Every autumn, thousands of students descend on cities and towns across the country to study at university. Armed with their academic timetables, one of the first things they will focus on is securing a part time job, not only to help fund their studies, but to also gain work experience.
For students part time work boosts their confidence and provides an opportunity to quickly develop transferrable skills, such as communication, team work, initiative, decision making and even leadership qualities.
Students are great recruits for SMEs, as they are a flexible and willing workforce with availability to work evenings, weekdays or weekends. They are able to work up to 20 hours a week and a student can make a real impact on a business bringing fresh ideas, technical knowledge, creativity and enthusiasm.
While larger companies tend to have a robust and well established recruitment brand and strategy, SMEs can tap into this pool of young people via the Careers Service at their local University, The Careers Service will be able to advertise opportunities and many hold a specific P/T recruitment fair during the first few week of term.
At the University of Portsmouth, the Careers and Employability Service is working with a wide range of local SMEs and has seen the popularity of employers looking for part time students soar by 45% in the last academic year. Jodie Plumridge, Employer Engagement Adviser at the University of Portsmouth advised
“We find that students working part time are a valuable resource for businesses, offering a high level of skill and applying current knowledge from their studies.
As an employer by offering part time work you would be helping business students develop their knowledge and skills that equip them to make a positive difference in the work place for years to come”.
At the University of Portsmouth the part time jobs team listen to employers needs and offers quick, stress free recruitment solutions to employers. Advertising is free, and the online portal provides the platform to advertise roles directly to students, it’s quick and easy to use and students can apply directly to the employer.
With the start of the term upon us and a new influx of business students eagerly looking for part time roles to fit around their studies now is the time to look at your recruitment needs, could a part time student be an affordable recruitment solution for your business?
Jodie Plumridge is the Employer Engagement Adviser in the Careers and Employability Service at the University of Portsmouth