This week-long event was specifically designed for students eager to explore ways they could boost their career opportunities, especially in the realm of self-employment and entrepreneurship. This series of events was not just about imparting knowledge, but about providing a comprehensive understanding of the potential career paths that lay before students. The sessions were structured in a way that encouraged thought and discussions about the future, making one ponder the endless possibilities that stem from using an entrepreneurial mindset.

The event also catered to those who had a concept or an idea but were unsure of the next steps. The guidance and resources provided in 'Introduction to Starting a Business' were instrumental in helping students shape their ideas into actionable steps. The sessions conducted by experts in various fields gave the students the necessary tools and techniques to take their ideas forward.

One of the unique features of the week was the opportunity to learn directly from successful freelancers and individuals who are currently navigating the world of self-employment. These included a group opportunity to ask questions and learn from the fields of marketing, TV, translation, photography, journalism, and more. These interactive sessions were a treasure trove of first-hand advice and insights. Listening to their experiences and learning from their journeys was truly inspirational and provided a real-world perspective that academic resources can't always provide.

For example, certain key takeaways revolved around:

• Finding niches in your desired field and re-skilling yourself to fill that gap.
• The importance of building yourself up to companies.
• Getting inspiration from the career path of people you follow.

Wednesday’s event provided an in-depth understanding of social enterprises. The session took us through the intricacies of what a social enterprise is and how it operates. The idea of a business that balances making profits with making a positive impact on society was thoroughly discussed, leaving students with a lot to think about. It was pleasing to see several students staying around to network with each other and asking our speaker Leigh Wharton some follow-up questions.

Another key focus of the event was on improving networking skills. The importance of a strong network in the entrepreneurial world was emphasised throughout the week. The sessions in the week aimed to equip students with the skills and confidence needed to proactively build meaningful professional connections through LinkedIn and in real-life scenarios. The 'Networking for Beginners' session delivered by Adam Taylor from the careers team was particularly helpful, offering practical tips and advice on active listening, being remembered, and understanding your personal goals to help with your networking strategy without feeling overwhelmed.

Each day of the week was filled with engaging interactions from the audience. Monday’s 'Intro to Starting a Business' delivered by Jessica Lewis-Tatton was a great way to kickstart the week, providing foundational knowledge and skills for their entrepreneurial journey. 'Meet the Freelancers' was another standout session that allowed attendees to network with current freelancers in various fields. The 'How to be a Socially Impactful Entrepreneur?' session was an eye-opener, teaching students about the importance of creating a positive social impact in their paths.

One of the standout quotes came from freelancer Tremaine Senior, “Think of the traditional jobs that you would apply for and see if there are areas or pockets that you could niche yourself into”. This statement summarises perfectly the main takeaway from the event: the importance of self-awareness in understanding your strengths and weaknesses and having a vision of where you want to get to.

In conclusion, Self-Employment Week was not just an event, but a journey that provided an incredible amount of insight and resources. It was an inspirational and educational experience that every student interested in entrepreneurship could benefit from.

The week-long event is specifically curated with a focus on students who are:

• Eager to explore their career opportunities in the realm of self-employment and entrepreneurship. We aim to provide them with a comprehensive understanding of their potential career paths.
• Possessing an idea or concept but are unsure of the next steps. We aim to provide guidance and resources to help shape their ideas into an actionable next step.
• Interested in learning directly from successful freelancers and individuals who are currently navigating the world of self-employment. We aim to offer interactive sessions where students can gain first-hand advice and insights.
• Keen on delving into the intricacies of what a social enterprise is and how to be a socially impactful entrepreneur.
• Looking to improve their networking skills. We understand the importance of a strong network in the entrepreneurial world, and we aim to equip our students with the skills and confidence to build meaningful professional relationships.

During the week, there are several events to get involved in:

Monday 19 February 

- 13:00-14:00 (The Atrium, University Place)

This workshop is designed to equip you with the foundational knowledge and skills needed to embark on your entrepreneurial journey, whether you're interested in starting a side hustle, managing an existing one, or simply gaining insights into the inner workings of businesses to enhance your career skills.

Tuesday 20 February

- 13:00-14:00 (The Atrium, University Place) 

This session will allow you to learn from and network with current freelancers in the world of marketing, TV, translation, photography, journalism and more. You will have the opportunity to explore how freelancers access work opportunities, how they organise and prioritise their workloads, as well as gaining an insight into the benefits and constraints of working in this way.

Wednesday 21 February 

- 13:00-14:00 (The Atrium, University Place) 

This hour-long workshop, delivered by Leigh Wharton, Director of Bubble Enterprises, teaches you all you need to know about what it means to be a socially impactful entrepreneur, not just when working for yourself but also throughout your career.

Thursday 22 February 

- 13:00-14:00 (The Atrium, University Place) 

In this hour-long session, we will look at how you can quickly and easily start networking without too much pressure. We will consider the best tools to use to start networking, places it can be useful to approach from a networking standpoint and how to make it work for you.

You can register for events using the hyperlinks embedded in the event titles above. Alternatively, to read more about the week and register for events, head over to the Careers page .

The University of Manchester has been named the most targeted university by the UK’s top 100 graduate employers for the third year in a row, according to .

