Thursday 18 July 2019 8:56pm
Politics programme Associate Professor James Headley (left) and Professor Robert Patman discuss the Taught Master of Politics and the Master of International Studies with potential students on 18 July.
There really is something for everyone at the inaugural Humanities Career Week, which runs at the Dunedin campus between 16 and 23 July.
Career Development Centre adviser Petra Hass says several seminars covering a diverse range of study and vocational areas will be held daily throughout the week. All feature input from an array of researchers, lecturers and employers.
Career Development Centre adviser Petra Hass
“The overall aim is to empower students to create their own success story by helping them clarify career goals, and provide information on career opportunities and pathways. The week specifically targets students wanting to develop a career in driving social change – hence our focus on Humanities-related areas,” she says.
As a “skills development opportunity”, a key objective is to inspire undergraduates considering both academic and non-academic careers to tap into knowledge from industry experts and academics about career outcomes related to their degree.
“This helps students identify the in-demand skills they still need to build, and see how skills gained from their degree (including postgraduate study) translate into a future career. Ideally, attending one or more of the events prompts students to be proactive in structuring their degree and extra-curricular activities. Career role models provided by successful Alumni help build students’ confidence in their own choices,” Hass says.
Events such as the Public Sector and Not for Profit Expo, held on Tuesday 23 July, will expose future graduates to the reality that there are a wide range of employment opportunities in these sectors.
The week’s sixteen-event programme began on 16 July when Theology programme staff presented a seminar on careers in chaplaincy, ministry and social organisations, before an evening event on social impact careers in the digital age brought together Tim Cooper, Head of the School of Arts, with guest speakers Laura Black, Director Methodist Mission Southern, Matt Schmidt, Senior Archaeologist at Heritage New Zealand, self-publishing author Samantha Burton and local politician Aaron Hawkins.
Later in the week, academics will be joined by employers, including KiwiRail, New Zealand Trade and Enterprise, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, GovTech and staff from the Department of Internal Affairs, at presentations on employment opportunities.
Click here for a full programme of events.
Below: Dunedin City Councillor Aaron Hawkins speaks at the Social Impact Careers in the Digital Age event on 16 July.
