Write the world – international development and journalism

Do you aspire to be a published journalist?
Are you interested in issues facing the developing world?
Do you want to write about such issues that are often neglected in the media?
Then enter the Guardian International Development Journalism Competition 2013.

How to enter
The competition has two strands.  One is for professional journalists and the other for amateurs including students.  The competition asks you to write a 650-1000 word article about any aspect of global poverty that you think needs more media attention.  Write your article and submit it by Sunday 12 May 2013.  For more information please see the competition website, Twitter and Facebook pages.

What you can win
At first, entries will be shortlisted to 40 and then the 16 best entries (eight amateur and eight professional) will be published online on the Guardian website.  Later the 16 finalists will be flown to Africa orAsia to research a new project.  This research will be published in two special Guardian newspaper supplements after the two winners are announced at a special award ceremony.

How this can help your career
A good record of relevant work experience is essential to getting a career in both journalism and international development.  As a writer, you will need to provide a portfolio of your written work and a portfolio which includes published work will be very highly regarded.  As a development worker, you will need to show your enthusiasm and knowledge of how the sector works and often this involves partnerships with bodies like the media.

Being a part of the research team in a new setting would allow you to enhance  useful skills for the workplace like communication, organisation and flexibility to name a few.

Even if you miss out on the final 16 it is a great way to practise your writing skills for either industry or making an entry shows a keen interest in news and current affairs.  Plus there are also media opportunities on campus you can get involved in.

Find out more about careers as a Newspaper journalist or International development worker and visit Careers in WG3 (Queens’ Building) for more advice.

National Student Apprentice Challenge

Take part in the National Student Apprentice Challenge and you could win £5000.

The challenge backed by Accenture, StartUp Britain, Trinity Mirror Group, AISEC UK and InspirEngage, features practical tasks inspired by Lord Alan Sugar’s hit TV show, The Apprentice.

The competition is a great opportunity to win a cash prize but you can also develop your teamwork, communication and entrepreneurial skills. Those taking part will have the opportunity to network with investors and top graduate recruiters as well as gain experience of pitching a business idea.

Successful applicants will also have an opportunity to travel to Birmingham for the semi-finals. The finals will be held in London on 26^th-28^th April. All expenses of catering and accommodation are covered by the NSA team.

Last year over 100 students across the country took part in the completion and the winning team was awarded £4,500.  If you think you could be the winners of this year’s National Student Apprentice Challenge, apply with a team of four university students at www.nsachallenge.com. Each team member will need to upload a copy of their CV and tips on what the National Apprentice Team are looking for can be found on their website.

The deadline for applications is 31^st March 2013.

Get Cash to Go Green

If you have an idea that could help London slash its CO2 emissions then you could get £20,000 to realise your environmentally-friendly proposal.

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, has launched a competition to discover and finance future green entrepreneurs, in a bid to combat climate change.

The 2013 Low Carbon Prize gives students the chance to win £20,000 to help establish their green business ideas and cut carbon emissions. Proposals can include anything from designing a prototype for a new technology to conducting a pilot project to test more efficient ways of doing something.

A paid internship with leading industrial engineering firm, Siemens, is also up for grabs. The top 20 runners up of the Low Carbon Prize will be shortlisted for the placement which will last between three and twelve months.

Boris Johnson said: “London’s green economy is booming and I want to make sure that our brightest young minds are firmly engaged with its huge potential. I am convinced that somewhere out there is the next big idea that will not only help us reduce our carbon emissions but also encourage huge investment and growth in the capital.”

Past winners include Arthur Kay whose idea was to turn used coffee grounds into bio fuel, as a cheap alternative to petrol and fossil fuels. Arthur was able to set up his own company, gain further investment and secure a Europe wide distribution contract.

This year’s entries will be judged by a panel including leading climate change experts and successful business leaders. The winners of the competition will announced at an awards ceremony on Thursday 13 June. The ceremony will be hosted at the Crystal, a world renowned centre of excellence on urban sustainability and one of the most sustainable buildings in the world.

To find out more and to apply visit http://www.london.gov.uk/priorities/environment/mayors-low-carbon-prize. The deadline for submissions is 17May 2013 at 12 pm.

Play at being a CEO and you could win a marketing internship with Danone

Fancy being the CEO of a global company and winning a marketing internship with Danone? Well, with the online game Trust, you can do just that.

Danone’s virtual game, Trust, invites applicants to play the role of the head of a company, following various stages of the product manufacturing and distribution process.

One of the games’ aims is to encourage players to think about the balance between the economic growth and social environmental impact of their company.