The Graduate Market in 2020 is an independent annual review of graduate vacancies and starting salaries at the UK’s leading employers. It is carried out by High Flyers Research.

This is the fifteenth year that the organisation has produced the independent assessment of the graduate job market. In that time, no other institution has been number one more frequently than The University of Manchester or ranked as consistently amongst the top three.

This is just the latest graduate employment achievement for the University follows other recent successes. 91ֱ�� was named the University of the Year for Graduate Employment by The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2020.

It was also ranked in the top ten UK universities for overall graduate employability, alumni outcomes, employer reputations and partnerships with employers in the latest which lists more than 1,000 universities globally.

The  has moved up to 5th in the UK, 11th in Europe and 45th in the world in the Financial Times annual ranking of the 

The top ten universities targeted by the largest number of top graduate employers was 91ֱ��, Birmingham, Warwick, Bristol, Cambridge, Nottingham, Leeds, University College London, Sheffield and Oxford.

Professor April McMahon, Vice-President for Teaching, Learning and Students, said: “I’m delighted that, once again, the University has retained its position as the most popular destination for the UK’s top employers to find the best and brightest graduates.

“As always, it demonstrates the immense amount of effort and hard work our students and graduates put into their studies and additional co-curricular activities that gives them the edge in the graduate employment market.”

High Fliers Research is an independent market research company which specialises in student and graduate research. The company also produces The UK Graduate Careers Survey, a comprehensive annual study of over 20,000 final year undergraduates at thirty-four leading universities, which is supported and funded by up to 75 national and international employers each year.

Tammy Goldfeld, Head of Careers and Employability at the University, said: “This is another great achievement for the University and our careers service. It also shows the huge effort a large network of academic and professional staff put into helping our students to succeed once they graduate.”

The University of Manchester has been named the University of the Year for Graduate Employment by The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide.

The guide, published on Sunday, 22 September, ranks every UK university on a several different categories. As well as the employment award, the University has seen its overall ranking increase from 19^th to 18^th place.

Alastair McCall, editor of The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide, said of Manchester graduates: “They topped this year's Graduate Market 2019 report by High Fliers Research, which showed that among the top 100 graduate employers, it was 91ֱ�� students that ticked most boxes.”

Particular praise was directed at the University’s programme, which embeds “ethical grand challenges into degree programmes”, and “helps ensure that 91ֱ�� students do not emerge blinking into the light from their ivory tower, but hit the ground running with employers regionally, nationally and internationally."

Alastair added; “[91ֱ��] students leave with degrees from a world-class institution having benefited from a curriculum that is tailored to both academic excellence and providing students with the skills that make them immediately useful in the workplace.”

In response, President and Vice-Chancellor, Professor Dame Nancy Rothwell, added: “I’m delighted with this award and would like to thank all our staff and students for their hard work in helping us achieve it. This is a great recognition of our excellent track record for graduate employability.

“This latest achievement is a testament to the huge effort our staff put into helping our students thrive and succeed once they graduate and enter the world of work. It also, of course, demonstrates the excellent calibre and work ethic of our students.”

Tammy Goldfeld, Head of Careers and Employability at the University, also praised the work of the  which offers tailored advice and support for students, as well as excellent links with an international network of alumni. 

She said: “We are very proud to have been named University of the Year for Graduate Employment, as well as the most targeted university by the UK’s top employers. These distinctions demonstrate The University of Manchester’s strategic commitment to improving students’ employability through a wide range of innovative careers services.”

These also include high quality academic programmes, wide access to placements and internships during degrees, and the number of extracurricular opportunities students have to develop their employment skills.

The award from the Good University Guide is vindicated in a separate set of , which lists more than 1,000 universities globally. The University of Manchester was in the top ten UK universities for overall graduate employability, alumni outcomes, employer reputations and partnerships with employers.

The University of Manchester has for a second year running come out on top as the most targeted university in the UK for top graduate employers

The report from independent market research company, High Fliers Research, studies the latest graduate vacancies and starting salaries at the UK’s one hundred best-known and most successful employers.

In ‘The Graduate Market in 2019’ report, 91ֱ�� came out top, beating some of the biggest names in the public and private sectors.

With over 140 universities offering undergraduate degree courses in the UK, employers have the widest-ever choice of higher education institutions from which to recruit graduates.

However, few organisations have the resources to target all of these universities to promote their graduate opportunities, so most employers focus their recruitment publicity at a more limited number of institutions.

The researchers looked at the institutions which attracted the largest number of leading graduate recruiters for campus fairs, recruitment presentations or other local university promotions during 2017-2018.

Tammy Goldfeld, Head of the Careers Service at The University of Manchester, said: “We’re delighted to be the top destination for graduate employers for a second year running.

“It’s testament to how closely we work with employers and students to ensure that careers fairs and workshops are busy and offer high quality jobs, internships and talks, so it is really good news that we’ve topped the list in this report.

“The Careers Service isn’t just about job fairs: we offer training, networking and volunteering opportunities that, combined with teaching, helps our students realise their potential and become attractive to employers.

“The results show that 91ֱ�� really is a great place to sytudy if you want to make a success of your career.”

For more information, visit .

Visit t for a full copy of the report.