includes a couple of University Careers Service mentions which is great!)."
Calum Nielsen, Glasgow Caledonian University

New scheme will allow Chinese students to transfer to Bath

Deputy Vice-Chancellor Professor Kevin Edge presents a Bath glass gift to HIT President Professor Wang Shuguo.

The University of Bath recently strengthened links with a University in China with the announcement of a new scheme that will allow elite Chinese engineering students to continue their study at Bath on a joint BEng programme.

The University's Deputy Vice-Chancellor Professor Kevin Edge and Dean of Engineering Professor Gary Hawley recently attended the 90th anniversary celebrations of the Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT), China.

HIT is one of the top ranking Universities in China and it has 45 National and State Key Laboratories. Its research and development directly supports the Chinese space programme.

Professor Edge presented a Bath Aqua Glass commemorative gift to President Professor Wang Shuguo and took part in the official proceedings held in the HIT sports stadium.

Professor Edge said: "We have had informal research links with HIT in the past but this agreement is an important step as we seek to develop a substantial and mutually beneficial partnership with one of the top Universities in China."

Deputy Vice-Chancellor Professor Kevin Edge processing in the 90th anniversary celebrations of the Harbin Institute of Technology.

The visit also included the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding to promote activities between the engineering faculties at both institutions. Professor Hawley presented the outline of a new programme in mechanical engineering to the elite scholar students.

The Elite Scholar Programme at HIT comprises the top five per cent of all undergraduates at HIT and a scheme will be introduced which will allow students from HIT to move into the second year of the BEng in Mechanical Engineering. The first cohort on this scheme is expected in 2011.

Research will help submariners breathe more easily

Professor Stan Kolaczkowski and his team from the Department of Chemical Engineering at the University of Bath are collaborating with Mechanical Engineers from Duke University in the US to develop a chemical-free way of removing carbon dioxide from the air inside deep sea human habitats.

They are developing a system that uses sea water and Dixon rings in deep sea submersible vehicles and other submersible human habitats. The project is funded by a three year grant worth £380,000 from the US Office of Naval Research (ONR).

At present, chemicals such as calcium hydroxide are used to chemically react with the CO2. Although it is known that sea water has potential to absorb CO2, the aim of this project is to develop a system that will be compact and work in a submersible environment where space is very limited.

Based on technology developed in 1948, Dixon rings consist of a fine wire mesh folded into a ring, approximately 3mm in size. The space in the wire mesh provides an extended surface area for the absorption of the CO2.

Many rings are packed into a column through which gas and liquid flow in a counter-current direction. The combination of salt water and Dixon rings form a compact gas scrubbing unit, which removes CO2 from a closed-circuit breathing environment before safely discharging it into the sea.

Using this system, chemicals to absorb CO2 will no longer be needed in the submersible environment and time spent on the sea bed could be extended.

Professor Kolaczkowski said: "Chemical Engineers are excited about using Dixon rings in applications where gaseous or volatile species are transferred between gas and liquid phases and where the device needs to be compact.

With the Computational Fluid Dynamic modeling skills at S&C Thermofluids Ltd, we will make rapid progress with developing novel and compact gas scrubbers. The removal of carbon dioxide from exhaled air is a great application. There will be many more possibilities to consider."

Dr Lew Nuckols of Duke University said: "An estimated 90 per cent of human-produced carbon dioxide is absorbed by oceans. The research at Bath, in partnership with us, could revolutionise techniques to remove metabolically-produced carbon dioxide from sub-sea operations."

Any research aimed at carbon dioxide absorption is very beneficial" said Dr Tony Smith of S&C Thermofluids in Bath. "We're pleased to be working on this project, particularly because there will be experimental validation of the predictions.

Being a diver, I am aware of the difficulties with supplying sufficient quantities of breathable air underwater. This research is looking at a very practical and elegant solution to a difficult problem."

Brunel University Summer Careers Fair

Angela introduces Brunel University engineering students to gradcracker.com

Monday 17th seen Rachel and I back at Brunel University (one of our many favourites!) for the Summer Careers Fair.

Organised by Brenda Morris, Cheryl Norgate and their team, the day was a great success and the attendance of engineering students was impressive particularly considering the time of year.

We met well over a hundred enthusiastic and well prepared Engineers who can now be spotted on campus wearing their new Gradcracker T-shirts! Rachel also had the opportunity to speak to many engineering employers who were keen to find out more about the latest developments at Gradcracker.

