Employability and Entrepreneurship The WritePass Journal

Employability and Entrepreneurship 1. INTRODUCTION Employability and Entrepreneurship 1. INTRODUCTION  2. OCCUPATIONAL RESEARCH  Ã‚   2.1 Terms of reference  Ã‚   2.2 Methodology   2.3 Main findings3. PERSONAL REFELCTION   3.1 Personal analysis3.2 CV Covering letter3.3 Gap analysis3.4 Career action plan4. CONCLUSION5. REFERENCES AND BIBILIOGRAPHY Related 1. INTRODUCTION Employability is the combination of factors and processes that enable people to progress towards or get into employment, to stay in employment and to move in the workplace. The purpose of this report is to discuss the opportunities I as a graduate go through after the completion of my degree, what the employers are looking for in an employee, as well as the role marketers or marketing related careers play in enterprises, then finally the knowledge, skills and attitude I have and hope to obtain. I have always wanted to work in the marketing sector so I have compiled analysis of six different companies, which consist of large-scale companies, small, and medium sized companies. I have used a mixture of analysis to compare various methods that can be used to start a career in the marketing sector and also be successful in the field. I have decided to work in the marketing sector because it provides many job opportunities such as personal selling, advertising, packaging, transport, product development and retailing.   2. OCCUPATIONAL RESEARCH This section of the report would examine the factual reflections of the findings from the occupation.   Ã‚   2.1 Terms of reference The purpose of this report is to look at the graduate opportunities in the UK marketing sector. Research will be made on six different organisations in this sector. The main aim is to show what has to be achieved and how to achieve it.   Ã‚   2.2 Methodology The methods used to approach this research were carried out through primary and secondary resources. The primary research was used to exchange e-mails with one of the staffs of Business Monitor International and PKF to clarify some issues. However most of the research done on this report was from information gathered online which is the secondary research such as graduate job websites like prospect, inside careers and also watching some videos on employability. The companies’ websites were used to get more information. The organizations used in this reportare Standard Life, Glaxo Smith Kline, Akzo nobel corporate, Business monitor international, PKF and Sanofi Aventis.    2.3 Main findings In marketing, there are variety of challenging and interesting job opportunities such as retailing, market research, personal selling and wholesaling. In addition from my findings, there are so many individuals who are employed in non-business organizations that are also engaged in marketing activities. The skills from marketing are used to promote civic, political, cultural and charitable activities, even if an individual earns a living through marketing activities or performs them without compensation in non-business settings, the knowledge and skills gained from marketing are valuable assets. Our highly complex economy relies heavily on marketing activities. The economy produces the profits that are necessary for the growth of individual businesses and also provide health and ultimate survival for the economy as a whole. In essence the general employment trend must be known. According to the survey by BBC, it claims that graduate unemployment rose by 25%. The higher education poli cy institute said in December 2008 the unemployment level rose from 11.9% to 25% among graduates aged under 24. It also said that 17.2% of male graduates were out of work compared with 11.2% of females as at the end of 2009. The report from the institute came a day after a research body had warned that unemployed graduate level could hit record levels as a result of planned public spending cuts. The Higher Education Career Service Unit (HECSU) said that because so many college leavers join the public sector, they were especially vulnerable to cuts. According to the guardian survey, it claims that the unemployment figures are set to rise by 22,000. However those leaving university during the summer face the most difficult job market in more than a decade. There are up to 22,000 more graduate whom are likely to be unemployed this year compared to last figures. The Higher Education Career Service Unit (HECSU) calculated at least one in 10 of this summer’s graduates would not be successful to find a job after six months they leave university, which is equivalent to about 35,000 and 40,000 graduates out of the 350,000 leaving UK universities after first degrees. There are many opportunities for marketing degree holders. There are lots of organisations that are recruiting graduates in marketing or marketing related occupations. According to the Witan Jardine growth statistics marketing opportunities have grown by 47% from last year and experienced growth of 5% over the last quarter. The opportunities in the marketing financial sector grew by 30%, which made an increase of 29% over the last quarter. The media sector roles in marketing for graduates increased by 25% year on year. The professional services marketing roles have soared by 77% compared to January 2006. (Ambition, 2009) Marketing is a very popular career for graduates. Last year, there were 17,000 students who graduated with degrees in