Welcome to Generation Essex

Generation Essex is the career support package for final year undergraduate students who are due to graduate at the end of the academic year. If you have no idea what you would like to do after Graduation, or if you are already well on the way to securing your next step, we can help. Join Generation Essex and give yourself a fighting chance.

Generation Essex will help you prepare you for life beyond Essex, wherever it takes you. Once you have signed up we’ll keep you updated about Generation Essex events throughout the rest of 2018 (including after you graduate) which are geared to help you develop your CV.

We’ll also keep you in the know about any funding opportunities, internships, careers support and application support so that you enter the graduate job market with a jam packed CV that’s ready to take on the world.

What are you waiting for? Join Generation Essex or email essexgrad@essex.ac.uk for more information. You can also call the Employability and Careers Centre on 01206 872494 to book a careers advice appointment.

What happens when you graduate

Lots of things is the short answer! You’ll have your graduation ceremony and be presented with your degree. You’ll celebrate with your friends and family, and you’ll take your first step into the working world (or further study).

That last bit is why joining Generation Essex can mean the difference between getting on the career ladder for your dream job and just missing out.

The career support package has come about from years of Essex’s Employability and Careers team helping our graduating students find jobs, plan their careers and develop key skills that will see our graduates climb that career ladder and achieve their career goals.

What do you want to do when you graduate?

Considering a Masters?

Look no further than your very own Employability and Careers team who can help you find the perfect course here at Essex (you get a discount for this!) or elsewhere. We’ll even help you through your application and help you find information on funding.

Starting your job search?

Giving you a fighting chance really is our forte. You’ll have extended access to CareerHub for three years after you graduate to help you apply for graduate schemes, jobs and internships.

We can also point you in the direction of Essex Interns. Heard of them? You should have done, they’re magicians. They create real and paid internships for all Essex students but they also create incredible paid graduate internship opportunities just for Essex 2018 graduates to help you get your foot on the start of your career ladder. A graduate internship can go a long way to building your CV.  

Talking of CVs, you’ll continue to be able to access our careers team for CV reviews, Application reviews, interview support and one-to-one career consultations.

Already found your dream job or internship?

Awesome. You’re awesome. Well done! Don’t forget though, you can still access the Employability and Careers team for all of the extended careers support or even help you with some development workshops or top-up professional qualifications in your desired field to make you even better at your job.

Setting up on your own?

Planning to start freelancing? Want to be your own boss? Setting up a new business? Are you the next Mark Zuckerberg? Or a budding entrepreneur? Yes? Oh, we have got SO much for you!

A grant to help with your initial business set up costs? Yours.

Thinking of setting up a Theatre Company (this one’s exclusively for East 15 students)? You’ve got funding for that!

Start-Up grants for recent Essex graduates  

Got a business idea but need some kit or space to get it off the ground? Apply for a Start-Up grant from the University of Essex!  

It isn’t easy to start a business, become self-employed or go freelance, so we’re offering Start-Up grants of up to either £500 or £1000, available now! Whether you need to purchase equipment, some space to work or some additional training or qualifications, a Start-Up grant could be yours.  

To apply, complete the application form and, if successful, you could have the money in your bank account within a few weeks.  Application forms need to be submitted by the last day of the month (last monthly deadline is 31 January 2019) and we will even help successful applicants with additional advice and support to grow your business. Click here to access the application form.  

So what are you waiting for? Start planning your business and get applying!  

If you have any questions relating to the Start-Up grant, please email essexgrad@essex.ac.uk or why not check out our FAQs.

Want to teach?

Great decision! Whether you’ve already secured your route into teaching or not, we are here for you. We have teaching careers experts to help with your UCAS teacher training application and after that, we can help you secure work experience, alternative accreditations if you don’t want to take formal teacher training options and even help you research grants and bursaries to support your training!

Want to develop your professional skills?

We’re running career development workshops all the way through your final year and we'll keep running them after you graduate.

You will benefit from Alumni professional development and networking events for life. Look out for your monthly Alumni newsletter, this will keep you in touch with every single offer we launch for Essex grads.

For skills development events and workshops, keep your eye on CareerHub – both before and after you graduate.