Latest information: Remote study for UK
Enhancing your employability is an important part of an education. That’s why employability skills and practical experiences are built into all of our pathway courses — and our support starts even before your classes do!
From building your CV to expanding your professional network, we’ll help you to prepare for a successful career before, during, and even after your studies with us, in most cases, at no additional cost.
Pathways Preview is a great online resource that you can start using even before your course begins. Not only does it give you the chance to explore the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) that you’ll be using during your studies at the College, but you’ll also be able to access a range of educational and development materials, such as ‘Your Online Reputation and Networks’.
‘Your Online Reputation and Networks’ helps you to start thinking about getting career ready by identifying the key professional networks and organisations in your chosen industry that you can register with as a student. Engaging with such groups can help to put you in touch with industry experts who can give you advice on how to achieve your dreams, as well as helping you to make useful contacts and giving you access to informative resources.
Some of the professional networks and groups that students at Kaplan International College London have engaged with include:
You will have more opportunities to build your professional network throughout your pathway course — your Learning Advisors will assist you with this.
There are multiple ways in which you can gain important practical skills and boost your CV during your studies with us. Click on the sections below to learn more about each of them.
Throughout your course, the College will hold exciting live events called Career Conversations. This is when a panel of real students have the chance to interview an employer, entrepreneur or other industry professional. It’s a brilliant opportunity to learn from people who are leaders in their fields!
The events are recorded and made available online to watch as short videos with tasks attached to help you make the most of the experience.
Applied Learning Week is a break from your regular classes, when you’ll have the opportunity to work on a special group project. Some previous projects have included writing a realistic business plan, building a website, making a video or giving a presentation. These activities help you build useful employability skills such as communication, organisation, research and teamwork.
You’ll be able to take part in Applied Learning Week twice a term, and work around a different theme. One such theme is ‘My professional Life’ during which you’ll work with students who have the same career aspirations as you, and you’ll engage in a range of employability activities, such as researching your future university’s careers service, creating a CV, developing a professional online profile, and preparing for mock job interviews.
Gaining a professional certification can help you to learn new skills and experience to put on your CV. Kaplan has connections with a range of professional bodies, so you can do this while you’re studying your pathway course!
If you successfully complete a module on Entrepreneurship you can gain a Certificate of Achievement from the Institute of Enterprise and Entrepreneurship, or you can apply to study the New Technologies for Business Course with Kaplan Professional.
Throughout your course, you’ll work from an interactive e-book on academic and career development called Pathways CareerSource. There are some handy self-led activities such as personality tests and skills assessments that can help you identify your strengths and weaknesses and set goals.
Another way in which your pathway course can help you prepare for your career is with authentic assessments. These are assessments based on tasks that you are likely to come across in your degree or future job.
For example, if you’re studying Business and Finance you might write a report on company strategy, Media students could be asked to make a vlog, and if you’re studying Science, you may need to write up a lab report.
As part of your studies at the College, you’ll create and maintain an online record of your achievements called a Kap-PACK e-Portfolio.
There are 5 sections to complete:
After you’ve finished these sections, you can do some voluntary extra work to qualify for the KapPACK plus award in Community or Leadership. This record of your achievements is a great way to showcase your skills to employers.
Of course, the best way to get some work experience is by getting a job! Kaplan is registered with the Office for Students, which means that you will be able to take on either paid or unpaid work during your studies.
You can work part time during term time and full time during holidays.
With the help of all of these opportunities, you’ll be able to graduate your pathway course with some great skills and experience on your CV.
In fact, in our 2022 student satisfaction survey, 92% of respondents agreed that their programme helped them develop knowledge and skills that will be useful for their future career!
Employability skills are built into all of our pathway courses. However, if you’d like to study a programme with a work experience placement conveniently included, a pathway course with internship could be the right choice for you.
This programme features academic and English language study, followed by an integrated online internship. The whole course is studied in the UK, and when you successfully complete it at the required level, with good attendance, you’ll progress to your chosen degree.
named a top European EdTech firm by HolonIQ (2021)
available to match with your interests
in 70 countries worldwide to choose from
to put on your CV
If you’d like to apply for a pathway course with internship, simply select your preferred course type from Foundation Certificate, International Year One or Pre-Master’s on the application form, and you’ll then be able to select the option with internship if it is available for your subject area and preferred start date, at your current level of study.
We’ll continue to help you improve your employability after your pathway course ends. When you graduate, you’ll become eligible for Pathways Extra, an exclusive area on the Kaplan VLE with free advice on preparing for university and your career.
You’ll be able to gain the Institute of Enterprise and Entrepreneurs’ Certificate of Achievement if you didn’t do so during your course, and you’ll have the opportunity to think more about growing your professional network too. There are also many opportunities for you to prepare for your career while you’re at university — with Pathways Extra you’ll be able to see in advance what these will be, so you can plan for how to make the most of them.
All of Kaplan International College London’s university partners also offer great opportunities to further build your employability. Click on the name of each university below to learn more.
At the University of Birmingham, you’ll be able to take advantage of comprehensive careers support including informative sessions on job searching, growing your professional network and how to prepare for interviews through the University’s Careers Network for International Students.
Students at the University of Bristol are rewarded for building their skills through extra-curricular activities with the Bristol Plus Award. You will still feel supported after you graduate, as you’ll be joining a global network of more than 160,000 Bristol alumni from 190 countries.
At City, University of London, you’ll benefit from one-to-one mentoring and employability skills built into your degree modules. You can also visit the careers service to get expert advice on how to improve your CV and use the University’s online resources to take a careers quiz and practice the kinds of psychometric tests that employers often use.
If you progress to Cranfield University, you’ll be able to focus on Continuing Professional Development (CPD) and even choose from over 400 short courses taught by experts. Once you graduate, you’ll have lifelong access to the University’s career continuation service, where you can get advice on developing or changing your career.
At Queen Mary University of London, you’ll be guided through your career journey and the steps you need to take with the EAST programme, and have access to online employability resources like industry guides, tips on making the perfect application and advice on how to make the most of networking opportunities.
At the University of Westminster, you’ll have access to potential.ly, an online tool that gets you thinking about your competencies and helps you plan activities to fuel your personal growth. You can also take advantage of the University of Westminster Mentoring scheme, which matches you with a career professional who can provide you with advice and insights.
Finally, if you progress to the University of York you can gain the York Award, which showcases your personal and professional development during your studies, and demonstrates to employers that you have a positive and proactive attitude
Of course, your professional development opportunities don’t stop when you graduate university — with the UK government’s Graduate Route visa you can stay in the country to gain work experience for up to two years after finishing your degree!
You can use the degree finder tool below to see the degrees you could progress to from Kaplan International College London.