marketing, and the research by the Marketing and Sales Standard Setting Body (MSSSB) claims that 580,000 people in the UK are employed in marketing roles. (Inside careers, 2011) There are important roles for graduates in the marketing sector in the future especially those who want to go into retailing. The retail sector is said to accounts for more than 10% of jobs in England. There were 2,777,000 people employed in the retail sector in 2002, the amount of people employed in the retail sector was predicted to rise to 2,869,000 in 2005 and continued growth forecast through to 2012. In 2012 it is predicted that over 250,000 new jobs are expected in this sector. However, there is going to be replacement demand whereby there will be need for new people to replace those leaving the sector is predicted to be five times this figure, with sales and customer service occupations alone needing almost half a million people to replace those leaving the sector (National Guidance Research Forum, 2010). As a marketing graduate your responsibilities can vary depending on the size of the organization and sector and also whether the focus is on selling a product, service or ra ising awareness of an issue that affects the public. A recent marketing degree holder can play roles in organization such as liaising and networking with wide range of stakeholders like colleagues, customers, partner organizations and suppliers. One could also communicate with his target audience and also managing their customers’ relationships. One can also generate advertising opportunities and placing adverts in the press locally, regional, national and specialist publications or on the radio, depending on the organization and the campaign. As a marketing degree holder, one could ensure there is effective distribution of marketing materials, and also maintain and update customer database. One could also attend and organize events such as seminars, conference, exhibition and receptions. Marketing graduate could organize marketing research such as creating customer questionnaire, focus groups and also contributing to the development of marketing plans and strategies (Prospec ts, 2009). These jobs are advertised in newspapers and magazines such as marketing week, they can also be found online in job search sites like prospects, graduate-jobs, inside careers etc. Based on the research done on the organisations, there are some key skills, knowledge and experience expected from a marketing graduate. These organisations are looking for people that are highly organized and proactive, with the ability to do different tasks simultaneously to meet deadlines. They are interested in people with the ability to work both independently and in a team environment. A core skill expected is ability to interact and maintain beneficial relationships with other teams across the business. High level of competency in Microsoft office, particularly excel is expected. They also search for people with good skills in leadership with ability to influence without authority in a matrix environment. They are also interested in people who have excellent written and verbal communicatio n skills and also those that can speak good English. As a marketing graduate a lot is expected, only in very exceptional circumstances that organisations accept application from people who don’t meet their academic requirements. This means that the applicant has to provide strong justification for why the organisation should accept him/her. The minimum academic criteria expected by their organisations are minimum of at least 280 UCAS points with a first class or 2:1 degree. The selection process is done step by step. It is a chance for the graduate to show the organisation what they are made of and that they have the skills required. The first step is to fill in an online application form. This gives you the chance to tell the organisation a bit about yourself and also include your CV and cover letter. The second step is to take an online verbal and numerical reasoning test. The third step is a telephone interview to discuss your understanding of the role you have applied for. The forth step is to attend an assessment centre to meet members of the organisation. The fifth step is to receive an offer. 3. PERSONAL REFELCTION In this section of the report, I am going to reflect upon and evaluate my current skills, knowledge and experience in relation to the ones required by the organisation I have researched on.    3.1 Personal analysis During the course of my study, I developed some key skills such as working both independently and also as a group. I worked as a group in my coursework that enabled me to play roles like encouraging the group when motivation is low. During my research, I identified that I need good leadership skills. These leadership skills have been achieved as a group leader in university coursework that also enabled mi to take responsibility for the direction and action of the group. I have developed my interpersonal skills, I have also developed skills to be able to use my own initiative as well as problem solving skills. I strongly believe with my academic achievement, skills and experience, I definitely have a career in marketing. 