The products you can create and market centre on the main four areas of Danone’s activity; dairy, water, baby nutrition and medical nutrition. Players will also learn about Danone’s approach to business and its values.

Playing the game is not a requirement for an internship with Danone but it could be a helpful addition to your application.

To find out more and play Trust visit http://trust.danone.com/.

Boost your Business with Lloyds TSB Enterprise Awards

As we’ve progressed through the year, the emphasis we’ve seen on organisations encouraging entrepreneurship has grown and grown. As you all know, we recently finished applications for our ‘Try It’ and ‘Grow It’ prize funds, which help to motivate and celebrate the enterprising spirit of Queen Mary by helping students to kick-start their business idea, or expand an existing enterprise. Many other companies are also offering prizes for entrepreneurs, including Lloyds TSB.

Lloyds TSB are offering up to £50,000 for exceptional enterprises from current students, or those who have graduated in the past 5 years. On top of this, there are a number of £1000 and £5000 cash injections up for grabs.

Considering the size of the prize, entrepreneurs need to have been trading for at least 1 year to be eligible, and your business needs to be trading in England, Scotland or Wales. However there are no rules on what your business has to do; in this respect it’s a very flexible competition!

So if you have a business that is established, but in need of some serious fuel to expand, this competition is a fantastic opportunity for you. All of the information you need can be found on their website – http://www.lloydstsbenterpriseawards.com/ – and the closing date for applications is the 31^st January 2013.

For business that aren’t as established, we will be re-opening applications for our Try it and Grow it funds next semester, so watch this space! All the details of this will be on http://www.careers.qmul.ac.uk/students/enterprise/index.html/

And remember, if you would like some advice about your enterprise, you can book an appointment with one of our Careers Consultants by either calling us on 02078828533, or coming in – you can find us in Queens Building WG3.

Josh Lee
Employer Engagement AdministratorQM Careers Centre

An internship with a difference – your opportunity to develop a product

Extreme Blue, IBM’s 12 week programme, gives students the opportunity to develop a product and showcase it to IMB executives, business partners and clients. The programme is for students in their penultimate year, studying a business, technical, scientific or numerical degree and is a great opportunity if you are interested in  product design / development, or starting your own business.

Successful applicants will work in teams of four made up of one business student and three technical students. Extreme Blue enables students to fully immerse themselves in the field whilst supported by some of the world’s leading innovators.

For those studying a business-related degree the scheme offers the chance to develop leadership skills as you will be required to ensure the team is on track to meet its targets and manage the project.Students who apply for the technical role will have the opportunity to design, architect and develop a technology-based solution in line with customer needs. Both roles are a great way to develop your team work skills, gain experience working with cutting-edge technology and network with influential people in the industry.

In addition to being part of an innovative project you will be paid £15,000 and IBM will put you up in accommodation in Hampshire, close to their leading software development lab, IBM Hursley. The internship also involves an all-expenses paid trip to Europe to showcase your project and the prospect of taking part in a patent submission.

The deadline for applications is 31 December 2012. Find out more and apply here at http://www-05.ibm.com/employment/uk/students/extreme-blue/index.shtml.

Don’t forget if you need any help with your application you can book an appointment with us by calling 0207 882 8533 or coming in to the Careers Centre, Queen’s Building WG3.

4 employer competitions – Enter to gain vital business experience

Do you have a competitive streak? Or would you like to develop one (in a safe environment)
Here are some opportunities coming up soon that you might want to take a look at…

1) AB InBev is running a Best Beer Competition. To enter, design a new beer for your university with a team of 2-4 students. The competition is a great way to showcase your ability to work as part of a team, with the added bonus of being in with the chance of winning €4000.

By taking part students have the opportunity to demonstrate their commercial awareness and entrepreneurial qualities, characteristics increasingly sought after by employers. It is a good chance to gain practical experience and win €3000

Entrants have until 13 February 2013 to submit a project plan, but must first apply through the AB InBev Best Beer Competition website. For terms and conditions and to apply visit http://targetjobsevents.co.uk/best-beer-competition.

2)  ‘Magic circle’ law firm, Clifford Chance, is giving 15 individuals the chance to work for them on their 2013 vacation scheme by writing a short essay – “What do you think are the most successful ways in which Governments can ensure emission reduction targets are achieved?”.

