Tuesday 18th June; 9.30am to 11.00am
Virtual Workshop
Whilst engaging with disabled students and encouraging them to apply for student opportunities remains one of the key challenges faced by many organisations, in reality, it’s not that hard. The starting point, as with all talent pools, is to understand them.
Disabled students have the same wants, needs and aspirations about their career as any other student does; they also search for careers in the same way and expect to have the same fantastic candidate experience that their non-disabled counterparts will have. However, their disability brings an additional dimension to the mix and must be taken into consideration when designing your attraction strategy, developing your marketing messages and considering the support that is required.
For this workshop we will be joined by a number of Careers Advisers who specialise in supporting disabled students as they transition from education to employment. They will share the concerns of students, what they are looking for from an employer, and what employers can do to effectively engage with this talent pool. They will also talk about the support that students will require during the recruitment process and the reassurance that students require when requesting and agreeing this.
Speakers
Emma Baker
Emma is a second year undergraduate student at the University of Warwick studying English Literature. She has experience of being employed in various roles, including an internship with a social enterprise that supports disabled people in the workplace. She is hoping to secure a training contract with a commercial law firm that is supportive of disabilities and is looking at different firm's approaches to choose the right working environment for her.
Emma has autism, chronic illnesses, and mental health conditions. Her disabilities are dynamic and are often invisible. Some days she can manage more activity than others, and she advocates for better awareness and understanding about fluctuating conditions.
Melissa Bramley
Melissa is an Employability Adviser at the University of Kent. Prior to working in Higher Education, Melissa worked for large corporate organisations within Graduate Recruitment & Development across a breadth of industries including engineering, energy, and telecommunications. Melissa has a wealth of experience designing end to end assessment and selection processes and working with and supporting young professionals as their Coach whilst on their Graduate Schemes and beyond.
In her role at the University of Kent, Melissa works with students from a widening participation background, with many students who identify as having a disability. Melissa has a keen interest in mental health and neurodivergence and helping students to tackle any perceived barriers to employment.
Jennifer Jones
Jennifer has worked in Higher Education Careers Services since 2017, undertaking her MA in Careers Advice & Guidance in 2020-2021, specialising in supporting students with disabilities. She continuously balances her highly ambitious personal and career goals whilst managing her own invisible, chronic illness. Combined with her knowledge on Career Theories and Models, her plethora of first-hand experience supporting 100’s of students navigating their disability identity within the workplace, and also facing her own experiences of discrimination and pressure, makes her an expert in this field.
Jennifer currently works as a Careers Adviser at the University of Salford’s Careers & Enterprise Service, who have doubled their engagement with disabled students in the last academic year. She looks forward to sharing with you the real challenges that students discuss with her regularly, to personify and amplify their stories.
Caroline Lindner
Caroline is an experienced senior recruitment, HR, communications, and careers education professional. For 20 years, Caroline worked in the legal sector for Linklaters, Hogan Lovells, Allen & Overy and Norton Rose Fulbright, primarily in graduate recruitment. She has a proven track record of developing award-winning national recruitment brand campaigns and has worked on a variety of widening participation and diversity projects during her career, including with MyPlus.
In early 2021, Caroline changed direction, and retrained as a Careers Consultant. Caroline has worked for King’s College London and Arden University, and in March 2024, joined the University of Cambridge Careers Service where she supports students and graduates across a range of degree disciplines.
Particularly suitable for anyone involved in the Early Years Attraction Strategy, Marketing, Early Years Recruitment and HR.
MyPlus Recruiters’ Club members are entitled to 8 complimentary places.
Non-members may purchase places at a price of £95 + VAT. Contact lise@myplusconsulting.com to purchase places or to find out more about Recruiters’ Club membership.
MyPlus run a variety of these types of events for employers. For details of the different types visit our events page. For details of forthcoming Recruiters’ Club events taking place visit our events calendar page.
