A Prestigious student membership scheme will increase employability and provide upskilling opportunities for over 200 students.
For the first time in its 100 years of existence the Institute of Directors (IoD) has opened up its membership to young directors of the future.
More than 200 under and post graduates students from the Ulster Business School (UBS) will be the first in Northern Ireland to avail of this opportunity, receiving one year’s free membership.
The IoD/UBS partnership will enable students to benefit from many advantages including access to the Young Directors Forum, key business events, student-only events and email lists, and crucially direct communication with seasoned business leaders.
The scheme will initially run until February 2014 and will provide access to; networking opportunities, comprehensive resources, expert mentoring and internship and work placement notices.
Dean of the UBS, Professor Marie McHugh said:
“We are thrilled to have developed this partnership with the Institute of Directors. This prestigious student membership scheme will greatly enhance our students’ visibility and employability in a very competitive job market. The opportunity to avail of all the exclusive resources included in the IoD membership package will give student members a significant head-start in their future careers, notably by allowing them to create vital contacts at networking events. IoD membership will add substantial value to our students’ skillsets as well as make them stand out from the crowd in a very competitive job market.”
Chair of IoD (NI), Mervyn McCall believes the new membership programme will allow students access to the best available resources and contacts right from an early stage of their professional careers.
He said: “The Student membership scheme will strengthen links between universities and the business world, which will feed from each other’s dynamism, innovative spirit and expertise. We are looking forward to providing for the first time in the history of the IoD comprehensive support to aspiring students. This will significantly enhance their academic experience and give them the edge they need to become the next generation of successful business leaders in the UK and, indeed, full members of the IoD.”
Meanwhile, in today’s nijobfinder the search is on to find Northern Ireland’s top HR practitioners to apply for the inaugural Chartered Institute of Personnel Development (CIPD) NI Awards.
Urging candidates to put themselves forward for consideration Chairman, CIPD NI, Donal Laverty said:
“Anybody from any sector – public, private or voluntary – can apply. We want to identify best practise so it could well be a community initiative up against a well known, leading organisation.”
“The Awards have been designed to provide local practitioners with a platform to highlight their innovation and expertise and in doing so, inspire their peers and the wider business and organizational community about what can be achieved.”
“The over-riding theme is of ‘people’ and how they are managed and developed. We’re looking for initiative -that’s the fundamental factor; the size of the organisation doesn’t matter.”