Birmingham City University hosted a formal celebration event to highlight their widely celebrated project Graduate Re-Tune, which works with under/unemployed graduates to provide key support and help them into appropriate-level job roles.
Posted 16 May 2022
Celebrating achievement in the graduate market
The event saw attendees celebrate and highlight Graduate Re-Tune, which supports local unemployed and underemployed alumni to secure graduate-level work placements and jobs.
Led by BCU and delivered in partnership with Aston University, Graduate Re-Tune is currently the only formal partnership between universities and the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP).
Together, the project offers a tailored package of support that helps graduates to reengage with the jobs market.
With Covid-19 negatively impacting the graduate jobs market, Graduate Re-Tune has provided a comprehensive package of support to alumni in the West Midlands, resulting in significant impact:
- 414 graduates have secured full-time employment, with 106 graduates securing job placements, including 34 graduate-level placements with West Midlands Police (WMP);
- 44 graduates have taken up courses of further study to bolster their skills and improve their prospects;
- BCU has forged a mutually beneficial partnership with WMP, who now regularly recruit graduates from different disciplines and diverse backgrounds into various posts.
“Graduate Re-Tune has provided us with a prime opportunity to widen our channels for resourcing our programme, with the added benefit of working with a young, diverse population of graduates to help our address our skills gaps,” says Shilpi Akbar of Balfour Beatty VINCI.
“Graduate Re-Tune’s partnership with DWP enables us to reach Universal Credit claimants who, particularly following the pandemic, are likely to be at greater risk of long-term unemployment in the absence of focused interventions such as this.”
Find out more and get involved
The event took place on Thursday 12 May at the University’s City Centre Campus, starting at 5pm and ending at 8.30pm.
It proved to be an amazing opportunity to hear from a range of key speakers on the positive impact that the Graduate Re-Tune project has achieved in supporting local graduates and helping them carve out inspirational journeys.
"The Graduate Re-Tune project has successfully delivered a unique partnership between two universities and Jobcentre Plus, further strengthening our longstanding partnership with local and national employers," says Sandeep Solanki, the Programme Manager for Graduate Re-Tune.
"The event showcased how the team positioned themselves to improve the lives of unemployed and underemployed graduates from across the region. It is projects like these that further evidence how vital it is that appropriate, tailored employability and skills support is there for both our graduates and the region."
Graduate Re-Tune has received mass acclaim, having recently been shortlisted for an AGCAS Award for Excellence for 'Building Effective Partnerships'.
