Last week, on the 9th November, the Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering hosted an exciting fair dedicated to employability and skills development. The event was attended by over 200 students in total, from within the Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, but also including students from other Departments within the Faculty of Engineering who were welcomed to join.
Twelve industry employers joined for the day: AGH, AMRC, EATON, GHD, INEOS, MAGNOMATICS, MATRIX, MaxPower, Rolls-Royce, Siemens Gamesa, TATA steel and WoodPlc. There were also lectures and sessions including industry experts who were able to help advise and inspire students with their advice for their future careers: The Institution of Engineering and Technology, Gradcracker, LockIn U, the University of Sheffield Year in Industry team, and the University of Sheffield Careers Service. A networking lunch with department staff then gave industry attendees the chance to learn more about the Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering.
Upon arriving at the University of Sheffield, Industry Employers were joined by University staff for a meet and greet, and then received a tour of the University's facilities in the Diamond building from a team of engineering student ambassadors. Meanwhile, there were lectures in both English and Mandarin from Gradcracker and Lockin U, respectively. This meant students from across the department were able to ask the questions most relevant to them, and learn more about the opportunities available to them once they graduate from the University.
Thanks you to the organisers of this event for its success. It is brilliant to see the EEE department engaging so well with employers. Hopefully this event will be repeated in the future.
Professor John David
Personal Chair, Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering
After lunch for industry and staff attendees, and lectures for student attendees, there were then nine well-attended mini-lectures from industry employers, who each gave a brief introduction to their company and talked about the opportunities available for Sheffield students. The Department is pleased these lectures have hopefully aided with inspiring students with career possibilities, as well as providing some ideas for potential industrial placements to those students who have a placement year integrated into their degree.
Whilst the lectures were carried out in one area of the fair, in another area there were CV review and mock interview sessions carried out by the industry employers - nearly fifty of these sessions were carried out for student attendees. Students also had the chance to network with industry employers and learn more about the companies in attendance.
The first Electronic and Electrical Engineering Employability and Skills Development Fair has been of very real benefit to students in the department and in the wider faculty of engineering, and excellent feedback was received from students and industry employers alike, as well as from academic staff members.
It was a privilege to organise this event representing the EEE department, University of Sheffield. It was great to see well-known industry employers on our campus. They enhanced our students' soft and technical skills through a deep discussion in the mini-talks and in the networking session. It was exhilarating to see the engagement of our students. It is essential to have such events where students can easily have assistance in the self-assessments of their skills, and learn about the attributes of different employers. I received great feedback from industry employers as they were highly impressed by the event's organisation, communication, on-site facilities, and the calibre of the students they spoke to. Many hands worked together to boost the success of this event. Thank you ever so much for all who put effort into this event, it is a credit to our department.
Dr Mahmoud Masoud
University Teacher, Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, and organiser of the EEE Employability and Skills Development Fair Day
