Annual Report 2015-16 Edinburgh Bright Futures

University of Edinburgh

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Table Of Contents

Introduction

Our Aims 15-16

Fact Sheet

Campus Events

Committee Profile

Acknowledgement

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Introduction

It is my pleasure to introduce this year’s Annual Report on the activities and achievements of Edinburgh Bright Futures society at University of Edinburgh. As a society that is growing and gaining more recognition at the university, we had to do our best to grow and offer different events. We built strong relationships with students, other societies, career services, other universities and corporate employers.

This was my first time being part of a committee at university and I would definitely recommend members of EBF to be a part of the team. The training session and support provided by the National Team was great and very helpful.

Since Bright Futures is not only in Edinburgh University but across many universities in the UK, there is an excellent chance to work with other member societies and even network with them.

Aayush Goyal

President

Edinburgh Bright Futures

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Our Aims 15-16 • We wanted to increase the interaction with our members mainly through our social media in the hope of increasing event attendance and our on-campus presence • Generally we aim to help increase the employability of our members and introduce them to opportunities available within companies and aid them in the process of securing these opportunities • Build stronger relationships with our corporate investor companies and with societies within the University of Edinburgh that have similar aims to Bright Futures

Fact Sheet

Social Media Our social media presence has increased this year from 314 Facebook likes to 533 to date. This has enabled us to become a well connected societies on campus. This Facebook presence has spread our brand in an effective way as can been seen by the fact that we reach an average of 500 people per post, letting them know about our upcoming events and activities.

Members We have a very diverse membership background. There are members right from the first year to students doing their Master’s. In terms of academic background, we have students studying Business, Economics, Engineering, Law and may more. We have a total of 70 paid members and about 300 unpaid members.

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Campus Events

Personal Branding Workshop with iCue

This event gave students the opportunity to meet company representatives on a rather personal basis and discuss the importance of personal branding and self-promotion. The workshop was followed by a presentation of Rent-A-Car Enterprise, which allowed the attendees to see what it is like to work in such an environment. This was an important experience for the students, as many were applying for internships and that time and received a direct insight into the sphere.

STEM Pizza and Presentation with Costain

This event was comprised of two parts; the company’s presentation and a laid back discussion session at the end. Most of the presentation was about possible internships and placements within the sector, which perfectly targeted the audience, as most were focusing on applications during that time. The discussion that followed allowed the students to ask further questions of personal interest and many received further assistance with their program application processes.

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Type Of Event Company Targeted Audience Attendees

Presentation Bright Futures All years 20

Personal Branding Workshop (Collaboration)

Enterprise Rent-A-Car

All years 30

Presentation Costain STEM students, 3rd & 4th years

40

Presentation and Skills Session

HSBC All years 30

Youth Enterprise Conference (Collaboration)

Deloitte, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Blue Cliff Media

All years 35

Company Presentation

Apple All years 30

Case Presentation KPMG All years 30

Company Presentation & Assessment Centre Skills Session with HSBC

The company representatives gave students an insight into their firm, which was also perfectly timed, as it enabled many students to consider applying for a program there. We have received positive feedback on the assessment center skills session, as it provided the students with useful advice for self-presentation especially at their upcoming interviews. The whole event was followed by a Q&A session, which allowed attendees to gain a further understanding of how the company functions and what they are looking for in applicants.

Youth Enterprise Conference with iCue

This event was rather different from our previous ones as it was a combination of guest speakers and three different workshops. At the start company representatives spoke about the main focuses of their firm and what they mostly look for in applicants, which successfully targeted all year groups. This was then followed by a flexible session during which the students could choose an activity of their interest to participate in to develop the skill of their choice. All together this definitely was a new experience for our society and we should try to incorporate more of such interactive events into our events-plan.

Apple Company Presentation

This was a very special event for us, as it was Apple’s very first appearance on this campus. The speakers mostly focused on employability at the firm and offered an insight into the hierarchy of positions and the possible ways of becoming part of the team. Questions were welcomed throughout and after the event, which enabled the students to discuss the possible ways of securing an internship and work placement. We should definitely keep in touch with Apple and try to organise bigger events.

