A warm welcome to this edition of eAbility - the EmployAbility Newsletter - packed as ever with information and events relevant to you. Here is a taste of what this edition has in store.

Term is almost, or finally, over, so for those of you about to start an internship, our top tips for placement schemes will be indespensable.

Take a look at our Disability Friendly Employers, contact us for general advice and guidance on disability issues or come and see us at one of the graduate fairs at which we are exhibiting. If you need any advice on public services, disability and employment - after calling us of course! - then DirectGov which features on our links section is well worth a look.

Our events section for disability-friendly culture and UK-wide goings on in this issues features the NDAF, who are our friends in the North, but as it is the summer holidays (and for those of you doing internships, you do still have the weekends to yourselves), do take time out for some art and culture.

Please feel free to get in touch with all your disability and employment-related questions. We are here to help.

Internships - Top Tips!

For those of you about to embark on an internship, take a look at Employability’s guide to getting the most out of the experience:

Whatever work you are allocated, approach it with a positive attitude, since the more positive you are, the more you will gain from the task, not only in the short term, but in the long term, as the long-term skills gained may not be evident from the task itself
Be punctual at all times
Dress appropriately for a professional environment – better to dress too smartly than too casually. If there is a dress down policy, that will become evident when you arrive
Keep a diary: this will prove extremely useful when you update your CV or write application forms, especially when you are asked to give concrete examples where you demonstrated certain competencies and skills. You will meet many people, undertake many tasks and receive a lot of advice in a very short space of time so will feel happy you kept a record of your achievements
Although you will have had all your adjustments put in place with the help and support of EmployAbility, Access to Work and the organisation where you are placed, if there is something you realise you need once you have stared the placement, do not hesitate to ask to have adjustments readjusted. Get in touch with us, your line manager or a colleague on your team. There is very little that cannot be rectified or accommodated for if you are open and ask
If any training is offered, try to attend it and make the most of it as training an excellent way to gain more knowledge about an organisation, its culture and working practices.
Get to know other interns. There will be ones who have joined the organisation through our scheme, other diversity schemes and perhaps even a firm’s own scheme. It is not only good to have company and support during the summer, but you may stay in touch for the long term and make good friends
Get to know your colleagues too – you learn as much about work from them as you do from the job itself. Colleagues are a great pool of knowledge and resources about a firm. Furthermore, internships are often used by firms to seek out new talent, so use this time as an opportunity to network, make your mark and effectively communicate with those around you
Do not be afraid to ask questions: this will be viewed as being proactive, enquiring, keen to learn and a team player, all valuable qualities in the world of work
Take initiative and offer any particular skills you may have. If there is extra work you would like to do beyond your remit, then offer to take it on
You may be allocated a mentor or “buddy” by your firm who should get in touch with you early on in your placement. Meet up with them for coffee, lunch or (if the sun comes out) a picnic lunch and feel free to ask them any burning questions. They can sometimes also be quite new to the firm so will have relevant information about getting to grips with the work, places to eat and things to do after work
For those of you who have been placed in London , see the sites and make the most of the once in a lifetime experience… but don’t overdo it, as you have work the next day! And on that note …
Be kind to yourself: You are an intern, so work hard but do not overdo it. This is not what the organisation is expecting from you. Furthermore if you peak too soon and exhaust yourself during the last few weeks you will return to university or start your first job exhausted. Commitment and hard work, yes, but do not go overboard. Make your mark by being consistent in your approach and working on your competencies.
After the placement, stay in touch with your colleagues and in particular your employer. Let them know what you are doing so when recruitment comes up, they will think of you. You can also ask them for a reference.
Take time at the end of your placement assessing how it went. What skills and knowledge did you gain? Did you enjoy all aspects of your role? Did the placement fall short of, meet or exceed your expectations?

Good luck, and stay in touch with us throughout the placement as we will stay in touch with you.

The London Graduate Recruitment Fair

19th & 20th June 2007 Meet and network with over 100 employers offering a huge range of jobs.

FREE one-to-one CV and Application Form checking

C2 Premium careers guidance sessions

Useful Presentations, Seminars and Workshops

Exciting prize giveaways!

The Business Design Centre, 52 Upper Street, Islington, London, N1 0QH.

And for those of you who like to plan ahead...

The National Work Placement Exhibition

Looking to do some work experience during the holidays…?
Need to find a placement as part of your sandwich course…?
Looking for voluntary or international work experience…?

Visit the National Work Placement Exhibition

11th October 2007

Olympia, Hammersmith Road, London, W14 8UX

Check the website for up-to-date information!

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Testimonials

We at EmployAbility have very close relationships with the organisations for whom we run internships. Here is what one of them, Barclays, had to say about us:

Employer Testimonial

Barclays’ vision for Equality and Diversity is based on success through inclusion.

As part of this strategy Barclays recruits, develops and promotes people on merit, and rewards outstanding performance, regardless of background.

To this end, we have engaged EmployAbility to work with us in a number of different ways. Recently they have worked to attract ten successful disabled undergraduates/ graduates for an internship programme that will run in the summer of 2007. This programme will be fully integrated into our Summer Graduate Internship Programme. EmployAbility have supported us in the following ways on this project:

marketing Barclays as a 'disability inclusive employer';
using their expertise to select high calibre disabled undergraduates/ graduates suitable to our business;
educating our staff through Disability Awareness and other briefing sessions;
advising us on adjustments required during the recruitment processes and once a disabled person is in the workplace

This work has proved invaluable to the success of the project.

