Careers service receives matrix Standard accreditation

The University of Derby has been accredited to the matrix Standard, demonstrating the high quality of the careers and employment guidance it provides to its students in both higher and further education. 

The matrix Standard is the international quality standard for organisations that deliver information, advice and/or guidance (IAG), either as their sole purpose or as part of their service offering.

The University’s Careers and Employment Service was examined remotely by a matrix Service Assessor, taking feedback from students at the University and at Buxton & Leek College, which is part of the University of Derby.

The assessors’ report, published this week, highlighted a number of key strengths including the service’s focus on raising individual students’ personal career and life aspirations, rather than simply looking at job or training course options.

The availability of advice about volunteering, employment and enterprise opportunities for all students during and post-study was also flagged as a strength of the service.

The Matrix Standard report praises the level of support for the service and the high level of training for its staff, as well as the clear and strong promotion of the service to students.

In their feedback, students told assessors that the help provided by the service enabled them to reduce anxiety about their futures and helped them to concentrate on their studies.

Roger Chapman, Head of the matrix Service for The Growth Company said: “This is a fantastic achievement and I would like to congratulate the Careers and Employment Service team on its success. We believe that at the heart of high-quality advice and support services is strong leadership, excellent service and a focus on continuous improvement, all underpinned by effective use of the resources available. The matrix Standard is designed to benchmark organisations against best practice in these areas. With its accreditation success, the University’s Careers and Employment Service is working to provide the best possible support to its students.”

The most recent available figures show that 96% of University of Derby students found graduate-level employment or further study within six months of graduating[1], while 92 percent of its further education students who applied for university secured a place.

Professor Malcolm Todd, Provost (Academic and Student Experience) of the University of Derby, said: “This accreditation is an important endorsement of the excellent guidance, support and advice our Careers and Employment Service is offering to all of our students across our further and higher education provision.

“It clearly recognises that the service not only focuses on employability and our links with employers, but that it is highly visible and accessible to our students, and helps them to look at the bigger picture, rather than just that first step from education into employment.”

For more information about the matrix Standard please visit www.matrixStandard.com. For further information on the University of Derby visit www.derby.ac.uk and for Buxton & Leek College visit www.blc.ac.uk

[1] Destination of Leavers from Higher Education 2016/17, hesa.ac.uk