3.2 CV Covering letter My CV and covering letter are addressed to Business monitor international. See appendix 3.3 Gap analysis Gap analysis is the space between where we are and where we want to be. I have developed some skills that I am confident in. I am confident in my team working skills. I have good interpersonal skills especially in the way I carry myself. In general I have most of the skills these organisations are looking for. However, there are some areas that I really need to focus my personal development like my presentation skills; I lack the confidence to speak in public. I also lack a little bit of computing skills such as using Microsoft office excel. I intend on improving the skills that I am weak at by going for public speaking programmes and career fares to improve on my confidence level. I also plan on using self guide on how to use Microsoft excel to improve on my computing skills. 3.4 Career action plan See appendix 6.3 page 11 4. CONCLUSION In conclusion, this research has given me wide range of knowledge about the recent employment trends for graduates in the marketing sector and also more knowledge about different roles and skills required. While I was doing this report, it helped me realise what knowledge and skills I have now. In general, my career action plan would also help me as a guideline to enable me meet my goals. 5. REFERENCES AND BIBILIOGRAPHY Akzo Nobel (2010) What do we look for? Available at akzonobel.com/careers/graduates/what_we_look_for/index.aspx [Accessed 15th march 2011] Ambition (2008) Marketing Sales Recruitment Trends, Available at ambition.co.uk/sales-marketing-jobs/recruitment-trends.asp [Accessed 19th march 2011] BBC (2010) Graduate unemployment rate rises 25%, Available at bbc.co.uk/news/10500124 [Accessed 20th march 2011] Business Monitor International (2011) Employment listing, Available at https://www5jh.openhire.com/epostings/submit.cfm?fuseaction=app.jobinfojobid=173530company_id=1005source=ONLINEJobOwner=992284bycountry=1bystate=0bylocation=GB%2Ekeywords=byCat=38747tosearch [Accessed 14th march 2011] Glaxo Smith Kline (2010) Experienced hires: search and apply, Available at gsk.com/careers/uk-saa-jobsearch.htm [Accessed 15th march 2011] Inside career (2011) skills required for marketing, Available at insidecareers.co.uk/__802574D800556E37.nsf/id/7nwndntden!opendocument [Accessed 20th march 2011] National Guidance Research Forum (2010) LMI future trends, Available at guidance-research.org/future-trends/retail/info/futureemp [Accessed 20th march 2011] PKF accountants and business advisers (2010) The PKF experience, Available at pkf.co.uk/pkf/careers/work_experience/home [Accessed 15th march 2011] Prospects (2009). Marketing executive: Job description and activities, Available at http://ww2.prospects.ac.uk/p/types_of_job/marketing_executive_job_description.jsp [Accessed 22nd march Sanofi Aventis (2010). Job Details, Available at http://www24.i-grasp.com/fe/tpl_sanofiaventis01.asp?s=bkMjPUrEcTFkHhTczjobid=54551,2221122152key=12073363c=865256627269pagestamp=sewfxdjbvkssyzdycm [Accessed 22nd march 2011] Standard life (2011) sales and marketing, Available at standardlife.com/careers/graduates/grad_sales_marketing.html [Accessed 15th march 2011] The guardian (2009) Graduate unemployment figures set to rise by 22,000, Available at guardian.co.uk/education/2009/jul/02/graduate-unemployment-rise-recession-jobs [Accessed 20th march 2011]

Christa McAuliffe - Space Shuttle Challenger Teacher

Christa McAuliffe - Space Shuttle Challenger Teacher Sharon Christa Corrigan  McAuliffe was Americas first teacher in space candidate, chosen to fly aboard the shuttle and teach lessons to children on Earth. Unfortunately, her flight ended in tragedy when the Challenger orbiter was destroyed 73 seconds after liftoff. She left behind a legacy of education facilities called the Challenger Centers, with one located in her home state of New Hampshire. McAuliffe was born September 2, 1948 to Edward and Grace Corrigan, and grew up being very  excited about the space program. Years later, on her Teacher In Space Program application, she wrote, I watched the Space Age being born and I would like to participate. Christa McAulffe in the Shuttle Mission Simulator training for her flight aboard Challenger. NASA Johnson Space Center (NASA-JSC) Early Life Sharon Christa Corrigan was born on September 2, 1948 in Boston, Massachusetts, to Edward C. Corrigan and Grace Mary Corrigan. She was the oldest of five children and went by the name Christa her whole life. The Corrigans lived in Massachusetts, moving from Boston to Framingham when Christa was a small child. She attended Marian High school, graduating in 1966. While attending Marian High School in Framingham, MA, Christa met and fell in love with Steve McAuliffe. After graduation, she attended Framingham State College, majored in history, and received her degree in 1970. That same year, she and Steve were married. They moved to the Washington, D.C. area, where Steve attended Georgetown Law School. Christa took a teaching job, specializing in American history and social studies until the birth of their son, Scott. She  attended Bowie State University, earning a masters degree in school administration in 1978. They next moved to Concord, NH, when Steve accepted a job as an assistant to the state attorney general. Christa had a daughter, Caroline and stayed home to raise her and Scott while looking for work. Eventually, she took a job with Bow Memorial School, then later with Concord High School.   