Statement of Service

Our aim is to support Reading students and alumni to develop their employability, careers and educational prospects in preparation for the changing world of work and further learning. 

Student eligibility 

Our services are appropriate for and open to undergraduates and both taught and research postgraduates. Our services are not appropriate for staff (e.g. Postdoctoral Research Associates) or those attending post-experience short courses, although staff are welcome to attend careers fairs on campus. Students studying in the Henley Business School, including those on post-experience programmes, have dedicated provision for co-curricular teaching, mentoring and one-to-one appointments through Henley Business School’s Careers Service. There is a reciprocal agreement that many of the open workshops both teams run are available to all students in the University. 

Those students who: (i) withdraw from their studies, (ii) do not meet the necessary threshold performance (i.e., those students who fail, or do not qualify), or (iii) suspend their studies will be entitled to one further careers appointment. Following this, it will be up to the discretion of the Careers Centre whether to offer any additional appointment(s), or to refer to another appropriate service (e.g., the National Careers Service).  

What Reading students can expect from us 

Careers will adhere to the Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services Code of Ethics, and Career Development Institute Code of Ethics that define the professional principles for careers services in higher education and work in accordance with the University policy on Careers Education, Information and Guidance. We also work to the University’s Equal Opportunities Policy, and the Data Protection Policy, including General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). 

In line with the various codes of practice under which we operate, all careers consultants will be trained appropriately for their job and undertake regular Continuing Professional Development to update their professional knowledge and skills. This is based on the Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services Professional Pathways. 

Careers will provide a confidential and impartial professional service. We will not normally disclose any information about you to anyone without your consent. However, we may do so in exceptional circumstances:

• where not to do so would break the law 
• where you have put yourself or others in danger 
• if we must disclose information, we will strive to disclose the least information necessary in the circumstances. 

Careers will liaise with external stakeholders, such as employers, training providers and other external organisations to facilitate contact between students and these organisations.

Careers aim to respond to any telephone or email enquiry within 3 days.

In order to ensure fair access to appointments, we would ask that students limit the number of appointments that they book, especially in advance, during busy periods of the semester i.e. first 6 weeks of Semester. 

Student usage is monitored monthly by the Head of Careers Consultancy. If they see a pattern of high usage (4 or more appointments in a 4-week period) by a student they will conduct a development review (which may include meeting with the student). The purpose of this is to ensure Careers is providing appropriate support to build life skills for future career development without building a dependency on staff guidance.

The University provides a range of services for full-time and part-time undergraduate and postgraduate students including:  

• careers information – through a range of print and digital resourcesa
• vacancy database of graduate jobs, placements, part-time and vacation work, My Jobs Online
• a suite of online careers resources and tools
• regular careers news updates through our website, social media and email 
• one-to-one appointments offering individual support with a wide range of career topics from career exploration and decision making, to job search, applications and interview preparation 
• support will normally be available online (live or via email) and in person 
• careers events – including a comprehensive workshop programme and careers fairs 
• careers within the curriculum
• Campus Jobs 
• RED Awards
• Reading Internship Scheme 
• THRIVE mentoring scheme. 

For students who are undertaking a professional placement year or other curricular placements, the placements team will: 

• provide professional placement training at departmental and central level for professional placement years and other curricular placements
• provide placement appointments or email guidance, giving students an opportunity to discuss anything related to their curricular placements, from application advice, placement paperwork or any concerns during placement activities. 
• provide mock interviews for placement interviews 
• provide access to further placement vacancies and opportunities suitable for your programme in addition to those advertised generally through the careers service vacancy database
• provide networking opportunities with placement providers
• ensure duty of care by providing all the necessary placement administration, checks and visits
• support the necessary reasonable adjustments for your placement
• provide DBS verifications if required for your placement 
• provide support with any issues or problems occurring whilst on placement 

What Reading Alumni can expect from us 

Reading alumni can expect full access to the services listed below for up to 24 months after completing their course: 

• careers information – through a range of print and multimedia resources
• a vacancy database of graduate jobs, placements, part-time and vacation work (My Jobs Online) 
• a suite of online careers resources and tools
• regular careers news updates through our website and social media
• one-to-one appointments offering individual support with a wide range of career topics from career exploration and decision making, to job search, applications and interview preparation 
• this support will normally be available online (live or via email) and in person 
• a regular alumni newsletter showcasing upcoming events, opportunities and other relevant resources careers events – including an exclusive alumni support programme. 

Reading alumni can expect the following after this 24-month period: 

• careers information – through a range of print and digital resources 
• a vacancy database of graduate jobs, placements, part-time and vacation work (My Jobs Online) 
• access to some of our online careers resources and tools 
• regular careers news updates through our website and social media.  

Success for all 

The University, and therefore the Careers Centre, has a commitment to access and participation, which is used to describe activities that aim to assist students from under-represented groups and disadvantaged backgrounds to go to university, as well as providing targeted measures to help those groups succeed during their studies. The aim is to ensure that a student’s background is not a barrier to gaining the full range of  benefits from higher education experience . 

Personal data such as the area in which you live, what type of school you previously attended, any special educational needs, eligibility for free school meals, carer status, disability, ethnicity and whether your family members attended University is used to identify and provide additional support offered by the Careers Centre whilst you are studying at the University of Reading. 

The data we use to do the above will always be treated in the strictest confidence, held securely and only accessed by limited individuals involved in the above activities.  

Further information can be found in the Student Privacy Notice. 