KPMG Company Presentation

This was yet another successful KMPG event on campus. The guest speakers spoke about the many graduate career opportunities in the professional services industry, which was also well timed as many students are starting to think of their internship applications for next year. This was also a perfect event for many students because it touched on multiple degrees and career paths and gave a broad overview of the many sectors that recruit students. The laid back “pizza and discussion” session that followed allowed the students to approach the guest speakers with any questions of personal interest and learn even more about the recruitment process.

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Committee Profiles There were a couple of changes made to the way we ran the society. We had a whole new team. They were very motivated to work with certain employers separately while carrying out the assigned role.

Timothey Kulakov - Treasurer

Economics and Maths

“I am very excited about my experience as the Treasurer in our Society. It has been a fascinating and an eye-opening opportunity, as I have been working with fabulous people. In the beginning we faced some difficulties; while organising our first event no-one had the experience in this field before, but we supported each other and now, looking on what we have done, we managed to organise excellent events. I am personally responsible for communication with one of the corporate sponsors and money management of our Society. While doing so I developed my team-working and money management skills, which I hope to further develop during my working experience back at home.”

Leanne Renshaw

Mathematics and Statistics (BSc Hons)

“Being a part of Edinburgh Bright Futures committee has been an enjoyable year. I have learnt how to work closely in a team with a group of likeminded people. As Secretary my professional manner and organisational skills have been an integral part of my role and these have developed considerably throughout the year. Working closely with our sponsor companies has opened my eyes to all the work that goes on behind the scenes to bring events to students it has been a rewarding experience.”

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Sofia Gumilevskaya

Psychology (MA Hons)

“Being part of the Edinburgh Bright Futures team has been a completely new and enriching experience for me this year and I am looking forward to working with the other members in the following years. Being given the responsibility to contact our sponsors and take part in the organisation of events allowed me to acquire a range of priceless new skills and encouraged me to become more outgoing and ready to tackle new challenges. My role, as a First Year Liaison, was rather open to interpretation and so I found myself helping out at meetings and presentations in various ways, mainly giving feedback on events and general company cooperation. I can safely say that I am now more familiar with the graduate market in the UK and will undoubtedly make use of that in my future years at this university.”

Alexander Kostylev

Economics and Politics

“People strive for purpose and personal development. This year, I found mine as a Vice-President of Edinburgh University Bright Futures society. Being personally responsible for cooperation with one of the sponsor companies and hosting an event with them made it possible for me to get an insight of corporate structure and values. Attempts of hosting events with companies new to Bright Future (potential sponsors) has proved the importance of initiative and discipline as a signal of serious intentions. Overall, year with Bright Futures was an invaluable opportunity to develop my professional and social skills.”

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Dimitri Paiva

Chemical Engineering BEng (Hons)

“Bright Futures Society gave me the enriching experience I was looking forward to as I stepped into to the corporate and administrative world. As the Chairman alongside a truly wonderful committee proved to me that personal growth is achieved by incorporating the invaluable skills you harness while serving those around you. This year we successfully hosted some of the biggest names of our ever growing corporate list. My responsibility this year was to ensure that Bright Futures events were well promoted around campus. Since Bright Futures is a growing society I placed a lot of emphasis on promotion and networking at the King's buildings campus to reach out to STEM students. As I give up my position, it quite amazing to realize how many new friendships I have created as a result of co-ordinating with committees of societies in various academic disciplines.”

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Acknowledgements The Edinburgh Bright Futures committee would like to thank Mark, Claire and Toby for their continued support and assistance in delivering our events. Indeed without the help of the entire national team and our fellow societies we would not have been able to achieve the results that we did.

We would also like to extend our gratitude towards the University of Edinburgh Students Association and the Career Services for providing us with the venues and resources as well as their time and effort in ensuring the success of our society.

Finally we would like to recognise the corporate investors we were fortunate enough to work with for their input and patience. Without these connections the content of our events would not be of as high standard and we would struggle to attract the attendance that we do.

Edinburgh Bright Futures Committee 2015-16

Email: yourebf@gmail.com https://www.facebook.com/EdinburghBrightFutures/?fref=ts

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