Careers Service Equality and diversity

Useful links:

• TARGETjobs advice on a range of key equality and diversity issues
• advice on age discrimination from ACAS
• the UK Government offers help and support for older workers

Useful links

• TARGETjobs provides further information relating to a range of Equality and diversity issues. It includes guidance for Asylum Seekers and Refugees
• The Scottish Refugee Council has a telephone advice service for anyone in Scotland who is still in the asylum system or have received some form of leave to remain
• The Bridges Programme may be able to organise unpaid voluntary placements for asylum seekers. This would be an alternative route to securing work experience while at university.

Use this Citizen’s Advice Scotland resource, disclosure and declaring a criminal record, to check the basic rules about when you have to declare your criminal records and which checks can be made by an employer.

Our faculty careers consultants work in partnership with the Disability and Wellbeing Service and other relevant agencies, to help assist students and graduates with their career planning.

Students with a disability* are strongly encouraged to make an individual appointment with a careers consultant as soon as possible on joining their course here at Strathclyde. While graduation may be a number of years away it is never too soon to start to make career plans e.g. for term-time or vacation employment; to do some job sampling; to discuss subject choice issues or how best to present to employers. The Careers Service will always endeavour to meet the needs of our students and graduates, and if you have a specific question you can e-mail us (yourcareer@strath.ac.uk).

MyPlus Students’ Club provides students with disabilities with the advice and support they need to navigate the recruitment process and achieve their career potential.

Register for free with MyPlus Students’ Club for advice on openness, requesting adjustments and access to many more resources

Postgraduate study

Applying for postgraduate study or research? Guidance for disabled students applying for postgraduate study, designed to help students with a disability apply for a postgraduate course in the UK, has been published by the Disabled Students’ Commission and includes a helpful checklist.

Useful links

• Access to Work is a publicly funded employment support programme. It aims to help more disabled people start or remain at work. It can provide practical and financial support if you have a disability. It can also help you if you have a long-term physical or mental health condition
• AccessAble provides extra disability information at the University of Strathclyde
• Blind in Business Employment Service helps blind and partially sighted students and graduates prepare for their chosen careers
• British Dyslexia Association guidance on reasonable adjustments in the workplace
• Centre for Mental Health is an independent, not for profit thinktank. They seek to eradicate mental health inequalities. They also fight injustice by changing policy and practice
• Exceptional Individuals is a social enterprise. It partners dyslexic and neurodiverse job seekers with employers across the UK. They run a wide range of free events for neurodiverse students
• AGCAS Disability Task Group Blog provides information, resources, and training for disabled students and graduates
• the University Disability and Wellbeing Service offers a wide range of support to students
• My Plus Students' Club will provide you with advice on topics such as the benefits of being open, accounting for differences in your CV, asking for adjustments in the recruitment process, and how to position your disability as a positive. Industry updates include case studies in which disabled graduates share their experience of the workplace
• See Me is Scotland's national programme to end mental health stigma and discrimination. The resources include factsheets and an online newsletter
• British Stammering Association (STAMMA) provides resources to ensure your stammer doesn't hold you back from the job or career you want
• Use My Ability provides workshops aimed at helping disabled students boost employability skills. These workshops are informed by research with employers, academic staff careers staff, and disabled students. They are available to anyone
• Dyslexia Scotland produces leaflets on a range of topics, including employment and the workplace. They also host events that you may find helpful
• Autism Employability Skills is a free online course designed for autistic university students and graduates. It will help develop your employability skills. It may also be useful for any autistic person looking to develop these capacities. The course content has been developed by a team of experts, including autistic graduates, autistic workplace mentors, non-autistic university careers consultants, and non-autistic researchers

*Disability and long-term health conditions include, but are not limited to: visual and hearing impairments, mobility impairments, autism, diabetes, epilepsy, dyslexia, dyspraxia, mental health conditions, speech impairments, and major illnesses such as cancer and MS.

Useful links

• TARGETjobs issues advice on a range of key equality and diversity issues
• Equate Scotland is the national expert in gender equality throughout the STEM sectors. Make valuable links with the industry via their student network. It's the UK’s only student network for women STEM students. They also manage the only UK-wide “women into STEM” job advertising platform
• Women in STEM helps employers attract female applicants to their graduate scheme, internship, and placement opportunities. They run events throughout the year
• WISE enables people in industry and education to increase the participation of women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM)
• Where Women Work showcases the impressive achievements of women. It shines a spotlight on the organisations supporting them. Jobs board advertises internships, apprenticeships, graduate roles, experienced hires, women returners, executives - full-time, part-time, flexible or contract
• AAI Employability run a "Back to work" programme. It supports minority ethnic women to return to the workforce after a career break
• Interviews for the Women in Data campaign show women working in data, tech, and related fields in Scotland

The Careers and Employability Service is part of the University’s Student Experience directorate. We achieved a Silver LGBT Charter award in early 2020.