Becoming the Teacher in Space In 1984, when she learned about NASAs efforts to locate an educator to fly on the space shuttle, everyone who knew Christa told her to go for it. She mailed her completed application at the last minute and doubted her chances of success. Even after becoming a finalist, she did not expect to be chosen. Some of the other teachers were doctors, authors, scholars. She felt she was just an ordinary person. When her name was chosen, out of 11,500 applicants in the summer of 1984, she was shocked but ecstatic. She was going to make history as the first school teacher in space. Christa headed to the Johnson Space Center in Houston to begin her training in September 1985. She feared the other astronauts would consider her an intruder, just â€Å"along for the ride,† and vowed to work hard to prove herself. Instead, she discovered that the other crew members treated her as part of the team. She trained with them in preparation for a 1986 mission. Christa McAuliffe undergoing weightless training in NASAs Vomit Comet trainer. NASA   She said, â€Å"A lot of people thought it was over when we reached the Moon (on Apollo 11). They put space on the back burner. But people have a connection with teachers. Now that a teacher has been selected, they are starting to watch the launches again.† Lesson Plans for a Special Mission Besides teaching a set of special science lessons from the shuttle, Christa was planning to keep a journal of her adventure. â€Å"Thats our new frontier out there, and its everybodys business to know about space, she noted.   Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster STS-51L Pictures - 51-L Challenger Crew in White Room. NASA Headquarters - GReatest Images of NASA (NASA-HQ-GRIN) Christa was scheduled to fly aboard the space shuttle  Challenger for mission STS-51L. After several delays, it finally launched January 28, 1986 at 11:38:00 a.m. eastern standard time. Seventy-three seconds into the flight, the Challenger exploded, killing all seven astronauts aboard as their families watched from the Kennedy Space Center. It was not the first NASA space flight tragedy, but it was the first watched around the world. Sharon Christa McAuliffe was killed along with the entire crew; mission commander Francis R. Scobee; pilot Michael J. Smith; mission specialists Ronald E. McNair, Ellison S. Onizuka, and Judith A. Resnik; and payload specialists Gregory B. Jarvis. Christa McAuliffe was also listed as a payload specialist. The cause of the Challenger explosion was later determined to be the failure of an o-ring due to extreme cold temperatures. However, the real problems may have had more to do with politics than engineering. Honors and Remembrance While it has been many years since the incident, people have not forgotten McAuliffe and her teammates. Part of Christa McAuliffe’s mission aboard the Challenger was to have taught two lessons from space. One would have introduced the crew, explained their functions, describing much of the equipment aboard, and telling how life is lived aboard a space shuttle. The second lesson would have concentrated more on spaceflight itself, how it works, why it’s done, etc. She never got to teach those lessons. Astronauts Joe Acaba and Ricky Arnold, who are part of the astronaut corps for the International Space Station, announced plans to use the lessons onboard the station during their mission. The plans covered experiments in liquids, effervescence, chromatography and Newtons laws. Challenger Centers After the tragedy, the families of the Challenger crew banded together to help form the Challenger Organization, which provides resources for students, teachers, and parents for educational purposes. Included in these resources are 42 Learning Centers in 26 states, Canada, and the UK which offer a two-room simulator, consisting of a space station, complete with communications, medical, life, and computer science equipment, and a mission control room patterned after NASAs Johnson Space Center and a space lab ready for exploration. Also, there have been many schools and other facilities around the country named after these heroes, including the Christa McAuliffe Planetarium in Concord, NH. Scholarships have been funded in her memory, and she is remembered each year on NASAs Day of Remembrance commemorating all astronauts lost in the line of duty. The Christa McAuliffe planetarium/Shepard Discovery Center in Concord, New Hampshire. Christa McAuliffe is buried in a Concord cemetery, on a hillside not far from the planetarium built in her honor. Fast Facts: Christa McAuliffe Born: September 2, 1948; died January 28, 1986.Parents: Edward C. and Grace Mary CorriganMarried: Steven J. McAuliffe in 1970.Children: Scott and CarolineChrista McAuliffe was to be the first teacher in space. She was selected in 1984 for a 1986 mission.McAuliffe had planned to teach several lessons from space to children around the world.The Challenger mission was cut short by castastrophe 73 seconds after launch when the main tank exploded due to outgassing from the solid rocket boosters. It destroyed the shuttle and killed all seven astronauts. Sources: â€Å"Christa McAuliffe Biography / Biography of Christa McAuliffe.†Ã‚  Los Alamitos Unified School District / Overview, www.losal.org/domain/521.â€Å"Christas Lost Lessons.†Ã‚  Challenger Center, www.challenger.org/challenger_lessons/christas-lost-lessons/.Garcia, Mark. â€Å"Christa McAuliffes Legacy Experiments.†Ã‚  NASA, NASA, 23 Jan. 2018, www.nasa.gov/feature/nasa-challenger-center-collaborate-to-perform-christa-mcauliffe-s-legacy-experiments. Edited and updated by Carolyn Collins Petersen.