Students and alumni using our services will be treated respectfully, fairly and without discrimination or bias on the basis of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation. 

What Careers expects of students and alumni 

We expect our students and alumni to:

• keep appointments for advice, guidance and booked events and to let us know in advance if you are unable to do so - failure to do so may result in temporary revocation of booking rights 
• behave appropriately and politely towards members of Careers staff 
• ensure conduct is always professional, for the duration of University organised placements or internships
• inform us of any attendance issues or challenges you are facing during your University organised placement or internship, so that we can provide support and guidance 
• let us know your views to help us improve - this may involve completing an evaluation at the end of your appointment or workshop, completing our annual survey or providing feedback to your course representative 
• respond to information requests regarding activities after graduation. 

Services to students from other institutions

Graduates from other UK higher education institutions are not allowed to use University of Reading Careers services and it is expected that they will access support from their own higher education institution. 

Employers

• a comprehensive, impartial and professional service to all employers 
• staff willing to discuss your recruitment needs and suggest ways in which we can help, including recommendations on the type of event or activity that will best meet your requirements 
• a consistent and fair pricing policy for events and services 
• a response to all written communication sent to careers@reading.ac.uk, usually within three working days
• referral to other University staff and departments where appropriate.

In return, we ask employers to: 

• work in partnership with us to ensure that students and alumni receive clear and consistent recruitment messages 
• provide written notice if you need to cancel an event booking. If the event requires a charge for booking, cancellations within 2 - 4 weeks of the event will be charged at 50% of the booking fee, cancellations less than 2 weeks before the event will be charged at full price 
• treat our students respectfully, fairly and without discrimination or bias on the basis of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation. 
• to complete and return any paperwork when providing placements which are an official element of our student’s programmes. 
• adhere to the External Speaker Code of Conduct when visiting as a speaker on campus. 

Academic departments 

Careers supports students in developing employability and career direction and aims to keep staff informed about the employment market. In addition, our careers consultancy and placement teams are allocated a specific academic caseload that enables them to provide additional services to academics in Schools.  

Generally, Careers provides:

• a careers and employability insights publication regularly that is sent to all academic staff to keep them up to date with information and news on employability and career learning 
• career guidance and coaching by careers consultants 
• placement preparation and administration by the placements team 
• a suite of workshops and events for students which run centrally 
• access to employer contacts on request 
• data on the Graduate Outcomes of students who leave the University. 

More specifically, our careers consultancy team can provide:

• advice and support on embedding employability within the curriculum
• related curriculum based or co-curricular workshops and interventions 
• a range of resources on the academic tutor toolkit pages to support tutors in their work supporting students with their professional development 
• bespoke one-to-one support of students within the School such as CV clinics or careers drop-ins 
• reports on careers and employability via attendance at School committees 
• input into the writing of, and support in achieving, School Teaching Enhancement Action Plan objectives 
• input into programme changes and new modules/programmes and the associated paperwork 
• access to detailed information about student engagement and graduate outcomes 
• provision of information and data for course accreditations and periodic reviews. 

In return, we ask Schools to:

• Involve us at an early stage in any work on career development and employability, in order that we can collaborate effectively to devise an impactful, outcomes-led approach to supporting students 
• help us to raise awareness of our services to students including referrals in academic tutorials  
• provide time in the timetable for careers/employability workshops and other interventions 
• consult on programme changes and new programmes that have careers, placement and employability implications 
• help us keep in contact with alumni to facilitate the securing of graduate outcomes  
• keep us up to date with School changes that may affect our work. 

Placements

The placements team support students who enrol on a curricular placement which are inclusive of our programmes regulated by Professional, Statutory and Regulatory Bodies (PSRBs), non-regulated mandatory placements and placement options.  This support includes but is not limited to: 

• providing support with the development of new placement programmes and changes to existing provision 
• monitoring of placement governance and policy with legal services and health and safety services 
• providing regular updates and information to placement-related staff and academic community on impact to placement learning 
• coordinating required checks such as Disclosure and Barring Service checks and supporting services with medical declarations for health-related programmes 
• placement allocations and liaising with placement providers for PSRB programmes 
• providing school-based, central and online training for students enrolled on a Professional Placement Year 
• offering one-to-one personalised support for all placement students 
• ensuring placement paperwork is managed and completed prior to students starting their experience, including reporting and monitoring students on a visa route whilst on placement 
• supporting students throughout their placement journey, including the navigation of challenges associated with their curricular placement activities 
• providing reports on student engagement with placement activities, placement uptake and general monitoring.

In return, we ask schools to adhere to the University’s Code of Practice on Work Based and Placement Learning and ensure Placement Tutors are fully accountable for the academic components of curricular placements, placement visits, where necessary and working alongside central placement team to ensure students are appropriately prepared and equipped for their curricular placement activities.  

Feedback and complaints 

Client feedback, both positive and negative, is vital to ensure we provide a service that meets the needs of our students. We regularly request feedback from our users using both electronic and hard copy forms. 

Complaints are dealt with promptly and in adherence to the University's Complaints Procedure. In the first instance, you should put your complaint in writing to the Director of Careers and Employability. Unresolved issues can be referred to the Director of Student Services, University of Reading, Carrington Building, Reading RG6 6UA.  

If there are any concerns about your support for placements, please liaise directly with our Head of Student Placements in the first instance, Em Sowden, e.l.sowden@reading.ac.uk. 

Updated: January 2025