Following a pilot scheme at the University of Sussex, the CareerAhead scheme will initially operate across six of Study Group’s on-campus International Study Centres in the UK, and will later roll out across all of its UK centres.

The programme aims to equip students with career skills identified by Study Group through an analysis of graduate employment market data, which will help students to better understand the job markets of both their home and host countries.

“Soft skills are becoming increasingly important to graduate recruiters”

It was developed based on discussions with students, heads of colleges, university partners and agents, which highlighted that international students rank career prospects as one of the top factors for seeking an education abroad.

“One of the key takeaways from this research was the need for a clear and effective approach to assisting students on their path to employment, whether back home or abroad,” James Pitman, Study Group’s managing director, higher education UK and Europe, told The PIE News.

“In particular, soft skills are becoming increasingly important to graduate recruiters, and it’s vital that students develop these skills if they want to find a job in their chosen field,” he said.

During the course, students will develop these soft skills such as leadership, cooperation, analysis skills and presentation skills.

They will also graduate with a personal career development plan, a CV and a personal statement, as well as an understanding of how employers assess candidates for job.

More than 570 students have completed the CareerAhead course through the pilot offered to students at the Sussex ICS’s Foundation and pre-master’s courses.

It will be embedded in the curricula of Study Group’s programmes at the University of Leicester, Lancaster University, University of Lincoln, Kingston University London and Liverpool John Moores University from the start of the coming academic year.