Even without the prizes of a trip to Brazil and an iPad, this is a fantastic opportunity to gain competitive work experience at a leading law firm and to make your voice heard to a prestigious employer. The competition opens on the 15^th November and closes on the 7^th of December. For more information, visit www.cliffordchance.com/intelligentaid

3. The CIMA Global Business Challenge is an international competition which aims to find the world’s best young business leaders of tomorrow. It allows you to gain first-hand experience of business leadership, acquire problem-solving skills and learn to work effectively in a team – all whilst having the chance to impress industry representatives. All this looks great on your CV and will have a fantastic impact on your job prospects.

The competition involves responding to a given scenario and producing a written report, just as if you were already working in the industry as a consultant. The competition is free to enter and open to students of all degree disciplines,  so what are you waiting for? Visit the CIMA Global Business Challenge website for more details and to register your team.

4)  Ok, so I cheated here… Target Jobs actually have 12 awards from 12 different employers as part of their Undergraduate of the year competition. Take a look at the different categories to see which one best suits you: http://undergraduateoftheyear.com/

Good Luck!

Are you a 2011 UK graduate? Your chance to win an iPad mini…

Three iPad minis are being given away in return for completing an online survey. All you need to do is to click here to complete an online survey. This survey has been put together by the Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services (AGCAS) – the voice of HE careers and employability professionals – as part of a project to investigate graduate perspectives of the graduate job market.

To be eligible for the survey, you need to be a UK graduate from a first degree (not a postgraduate degree) who graduated in 2011 from an English or Welsh university.

The survey will seek your views on areas including career choice, career planning and preparation and the transition from university to employment. It will take no longer than about 10 minutes to complete and, if you leave your contact details at the end of the questionnaire, your name will be entered into a prize draw with three iPad minis up for grabs.

The closing date for the survey is Friday 21^st December 2012.’’

Competitions: More than just a CV boost for entrepreneurs

This week is Global Entrepreneurship week – a national campaign to encourage people to start their own business and make sure they have the support to turn their ideas into reality. So for this week I will be posting a series of blogs all about enterprise and starting your own business. Today’s topic is competitions…

Taking part in competitions can make a valuable addition to any CV, but for a budding entrepreneur they can provide so much more. Competitions such as this one, from DAPS Global, provide an insight into an industry (perhaps an industry you had not considered working in before), as well as give the opportunity to network and make valuable contacts (which is vital in business).

They are also a great way to gain experience and develop key skills, such as formulating and pitching an idea, which are difficult to practice in other situations but pivotal to entrepreneurship. With this in mind, entering such competitions may act as an alternative to an internship, allowing you to gain more relevant experience. But crucially, such schemes allow you to get a taste of what it’s like to build a business (without the stress and financial obligations of doing it for real). This experience may highlight skills that you’d like to work on before starting your own business, perhaps be the confidence boost/ confirmation that you needed to go full steam ahead, or even make you decide that it’s not for you after all. In any such case, it will have been a useful experience.

Even for those who are not considering entrepreneurship,  competitions will give you something different to put on your CV, make you stand out from the crowd and provide an excellent talking point at interviews when it comes to giving examples of how you have developed your skills. Through taking part, you will have the opportunity to demonstrate business skills, such as leadership, tenacity and commercial awareness, which will be looked upon favourably by employers.

Along with this, remember that attending events, such as Skills London, can provide a complementary route to building your skills portfolio and seeking advice. Getting involved with some Queen Mary based organisations, such as QM Enactus and QM Entrepreneurs, may provide further means to develop entrepreneurial skills and experience.

For more information and advice on starting your own business, take a look at our website, where you can find a number of useful resources as well as the details of some more external competitions. Finally, if you’d like further support or advice then don’t forget that you can book an enterprise appointment with one of our Careers Consultants.

Enter CIMA’s Business Challenge Competition and gain vital business experience

The CIMA Global Business Challenge is an international competition which aims to find the world’s best young business leaders of tomorrow. Entering the competition allows you to gain first-hand experience of business leadership, acquire problem-solving skills and learn to work effectively in a team.  All this looks great on your CV, as it adds something a little different to your experience and shows that you are keen to get involved in extra activities and take on a challenge!

The competition involves responding to a given scenario and producing a written report, just as if you were already working in the industry as a consultant. The competition is free to enter and open to students of all degree disciplines – so what are you waiting for?

Why should I enter?

• Showcase your talent in business management
• To give you fantastic experience to set you apart from others at interviews
• Gain essential skills to add to your CV
• Network with employers whilst studying for your degree
• Win the chance to represent your country at the global final
• Numerous prizes at each level of the competition
• Free trip to South Africa for UK finalists

If you are interested in taking part, visit the CIMA Global Business Challenge website for more details and to register your team.  

Jenny Carter
QM English Student & Careers Centre Vacancy Researcher