(Left to right) Angela Lockhart (Gradcracker), Raj Sidhu (Careers Consultant, Placement and Careers Centre, Brunel University), Karen Auld (Placement Assistant, Placement and Careers Centre, Brunel University) and Rachel Mutters (Gradcracker) drawing the winning entry for the May newsletter competition

Over the course of the day Raj Sidhu, Careers Consultant of Brunel University was kind enough to draw the winning entry from our May employer newsletter competition. The lucky winner was Miriam Archer of Schlumberger and she chose £100 Marks and Spencer voucher as her prize. Happy Shopping Miriam and thanks Raj!

I would like to thank Brenda, Cheryl and all the team involved for a brilliant and well-organised event! We look forward to attending the next event at Brunel on the 8th of November.

Check out more pictures from the event in the Gradcracker gallery!

Engineering societies, will you be the next to get a cheque from Gradcracker?

We're just writing out our next society cheque. This time, it's the University of Surrey's Chemical Engineering Society that are benefiting from Gradcracker funding.

The latest society to join Gradcracker's society initiative, the Chemical Engineering Society has earned its first reward in a number of weeks.

If you're not involved, your society is missing out on potential funds for trips, events, promotion and more . . .

Join now! Call Emma on 01347 823822 or email emma.docherty@gradcracker.com

Engineering students recognised by The Royal Academy of Engineering awards

Six undergraduate students from the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Bath have received Engineering Leadership Advanced Awards from The Royal Academy of Engineering. A total of 39 awards were made by the Academy this year.

Stephanie De Smedt, Colin Field, Rory Force, Tancred Porteous, Hamish Woodrow (MEng Mechanical Engineering) and William Tulloch (MEng Aerospace Engineering) have been allocated up to £5,000 each for a period of three years to gain training and experience over and above the academic curriculum. These awards will ensure the students refine their skills under the guidance of the Academy and with the assistance of a mentor. The ultimate aim of the scheme is to facilitate fast-tracking of careers following graduation, and to create role models for the next generation of engineers.

Professor Paul Maropoulos, Head of Department, said "I am delighted that six of our students received this prestigious award from The Royal Academy of Engineering. This recognition at National level is a testimony to their calibre and reflects very positively on the Department."

Sabina Gheduzzi, Director of Studies, added "I was particularly pleased by the range of activities the student put forward to help them focus on their future career, these range from further studies on unmanned air vehicles, project management qualifications, attendance at international Power Engineering conferences, field trips to offshore power plants, international placements opportunities with the motorsport industry. I am confident that the extra experienced gained in addition to the career guidance from their mentors will ensure these students fully achieve their potential."

More details about this and other schemes from The Royal Academy of Engineering can be found here.

Engineering Societies, are you missing out?

Last month, we launched our new funding initiative for Engineering Societies. The University of Sheffield's Civil Engineering Society and Edinburgh Napier's Engineering Society have both already earned their first cheque and are well on the way to the second!

What are you waiting for?!

Contact Emma on 01347 823822 to get your society involved

Engineering societies, are you involved yet?

Last month we launched our new funding initiative for engineering societies.

Engineering societies from Glasgow, Heriot-Watt, Leeds, Edinburgh and Sheffield have already gone live and we're waiting for logos from more including societies from Manchester and Strathclyde.

Don't miss your chance to be involved, after just over a week, Heriot-Watt Engineering Society will soon be receiving their first cheque from us!

Find out more about how you can involved by contacting me on 01347 823822 or email emma.docherty@gradcracker.com

Calling all Engineering Societies

Your society will be featured on the UK's leading website for engineering students

Increase your funding with Gradcracker

Gradcracker is proud to support the excellent work of engineering societies within leading UK universities and we've launched a new funding initiative.

If you're part of an engineering society, you could earn money for your society just by registering on Gradcracker!

Not only will you have access to the latest news from the leading engineering employers, your society will earn money too!

What's in it for us?

Get the message across on your website

• more registered engineering students = more visitors to gradcracker.com = happy advertisers

What's in it for your society?

• Money to fund events and to publicise your society
• Your engineering society will be featured on Gradcracker

If you want to find out more about how your society can increase funds with Gradcracker contact me on 01347 823822 or email emma.docherty@gradcracker.com

Remember - The more members you can encourage to register the more funding your engineering society will receive.

6/4 - Find out how we’re getting on.

