Employability at Nottingham Trent International College

Preparing you for a successful career is a key part of higher education — after all, getting a great job after you graduate is an important goal for many students. To help you on your path, we’ll start supporting you to enhance your employability even before your pathway course starts.

Below, you’ll find more information on how you can gain employability skills and boost your CV before, during, and even after your pathway course, in most cases at no additional cost.

Career Focus

Video: How I Boosted My Career Skills with Applied Learning Week

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Before your pathway course

Before you begin your studies at the College, you’ll have access to Pathways Preview. This handy resource is available to all pathways students, and offers an advance look at Kaplan’s Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) and gives you access to developmental and educational resources such as ‘Your Online Reputation and Networks’.

With ‘Your Online Reputation and Networks’, you can start thinking about your professional future and build a network of useful contacts by learning to identify the professional bodies and organisations that are relevant to your field of study and career goals. Engaging with these organisations can give you access to interesting resources outside of your course materials, and help you make connections with important people in your chosen industry.

student typing on laptop

Some networks and organisations that Nottingham Trent International College students have engaged with include:

Association for Project Management
Institute of Biomedical Science
Institute of Engineering and Technology
Institute of Enterprise and Entrepreneurs
The Historical Association

Once you start your pathway course, your Learning Advisors will help you to continue expanding your professional network.

During your pathway course

There are so many ways you can gain practical skills and enhance your employability during your studies with us. Click on the tiles below to learn more about each one.

Live careers events

Throughout your course you will benefit from live careers events called Career Conversations. During these events, a panel of students has the opportunity to interview an entrepreneur, employer or other industry professional with insight to offer.

You’ll be able to watch the interviews again later as a short video, and even complete related tasks to make sure you get the most out of the discussion.
Practical projects

Twice per term you’ll be able to work on a special group project as part of Applied Learning Week. You’ll learn valuable skills such as communication, organisation, research and teamwork while you work on exciting projects such as building a website, producing a video, delivering a business plan or giving a presentation.

Each Applied Learning Week also has a unique theme: previous themes have included entrepreneurship, environment and sustainability, and local, national and global causes and issues.
Professional certifications

A professional certification makes an impressive addition to your CV by demonstrating that you have expertise in a particular area. As Kaplan has connections with many professional organisations, you can gain certifications while you study with us.

A great option is to study a module in Entrepreneurship: if you successfully complete the module, you’ll be awarded a Certificate of Achievement by the Institute of Enterprise and Entrepreneurs.

Alternatively, you could benefit from studying the New Technologies for Business course from Kaplan Professional and demonstrating your knowledge of the latest developments in business technology.
Professional development resources

Pathways Careersource is a fun, interactive e-book all about your personal and career development. This includes a variety of personality and skills self-assessments to help you identify your strengths and weaknesses and set goals for your development.
Real-world assessments

The best way to learn is by doing. That’s why many of the assessments in your course will be based on the sorts of activities you’re likely to encounter on your degree and in your future career.

This means that Business and Finance students could be tasked with writing a report on company strategy, students of Media might have to produce a vlog and Science students would create a lab report.
Skills portfolio
A key part of your pathway course is creating and maintaining a Kap-PACK e-Portfolio — it’s a brilliant way to showcase all your skills and achievements!

There are 5 sections in the e-Portfolio to complete:
- About Me
- Personal Development
- Academic Exploration
- Communicative Ability
- Knowledge, Skills and Experience
This will help you to track your progress and identify any gaps in your knowledge or experience that you can work on. You can even apply for the Kap-PACK Plus Award in Community, Leadership or Networking by completing some extra work. It’s a great way to show your ambition and commitment to personal development.
Work experience

Work experience is very important in starting and developing your career. You can start building experience while you study with us: Kaplan is registered with the Office for Students, which means you can take on a part-time job during term time, or even work full time in your breaks.

You can also apply to become a Kaplan Student Ambassador and get great experience by writing blogs, filming videos, and communicating with potential international students around the world.

By taking advantage of all of these opportunities, you’ll finish your pathway course with a range of transferable skills that help you to stand out.

Pathway courses with internships

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.

Why take a pathway course with internship?

Gain work skills and experience

while you study

Choose from 3,500 host companies

in 70 countries worldwide

18 career fields

available to match your goals

Internships are provided by Virtual Internships

named one of Europe's top EdTech companies (HolonIQ 2021)

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.

After your pathway course

We’ll continue to support you in building your employability even after you finish your course. All Kaplan Pathways alumni are eligible to sign up for Pathways Extra, a special area on the VLE that helps you to prepare for university, build on your academic skills and focus on your employability.

If you didn’t gain the Certificate of Achievement from the Institute of Enterprise and Entrepreneurs while you were at the College, you’ll have the opportunity to do so now. You’ll also be able to assess your skills and set employability goals, as well as being able to explore all the ways you can enhance your employability at university.

Your degree and beyond

Once you progress to your degree, the University will support you in continuing to work on your employability. Not only does Nottingham Trent University offer a work placement opportunity on many of its degrees, but you’ll also learn valuable practical skills in your classes too, for example with special projects like The Grand Challenge.

While you are studying at the University, you will also be able to take part in the Acceler8 Award. With the Acceler8 Award, you’ll gain points for joining employability initiatives and skills sessions, volunteering, engaging with the Students’ Union and gaining work experience. The more activities you participate in, the more points you’ll earn, so you can graduate with either a Bronze, Silver, or Gold award which will look great on your CV.

During your degree you will also have access to NTU’s Employability team, one of the largest in the UK. They offer tailored support and advice depending on your exact circumstances, and can help you to find work experience, a part time job or even graduate opportunities to help you start your career. The team understands the unique needs of international students, and has dedicated resources, workshops and events to support your entry into the workplace.

You’ll also be able to stay in the UK to get work experience for up to 2 years after you graduate with the UK government’s Graduate Route visa. All this means that you’ll graduate with a bright future ahead of you!

Video - Engineering projects: The Grand Challenge

Video Graduate support for life after NTU

Search for degrees at Nottingham Trent University

To see what you could study at Nottingham Trent University, use the degree finder tool below.