A unique international careers website developed at the University of the West of England has been nominated for a Times Higher Education Award for Outstanding Employer Engagement.
Launched two years ago, GradLink UK is a free web-based service that enables overseas employers to link with international students and graduates studying across the UK and beyond.
The site initially focused on Malaysia where UWE Bristol has good links and this quickly led to a partnership with Malaysia’s largest recruitment agency and more than 5,000 people visiting the site in the first few months. It has gradually expanded to include China, India, Africa, with Canada to be included shortly.
Since its launch, GradLink UK has been fully rebranded and has received 90,000-plus visits and more than 200 major employers, including multi nationals such as accountants KPMG and EY and chemicals firm Bayer, are using the site to advertise jobs, search CVs and advise students.
Global employability development manager David Gee has masterminded the project from the start. He said: “The Times Higher award nomination is great recognition for Gradlink. We have worked tirelessly and tenaciously with agents and employers all over the world to ensure that the site is truly comprehensive and presents exciting opportunities right across the world.
“It really has come to be very much a two way process and increasing numbers of companies are eager to sign up. The graduates have a tap into the employment market from top employers in their home countries and the employers tap into the best graduate talent from UK educated graduates.
“When we started UWE did not have much of a profile amongst international employers and it was difficult knocking on doors when no-one knew where UWE Bristol was and we didn’t even have a web site to show, but we have built up trust and the site had 75,000 hits in the first year and now has over 200 employers globally on board.
“The GradLink site has proved incredibly popular with students from across the world using it to research their careers, build their CV and apply for jobs. Indeed, GradLink now supersedes major recruitment agencies to come top in key Google job searches. David continues, “It has been amazing to see GradLink grow from small beginnings; when we started we could not possibly have predicted that the project would become the number one ‘go to’ site for international students who have studied in the UK.
“It has really helped to put UWE on the map overseas and we are now recognised as national leaders in this area. Not only is global employability at the centre of what UWE does, but UWE can legitimately claim to be at the centre of global employability.”
Winners will be revealed on November 27 at London’s Grosvenor House Hotel.