Useful links

• TARGETjobs advice on a range of key equality and diversity issues
• LGBT Youth Scotland is Scotland’s national charity for LGBTI young people. They work with 13–25 year olds across the country. Their goal is to make Scotland the best place to grow up for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex young people
• Stonewall Scotland supports individuals and organisations to make a difference for LGBTI people. Their Top 100 Employers list identifies the best employers for LGBT people. It's published every year
• InterEngineering is a free and inclusive organisation. It's for anyone who believes that LGBT diversity and inclusion within engineering are important
• PinkNews Futures is a bi-annual (digital) student and graduate careers conference. It provides support and valuable resources to LGBT+ youth. It connects them with inclusive employers from across the UK. They also host an online Jobs Board

Useful links

• TARGETjobs advice on a range of key equality and diversity issues
• BEMIS supports the development of the Ethnic Minorities Voluntary Sector in Scotland. It aims to empower Scotland's ethnic and cultural minority communities
• Path Scotland aims to address the under-representation of black and minority ethnic communities working in housing and other professions in Scotland
• COLORINTECH is focused on making Europe the most inclusive tech hub in the world. They build programmes to create access to some of the most innovative companies for ethnic minorities. Access free MOOCS and events, which will develop your skills and expand your network
• AAI Employability run a "Back to work" programme to support minority ethnic women to return to the workforce after a career break

As a carer, you will have many skills and valuable knowledge that can be relevant to employers.

At the University of Strathclyde we are dedicated to supporting student carers to helping you succeed. Learn more about the support and resources we provide for student carers, including a Careers Module for Student Carers.

• Equality and Human Rights Commission provides guidance for workers on a range of equality and diversity issues
• Discrimination - your rights at work is a Government website with information on types of discrimination and advice on what you can do
• ACAS advice on equality and discrimination aims to create fair workplaces by promoting equality and diversity
• Citizens Advice Scotland provides information on discrimination at work. This enables you to check if you're being discriminated against in the workplace and find out how to solve your problem

MyPlus Students Club series of Disability Careers Guides will provide you with all the advice you need on topics such as the benefits of being open, accounting for differences on your CV, asking for adjustments in the recruitment process and how to position your disability as a positive.

British Dyslexia Association guidance on reasonable adjustments in the workplace

Getting a graduate job with dyslexia - advice from TARGETjobs

Prospects - Example of how to disclose a disability in a cover letter

It is quite common to be asked to complete a medical questionnaire when applying for a job or when you're offered a job. This blog post from the AGCAS Disability Task Group explains why and provides useful tips on how to deal with medical questionnaires.

Check out our page on inclusive employers and opportunities.

Employability Skills for Autistic Students and Graduates

This free online course, Employability Skills for Autistic Students and Graduates, is ideal for you if you're an autistic university student or graduate interested in developing your employability skills. However, it may also be useful for any autistic person looking to develop these capacities.

The course is estimated to take between 2-4 hours in total but you can take as long as you need to complete it.

The videos and activities in this course have all been developed and produced by a team of experts, including autistic graduates, autistic workplace mentors, non-autistic university careers consultants, and non-autistic researchers.

What you’ll learn:

• skills to help you find a suitable job
• skills to help you decode job adverts and interview questions
• guidance on sharing or disclosing your autism diagnosis
• information about reasonable adjustments
• development of an action plan to maximise employment success

This course was funded by The Churchill Fellowship and York St John University. It is supported by the autism organisations Matthew's Hub, Autism Forward, and Living Autism as well as the Association for Graduate Careers Advisory Services (AGCAS).

IMAGE Project Employability Toolkit

The IMAGE Project Employability Toolkit - resources to improve the employability of autistic graduates. What's involved:

• the steps and challenges involved in choosing a career, applying for a job, and settling into the workplace
• “How to…” articles and case studies from across Europe
• interactive profile builder that turns strengths, challenges and preferences into templates to print or email

Recordings of some of the Careers Service events with a specific focus on Equality and Diversity are available via the following links:

• current students
• graduates