York Futures
Enhance your career prospects with exciting opportunities that will help you stand out from the crowd.
You can access our careers support from day one. Our training programmes, careers fairs, internships and enterprise advice will support you towards graduate employment or further study.
94% of York students entered work or further study within 15 months of graduating
HESA Graduate Outcomes Survey 2019/20, UK graduates
Shape your future
We offer tailored support and advice to help you understand your options and plan for a career you’ll thrive in.
The following range of 'York Futures' activities has been carefully created with your career journey in mind. From one-to-one advice and skills programmes, to careers fairs and internships – we’re here to support you towards your goals.
Discover your strengths
Find out more about yourself and identify future careers that will suit your strengths.
- Take part in our York Strengths Programme to discover what you’re good at, what you love to do, and how to use this knowledge to plan your time at York and gain the skills and experience that your future employers want.
- Join York Strengths Online, our interactive course that enables you to discover (and review) your professional strengths at your own pace, and in a place that suits you.
- Come to a York Strengths Development Session and enhance your strengths through enjoyable group activities, and with support and feedback from trained specialists.
Coming to York, I knew that I wanted to give something back to the community. I started giving engineering presentations in schools as part of the STEM Ambassador scheme, which was the perfect starting point. However, there was more to be done! So, I started a non-profit project, supporting young people from deprived backgrounds. York Careers and Placements helped make this project a reality.
Chris, MEng Electronic Engineering
Explore your options
Indulge your passions or try something new. Explore your options, make new friends and develop your skills for a career you will enjoy. Take the opportunity to:
- Broaden your skill set through volunteering, societies and clubs.
- Get involved with work experience and internship opportunities.
- Develop your business ideas with Enterprise at York, who offer funding and work spaces to make your start-up ideas into a success.
York is a great city and the University itself exceeded my expectations. The teaching fuelled my interest in learning and pushed me further than I expected on to a PhD. The pastoral system gave me the personal support I needed to succeed academically. Away from my studies, the University Caving Club gave me the self-confidence and the sense of adventure that carried me all the way to Antarctica.
Dr Jess Walkup, Station Leader, British Antarctic Survey. BSc Biology, 2009
Boost your employability
University gives you opportunities to develop skills beyond those you'll learn on your course. Take advantage of our careers services to build up your skills and demonstrate your experiences to potential employers.
- Apply for the York Award and gain a formal award celebrating both personal and professional development within and outside your programme of study.
- Develop your leadership skills with our York Leaders programme, through partnerships with various employers.
- Book an appointment with our Careers Team, gaining careers advice and support to build a personalised plan and kick-start your career journey.
Grow your professional network
Tap into our culture of innovation and start making the connections to progress in your career.
- Meet employers at a range of campus events and annual careers fairs.
- Engage with our global alumni networks and find a career mentor through York Profiles and Mentors platform.
- Connect with business advisers through Enterprise at York.
- Gain summer internships including paid project-based internships with local employers.
- Engage with top employers through our network, including recruiters at Teach First, Civil Service, PwC and Transform Society.
Beyond the classroom
Expand your horizons with a placement year, summer internship, or part-time or casual work.
At York, you can integrate a placement year into your studies, or select a course with a year in industry. A placement year can demonstrate your strong work ethic, build your professional network and broaden your insights into the workplace. Take the opportunity to fast-track to a graduate job.
Read more about placement years
You could also consider heading overseas to study, work or volunteer abroad to enhance your employability, gain new language skills, improve your confidence and develop your interpersonal skills.
Read more about studying abroad
Otherwise, find part-time paid work on or off campus to gain more work experience, earn money and meet new people while studying.
Benefit from a scholarship
Each year, we offer additional scholarships to give you a head start in the job market. Applications open when you start your studies at York.
- You can apply for funding through the York Futures Scholarship, which helps to support your ambitions at the different stages of your time at York, covering costs for things like interview travel costs.
- There is also our accredited leadership development programme through the Laidlaw Scholarship.
Go beyond academic borders
Step outside your degree programme and expand your knowledge with elective modules.
Studying modules from another department lets you broaden your knowledge, make unique academic connections and boost your employability.
Global programmes
Explore the world and enhance your CV with an international experience.
Language courses
Learn for fun and improve your international career prospects.
Work while you study
Gain valuable work experience and skills while you study.
Student societies
Indulge in your interests, meet like-minded people, and develop skills valued by employers.
Volunteering
Broaden your leadership and organisational skills and make a difference to other people’s lives.
Enterprise
Build the skills, confidence and financial backing you need to start your own business.
Careers
Expand your horizons, apply for jobs, placements and internships and develop your skills.