EmployAbility are also noteworthy for:

the provision of a consistently high quality level of service;
their innovative approach;
their willingness to explore new ideas and new ways of working;
their enthusiasm in working with the business, Human Resources professionals and the candidates;
their speed and efficiency in execution;
their positive attitude to problem solving;
their integrity.

I would not hesitate to recommend them and their expert knowledge of the disability and employment market to any business seeking to become a more disability inclusive employer.

Candidate Testimonials

Take a look at what a few of our past students have said about what we do:

Mohammed Shabani – March 2007

I wanted to make sure that you know how grateful I am for the work
you guys at Employability do, and that I have not forgotten either you, Tab or Sarah. Again, I just wanted to say thanks for everything

Barnaby Hodgson – April 2007

I very much look forward to the assessment centre and thank you so much for all your hard work on my behalf. EmployAbility, in particular both of you, Sarah and Tab, have been absolutely fantastic in supporting me through the whole process and I very much hope this time it comes to fruition.

Matthew Wellington – April 2007

I just wanted to say a quick thank you for all your help and support throughout the application and assessment processes with UBS. As you know, I have been successful in application and will be starting the internship in June. You have been very supportive throughout and I appreciate the effort you have made to ensure my needs have been catered for to the highest degree possible at each step of the way. This has made things so much easier! I feel your work before, during and after the actual assessment day itself has exceeded expectations and it is this personable and individualised support that candidates really need. Keep up the good work and see you in the summer.

Daniel McIntosh - March 2007

I want to thank both of you Sarah and Tab for all your help and support in helping me onto the internship at UBS. I would not have got as far as I did had it not been for your support and advice.

Neil Jones – April 2007

EmployAbility have advised and supported me with my job search all the way through, from providing guidance on an appropriate career path, helping explore the various options and opportunities, assisting with applications and interview techniques and valuable tips. I received information and advice on many routes and opportunities in finding a job and developing a long term career including information on many disability friendly employers and disability organisations. EmployAbility also made opportunities available for networking through various events, which I found very helpful.

With EmployAbility’s support and guidance I applied to an internship programme with a major bank working with EmployAbility and ended up being offered a permanent role on to their graduate programme. This was mainly due to the application guidance, interview tips and career counseling I gained from EmployAbility.

Upcoming Internships

NEW AND EXCITING OPPORTUNITIES FOR DISABLED STUDENTS/ GRADUATES AT ENTERPRISE FOR 2007

EmployAbility in partnership with Enterprise is pleased to bring you brand new internship and graduate opportunities.

There are two graduate trainee programmes on offer at Enterprise:

Financial Controller Management Trainee

Comprehensive learning opportunities, rapid progression and outstanding earning potential. They’re just some of the things we offer ambitious finance graduates on our Financial Controller Management Training Scheme.

The scheme is open to two kinds of people. On the one hand, we’re looking for recent graduates, ideally with accounting or finance degrees. But we’re also after people who have worked in accounting for a few years, and would like to expand their existing financial skill-set while enjoying greater opportunities for career development.

Graduate Management Trainee: Nationwide

Starting off as a Management Trainee, you'll be assigned to a branch to learn all about the business. Within as little as eight to twelve months, you'll move up to Management Assistant, and then the next promotion is to Assistant Manager. From then on you'll also receive a percentage of the profits generated by your branch, which means you could be doubling or tripling your salary within just a few years.

Enterprise are looking for graduates who are passionate, hard working and full of initiative. There are a huge number of opportunities open to you at Enterprise - and you'll need to be the kind of person who's going to grab them with both hands.

Campus Brand Manager: Nationwide

Part Time, Permanent

As a Campus Brand Manager, you'll support recruiters and alumni teams by spreading the word about all the exciting opportunities a job with Enterprise can offer. You'll actively promote Enterprise to university staff and students, and be rewarded for your efforts. Right from the word go, you'll take on a number of interesting and challenging responsibilities. You'll be involved with all aspects of event marketing including suggesting potential venues, advertising, poster and leaflet distribution, and making important announcements.

Enterprise are looking for current university students with natural sales and persuasion skills, with the drive and initiative to shout from the rooftops about the outstanding opportunities Enterprise can offer.

Intern

Management Trainee Placement

The Enterprise Internship programme is open to first and second year university students, and gives you the opportunity to gain some valuable experience. If you make the right impression on Enterprise, then there’s a good chance you could become a permanent fixture with them once you graduate.

Taking on the same responsibilities as their management trainees, you’ll get hands-on experience from your very first day. You will be learning about sales, marketing, customer service, business management and admin support. Furthermore, since you’ll be facing the same challenges as your colleagues, you get to enjoy the same benefits too, such as performance bonuses, incentives and employee referral awards

Enterprise have a range of internship opportunities available. So whether you want to join for a placement year, during the university summer break or even part-time whilst you continue studies, they have an option to suit you.

An online application form will be live on our website shortly. In the meantime, if you are interested in applying for any of the roles above, please submit your CV and short covering letter indicating which role you are interested in.

Please note, do not apply directly to Enterprise but through us.

Email completed application forms to Sarah Denness at info@eability.org or post to:

EmployAbility, 33-41 Dallington Street, London, EC1V 0BB

Should you require this application form in an alternative format please contact Sarah Denness on 07852 764 684 or info@eability.org

The EmployAbility Newsletter

www.employ-ability.org.uk

Summer 2007