Enhancing Employability and Widening Diversity: why the SaR scheme is so crucial in Higher Education.
As a post-graduate student, I have attended York St John University for almost 4 years, and I wish I could tell my younger self how important it is to take up opportunities like these. If, like myself, you had to balance a full-time degree with part-time employment and that all-important work experience (which is very rarely, if ever, paid) to have a chance at securing a graduate job and to fund your degree, taking on ANOTHER job might just seem out of your reach. It was because of these reasons that it took 3 years of letting SaR opportunities pass me by to finally will the determination to submit an application following a recommendation by my tutor.
For students who come from less advantaged backgrounds, working part-time is crucial to supporting their studies, and it can often be a little frustrating to see peers have the opportunity to take up unpaid internships because their parents can afford to support them while they study. Following the removal of government-funded maintenance grants, the SaR scheme is fundamental to maintaining the economic diversity of students in higher education. The scheme ensures that those students who are from poorer families at university have the chance to gain invaluable work experience without compromising their studies, and through receiving payment from their employment they are also able to make an informed decision about sustaining their income.
My aspiration to work in academia has always been shadowed by a doubt of whether I could afford to attend conferences, to take time out of my studies to submit to journal articles, support my life away from home, while still maintaining the results I need in an increasingly competitive industry. My role as a SR has so far included researching writing support provisions in universities in the UK, running focus groups with English Literature students and will soon include me delivering 1-1 sessions to develop academic writing skills. All of these skills are applicable to my long-term career goals, and make my dream job seem, crucially, just that little bit closer.
