University of London
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The Careers Group, University of London is a division of the central University of London, serving the collective needs of a number of its college-based services, and collectively comprises the largest higher education careers and employability service in Europe.[1]
Since 2014, it has existed as a membership organisation, supporting the independent services of each constituent college, which are supported by a central provision of staff and expertise.
The organisation first came into existence in 1909 as the University of London Appointments Board when students and graduates paid five shillings to be registered. Within three years the first permanent full-time secretary, Dr Arthur Du Pre Denning, had been appointed, 307 students had been registered and 1,340 vacancies had been notified to graduates. With the appointment of the next secretary, Mr Henry James Crawford in 1910, these numbers continued to increase and the first advertisement of their services was placed in The Times of 14 June 1914. Their growing importance in the employment of University of London graduates was noted by Sanderson, M (1972).[4]
Registration fell during the period of the First World War but continued to grow again steadily after the Board merged with The Commerce Degree Bureau of the University in 1922. Jointly they became the University of London Commerce Degree Bureau and Appointments Board, newly located in 46 Russell Square, Bloomsbury. Registration topped the thousand mark for the first time, at 1,228, in 1927-28.
In 1936 the board enjoyed a brief spell at premises in the newly built Senate House, only to be evacuated to Thornaugh Street, Bloomsbury, at the start of the Second World War to make way for the Ministry of Information. These temporary offices were very soon destroyed during the Blitz in 1940. After the end of the war, the Board was once again stationed in Senate House, where registrations again began to climb towards 2,000, until it was given its own premises at 49 Gordon Square in 1957 where huge organisational changes occurred.
Use of the Board’s services had grown by 15.5% and 34.7% in 1961 and 1962 respectively and a new way had to be found to cope with not only the huge increase in student numbers but also the geographical spread of the University’s colleges and institutes. This was solved by the introduction of Field Officers in 1964 who were members of the Board stationed in the colleges themselves and who were therefore easily accessible to users. By 1966 Field Officers were present in a total of seven colleges, with King’s College London being the first to request their presence.
The next major change occurred in July 1970 when the Senate of the University of London agreed that the name of the Appointments Board be changed to the University of London Careers Advisory Board and the services they provide be known as the University of London Careers Advisory Service or ULCAS. This also led to a further reorganisation of their structure into an integrated operations division which carried out the advisory work and a support services division which carried out all other functions. A further name change followed in 1994 when ULCAS was shortened to ULCS for convenience, but no major structural reorganization occurred.
On June 30, 2004, the Council of the University agreed that ULCS could change its name to The Careers Group, University of London as this more accurately reflected the nature of the organisation. The name change was accompanied by the launch of a new brand image which was rolled out across all products and services. Some re-structuring took place including within the Commercial Division which led to a unified Events Team.
In 2005, about a year after the re-branding exercise, The Careers Group moved to new purpose-built premises, having spent 48 years in Gordon Square. UCL Careers Service and SICS moved to the University of London Union Building whilst the Directorate, Central Services and C2 moved to Stewart House, Russell Square. The Chancellor, The Princess Royal, visited the new premises as part of her tour of the newly refurbished Stewart House.
The Careers Group has its central headquarters in Senate House in Russell Square which also acts as the base for the Group's Professional Development Unit (PDU), Research Unit and Education Consultancy. All constituent parts of the Group have access to the former two central services, whilst the Education Consultancy supports the Group's smaller constituent colleges.
The Group's membership has changed in recent years in line with broader changes in the University of London's college structure, with a number of colleges departing from the Group, including LSE in 2008 and Royal Holloway in 2020.
Member colleges operate independently and with their own strategies, leadership and provision:
The Education Consultancy provides services to:
Some of the University's constituent colleges operate their own independent careers services:
Each college careers service is managed independently, with their own strategy, services and provision tailored to their own College. They are headed by a Head of Service who is a Careers Group employee, alongside Deputies and Careers Consultants who are also employed by the University of London.
Additional staff in each College, including supporting Employer Engagement, Systems, Student Engagement, Communications, Entrepreneurship, Work-based Learning, Data and Research are employed locally by the respective local colleges.
The Central Services team consists of:
JobOnline Team
This department is responsible for the identification, curation and dissemination of job opportunities to a number of affiliated colleges.
Research Unit
This department is responsible for the collection, analysis and dissemination of statistical information for both the Group as a whole, and supporting member colleges.
Content and Information
This department is responsible for the updating and maintenance of occupational careers information, videos and other areas such as working overseas, self-employment and voluntary work. It is also responsible for the selection and acquisition of reference books and periodicals. The department also manages content on the intranet and The Careers Group website.
In addition to the Director, a Group Strategic Leadership Team (GSLT) is formed of the Heads of each large member college service, the Head of the Education Consultancy and Director of Research & Organisational Development.
The Careers Group has been accredited with the Matrix quality standard, for information advice and guidance services, since 2004. It most recently passed re-accreditation in June 2020. They are also a member of the Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services (AGCAS).