Glasgow, Durham and Salford Universities

Annie pictured with Civil Engineers Lulu Snell and Chris Willetts at Durham University.

The careers fair season has started again and we are back on the road! Last week Annie and Sean attended careers fairs at Glasgow and Durham Universities, while Angela exhibited at Salford University.

As well as meeting almost 500 new engineering students, who all registered on Gradcracker, we also met many students who were already registered on Gradcracker and just came over to say hello! And of course, receive their Gradcracker t-shirt. Check out the photos from Glasgow & Durham in the Gallery.

Many of the employers at the fairs were already advertising on Gradcracker: Alstom, Amey, BAE Systems, Mott MacDonald, Lloyd's Register, Thales and SELEX Galileo, to name just a few, but we also got the chance to speak to many potential new advertisers. So keep a look out on the site for when they join us………………

University of Nottingham Electronic & Electrical Careers Fair

With Angela touring the south of the country this week, I was happy to go to the Electronic and Electrical Careers fair at Nottingham.

Described by one of the organisers as the "careers fair equivalent to speed dating" the fair was held from 12-2pm and I had no idea what to expect in the short space of time over the students' lunch breaks.

Other exhibitors included Gradcracker advertisers Nestlé, E.ON, Atkins, Arup, Morgan Professional Services and more. All looking for the very best Electronic & Electrical engineers. And we were not disappointed!

Over the course of a mad 2 hours I spoke to well over a hundred well prepared and enthusiastic engineering students. Many registered with us there and then and all went away happily clutching their Gradcracker T-shirts.

It was also great to meet an engineer who had been invited to apply to Scottish & Southern Energy through the Gradcracker CV database and the employers were also quick to tell me how they are using this and the work placement availability search. Is your name in there? If not, add it now, you never know who is looking for you right now!

Thanks to Rachel Ramsden and the team at the University of Nottingham for inviting us to what was a very successful event!

Watch this space to find out how Angela got on with her whistle-stop tour of the South, she's been to Southampton, Portsmouth and Brighton Unis and I'm sure she'll have loads to say!

Gradcracker Tour 2010 kicks off in Hertfordshire!

Yesterday saw our first careers fair of the New Year and I headed off to the University of Hertfordshire for their Science, Engineering and Technology Fair.

The departmental fair was combined with several employer presentations over the course of the afternoon so I saw a steady flow of engineering students.

The Gradcracker stand was by far the busiest on the afternoon and many of the engineering students were well presented and well prepared, asking interesting and relevant questions!

I would like to say a big thank you to Zahra Carnochan and her colleagues from the Graduate Futures Team for all their help and cups of tea.

This is the first of many fairs, university visits and employer presentations for Gradcracker this year. We have several teams heading up and down the country over the coming months and we look forward to meeting you at the following events in the next few weeks:

2nd February
University of Kent - Engineering Fair
University of Nottingham - Electronic & Electrical Engineering Careers Fair

4th February
University of Brighton - Gradcracker Stand in Engineering Department

9th February
University of Glasgow - Skills for Work event

10th February
Durham University - Science, Engineering and Technology Careers Fair

To view all events by month or destination, visit our events page.

Please note; some events listed may only accept students from the university holding the event. Unfortunately, Gradcracker is not supplied with this information.

Check out our improved Further Study section

If you’re thinking about further study once you graduate, take a look at the improved Further Study section on Gradcracker.

Launched on the 2nd November, the section has already had its first design update!

The matrix now includes all course titles so you can see what courses are available at each of our Universities.

Within the section, each University has a microsite and more pages have been added to each Uni’s menu to allow you to easily find the information you are looking for.

As well as information about the schools and courses, you can also find advice on fees and funding, details of events and case studies of previous students.

I hope you will check out the Further Study section and I’d love to hear your feedback!

Seven Universities in five days!

One of the photo's from our travels - the Second Severn Crossing on the way back from Wales. www.severnbridge.co.uk

We haven't had much chance to blog over the last week as we have all been out exhibiting at careers fairs and presenting seminars.

In the last five days we have attended seven careers fairs and presentations all over the country. So we thought we would give you an up date on how they all went.

We met over 1,500 engineering students in the last week at careers fairs at Leeds, Birmingham, York, Cardiff, Teesside, Cranfield and Sheffield Universities. So thank you to everyone that came to see us - hope you are all wearing your Gradcracker t-shirts!

