Two things…

Here are two items that might be of interest:

• Burning desire to study in the UK?  Details of the NZ-UK Link Foundation New Zealand Discretionary Awards.

 

• Mental Health Research Grants from the Vic Davis Memorial Trust. 

Expo info

If you’re a Massey University student (internal or extramural) living on – or near – the Manawatu (Palmerston North) campus then our imminent career fairs are events you’ll probably not want to miss.  They are -

• General Expo (Manawatu campus) – May 5^th 2009 – 11.00 am until 3.00 pm in the Student Dining Hall and MUSA Coffee Lounge, Turitea.
• Agribusiness/Applied Science/Engineering/Science Expo (Manawatu Campus) – May 6^th 2009 – 11.00 am until 3.00 pm in the Student Dining Hall and MUSA Coffee Lounge, Turitea

For more information see:

• Career Expos

Crucially, if you’re planning to attend take time to look at the resources on how to prepare for the expos.  You’ll  find these under:

• Career expos – information for students and graduates

U K? O K

As a Scot now settled happily in New Zealand, I thought that this might be of interest to you:

Top British Scholarship up for Grabs

A scholarship for New Zealand’s top young graduates is now only weeks away from closing.

The Chevening Scholarship is for a year of postgraduate study at a British centre of Higher Education and is aimed at graduates with the potential to be future leaders.

The scholarship, worth £16,500, covers airfares, tuition and living expenses and the candidate will be selected by the British High Commission in Wellington

The scholarships are offered in over 150 countries around the world.  Applicants are asked to apply by 1 May 2009.

For more information visit:

http://www.chevening.com/how-apply

https://www.chevening.fco.gov.uk/CheveningApplications/CA_Start.aspx

For further information contact:
Chris Harrington,
British High Commission, Wellington
Telephone 04 924 2857
Mobile 029 924 2857
Email: Chris.Harrington@fco.gov.uk or bhcpress@xtra.co.nz

Another short post

Another short post today, but it offers links to a useful resource.  My friends at Career Services Rapuara have a number of slideshows on their website, looking at ‘a day in the life of ‘ people in certain occupations.  Check out their slideshows for:

A clinical psychologist

An early childhood teacher 

For information on the Massey University qualifications in these fields the following links will be useful:

Early Chilhood 

Clinical Psychology

Latest musings…

It was an article in last Monday’s New Zealand Herald that got me working on this post.  The article, headed ‘Graduates adjust to shrinking job market’ notes a shift in graduate expectations as they seek to enter a recession-hit labour market.  It quotes a colleague from the careers team at the University of Auckland who sees employers having “the upper hand” at the present time.  Whilst he believes that most graduates will still find work their expectations will have to be realistic; their job search may need to be broader than it might have been before and their skills may need to be refined.    

I’m finding that some employers are still looking for new staff but that many others are playing a waiting game.  Not surprisingly, the number of employers offering pay increases has shrunk markedly and some have instigated pay – and/or hours – cuts and a reassessment of benefits offered to staff.  Coupled with this, there is likely to be a trend in older workers delaying their retirement and there can be no doubt that the talent pool that employers can draw from when hiring has widened. 

As has been highlighted in previous posts, those with the best chance of finding work are those with easily transferable, up-to-date skills that are in demand.  This has led to an increase in those taking on – or considering – a return to education or training.