Best of CASE Europe Region Award
 

Institution: University of Westminster

Title of entry: Westminster Working Cultures United Kingdom: intensive employability programmes for students

About this entry: Westminster Working Cultures UK is an intensive ‘employment skills’ programme organised by the Alumni Relations Team for Westminster students, specifically those from underrepresented or disadvantaged backgrounds. During week-long WWC UK programmes, members of our alumni and volunteer network – representing a huge range of industries – ‘host’ our students in their places of work, delivering a mix of workshops, skills sessions and workplace tours.

WWC UK launched at the height of the pandemic in September 2020 to provide intense employability support to students and to connect them to UK employers at a time when exposure and access to industry was especially challenging. Taking the opportunity for virtual delivery to our advantage, we engaged a large network of alumni from different sectors, geographies and backgrounds as speakers.

As covid-19 restrictions eased, many of our strong base of WWC UK 'online volunteers’ were happy to transfer their support to in-person. As a result, we were able to deliver three hybrid WWC UK programmes in 2022 which offered even greater flexibility for the alumni and partners taking part. Our in-person volunteers welcomed groups of our students to their offices in key cities across the UK, including London, Margate, Leeds and Manchester. Meanwhile, our online volunteers continued to support with virtual skills sessions.
In 2022, WWC UK involved 76 volunteers from our alumni and partner network who hosted 54 sessions across three programmes. Our volunteers supported 150 students on this unique employability experience, 90% whom self-identified as coming from an underrepresented or disadvantaged background.