As well as meeting with many new students, attending careers fairs also gives us the chance to speak to employers. Many of the employers at the events we attended were already on Gradcracker, but we also got the chance to meet some new companies who are also interested in advertising on Gradcracker - we'll let you know when they join.

We have also been presenting seminars to students. In the last week we held an 'Engineering Uncovered' seminar at Kingston University and a 'Job Hunting on the Internet' presentation at the University of Leicester. For the 'Engineering Uncovered' seminar we also invited some of the Gradcracker advertisers to join us - AREVA T&D UK, Alstom and Lloyd's Register - giving them the chance to give students guidance. All the advertisers, students and universities found the presentations very useful - so thank you all for your involvement!

In between talking to new students and employers we also found time to take some photos of our travels - so take a look in the Gradcracker gallery.

Gradcracker Guides

We have produced three new guides to Gradcracker - one for students, one for employers and one for university careers advisors. Each guide runs for about five minutes.

If you are new to the site they will give you a good overview of the features you might wish to use on Gradcracker. And if you have already used the site, they might bring something to your attention that you didn't know about!

I have narrated the guides myself (using my best 'telephone voice') and I hope you find them useful! Click here to watch the guides!

Yorkshire Autumn Graduate Recruitment Fair

Then take advantage of the Yorkshire Autumn Graduate Recruitment Fair; showcasing job opportunities not only in Yorkshire, but throughout the UK and worldwide too!

Including:

• immediate graduate vacancies
• graduate positions starting Summer 2010
• placements & internships
• work experience opportunities

Students and graduates from all institutions are welcome to attend on:

Date: Tuesday 3rd and Wednesday 4th November 2009

Time: 10.30am - 4.00pm each day

Venue: The Octagon Centre, Western Bank, Sheffield S10 2TQ*

Meet over 140 employers throughout the two days - different employers are attending each day. Entrance is Free!

Click here to find out more.

The Yorkshire Autumn Graduate Recruitment Fair is organised by The University of Sheffield Careers Service and Sheffield Hallam University Careers and Employment Service.

*If you are travelling by train, take advantage of the free shuttle buses that will operate throughout the two days - see website for details.

Looking for a placement? Advertise yourself for free!

Another first for Gradcracker!

Engineering students are invited to post their availability for summer/sandwich placements on Gradcracker.

Our employers will have access to a password protected area where they can search by university and/or degree course. Employers will then contact your University Placement Advisor to arrange interviews - students' contact details will not be published.

Each university will have a dedicated home page with a brief introduction to the university and contact details of Placement Advisors.

The area employers will see lists all the UK's universities with an introductory page for each, a list of available students - sorted by degree course - and contact details for the placement advisor.

For more information:
Placement Advisors contact University Liaison Manager, Angela Lockhart on 07772 697055.

Gradcracker employers contact Gradcracker Account Manager, Emma Docherty on 01347 823822.

Engineering students click here.

Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services (AGCAS) Conference September 2009 - Brunel University

Our first time exhibiting at an Agcas Conference, although Gradcracker is not a stranger to Brunel University. We have already attended a careers fair at the university earlier this year and we have strong links with the Placements and Careers Centre there. We are in the process of arranging an event with them which will take place later this year.

We had been looking forward to the conference for some time. We had our new literature to hand out to the delegates including our new ‘beautifully engineered’ brochure!

Over the three days we were delighted to be able to show off our ‘new look’ Gradcracker website to so many careers and placement staff and for them to see the new version live for the first time.

For me this was a great opportunity. I recognised many faces from my recent visits to universities and also had the opportunity to meet new contacts who were very interested in Gradcracker and how we work. I only wish the exhibition area could have been accessible to the delegates for a longer period of time throughout each day. This would have enabled them to have more of an opportunity to speak with the exhibitors without feeling rushed or worried about being late for their next seminar or workshop.

I was very pleased to have my two colleagues Rachel and Emma with me as during the exhibition times our stand was extremely busy and due to this I am concerned that we didn’t have the chance to speak to everyone who attended. If you were one of those who didn’t get the opportunity to speak to the Gradcracker team please feel free to contact me (angela.lockhart@gradcracker.com) and I will be more than happy to explain Gradcracker and its benefits in more detail to you either over the phone or I can visit you at your university.

Gradcracker would definitely exhibit at an Agcas event again and would like to thank everyone involved with the organising of the conference.

You can see some photos of the event in our gallery.