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Careers

Advice, events and support to help you achieve your ambitions

Work ready, world ready, future ready

At Solent, we invest in your employability from the start. Your course modules will be focused on real world examples, giving you practical experience to contribute to your final degree and provide you with experience you can use when applying for jobs.

Solent Futures is the University’s careers, employability and enterprise service. The team are committed to getting students into great careers by offering impartial information, advice and guidance to support you and help you achieve your ambitions.

We support you to develop your employability skills and ensure that you find the right opportunity once you finish your studies, whether this is a graduate job, help to start a business or advice on further study. Whether you don't know where to begin or know exactly what you want to do, we are here to help you.

No matter what course or level of study you are on, the team and our online service, Solent Futures Online can help you with finding work experience, placements or jobs. We have an employer team who make connections with employers to create opportunities for Solent students and graduates. We list a large number of graduate job opportunities on behalf of recruiters.

We offer careers advice for life, so even when you finish your studies you can still access our support.

Solent Futures Online

Our online careers resources and jobs board on Solent Futures Online is a fantastic resource. You can sign up for job alerts for part-time jobs, placements, internships and graduate opportunities for Solent students.

Find the friendly Solent Futures team in The Workshop (JM108) just off The Spark Atrium.

What we do

Workshops and advice

Advice

Visit our friendly team to have a chat about CVs, LinkedIn, Interviews and so much more. We support students and graduates in person via our drop in desk 12:30– 3:30 Monday to Friday. Find us in The Workshop (JM108), just off the main atrium of the Spark. Or contact us by email, solent.futures@solent.ac.uk or via the phone 02382 013883.

If you cannot make it onto campus but would like to speak to a member of the team then you can book a short appointment via our SOL booking page. Click here to book an appointment.

If you would like to book a longer careers appointment to have a more in-depth conversation, we offer 40 minutes career guidance discussions with a qualified careers adviser. You don’t need to have a definite career plan to book this appointment. Whether you are just getting started, thinking about your future or have some clear ideas, our Careers Advisers Victoria and David are here to help. Bookable appointments are available throughout the week including one after 5 pm. Click here to find out more and email us to careers@solent.ac.uk if you have any questions.

Interested in starting your own business? Our advisers can answer your questions about how Solent can help with that. 

Workshops and events

We offer workshops and events throughout the year to support your career goals and help you build the skills you need to help you find your graduate role. It is never too early to think about your career – see what we have planned. Our events are advertised on the Portal events pages.

 

Careers guidance appointments

If you would like to book a longer careers appointment to have a more in-depth conversation, we offer 40 minute career guidance discussions with a qualified careers adviser. You don’t need to have a definite career plan to book this appointment. Whether you are just getting started, thinking about your future or have some clear ideas, our Careers Advisers, Victoria and David  are here to help. Bookable appointments are available throughout the week including one after 5 pm. Email us at careers@solent.ac.uk if you have any questions. 

Careers guidance appointments are offered virtually via MS Teams or in person on campus.  When using MS Teams you can choose whether you wish to have just audio or audio and video. 

Book an appointment

Current students - Book your appointments online

Prospective students and Solent graduates - Please email careers@solent.ac.uk.

Jobs for students and graduates

Fancy working on campus in one of the University departments or schools? These opportunities are advertised on Solent Futures Online.

As well as campus jobs Solent Futures Online advertises external vacancies, including part-time vacancies to fund you while you study, work experience and graduate opportunities. Solent Futures Online also offers advice on looking for work.

Freelancing and start-up business support

Solent Creatives

Solent Creatives are open from 9am –5pm Monday to Friday, no appointment necessary, just drop in to JM109 in The Spark to say hello and find out more about paid freelancing opportunities. You can also email us at solentcreatives@solent.ac.uk. The email inbox is checked daily Monday – Friday.

Enterprise

For business start-up advice, and to find out more about the funding available to kick start your business or freelancing idea, please email enterprise@solent.ac.uk. The inbox is monitored regularly, and we will get back to you within two working days.

Online advice on setting up a business

You can also email us at solent.futures@solent.ac.uk

Professional mentoring

Solent Futures run a professional mentoring programme. The mentoring programme is an initiative to help improve the employability of students by matching them to industry professionals. The scheme aims to help students develop the skills and confidence they need to succeed in the graduate job market or to achieve their ambition of starting a business or going into further study. 

“My mentor has been extremely helpful in managing and giving advice and helping me connect with people from the industry.”

“It’s a good opportunity to take especially if you need help preparing yourself for your future.”

You can find out more about the scheme by watching this film.

Students interested in participating in the scheme can email mentoring@solent.ac.uk. 

The scheme accepts applications from October each year with mentoring starting in the December and runs until the end of May.

Successful applications will be required to attend a mentee induction session. These take place during November ahead of the programme starting in December.

For general queries about mentoring email mentoring@solent.ac.uk

Placements

We support students who have a placement element on their course. You can use Solent Futures Online for placement job search strategies. Many placement providers also advertise on Solent Futures Online.

You can also email solent.futures@solent.ac.uk with your placement query.

Future Me

Future Me is an interactive resource designed to help you develop your employability. It is made up of 1) a quick survey, 2) action plans to help you reflect on your results and summarise what you learn and 3) careers activities and helpful resources to help you develop in the areas highlighted in your Future Me results.

Use Future Me and take practical steps to develop your confidence in these areas: 

  • My Career 
  • My Experience 
  • My Opportunities
  • My Network 
  • My Creativity 
  • My Attitude 
  • My Communication 

Help your career take off with Future Me

If you are an academic and would like to explore how Future Me can support your students, please contact your link Careers Adviser or email: careers@solent.ac.uk

Solent Futures Online login

Solent Futures is Solent University’s careers, employability and enterprise service. Solent Futures Online is a job board and career management system offering advice and information on all aspects of the job search process.

Students and staff

Log in with your Solent email and password

Sign on to Solent Futures Online to:

  • Apply for and find 100s of opportunities including: Campus Jobs, part-time jobs, placements, graduate roles and internships
  • Upload your CV for feedback in seconds from the CV360 tool
  • Take self-assessments for career development
  • Access easy to use content which is tailored to you.

Log in now

Graduates

If you have graduated from Solent University, we offer careers advice for life. Solent Futures Online is a great resource for you to look for graduate roles and to: 

  • Access up-to-date industry information about the sector you want to work in
  • View up-to-date industry information
  • Take self-assessments for career development
  • Access easy to use content which is tailored to you.

Email us to get your unique log in code

agcas quality standard logo

Contact us

Email us
Students: solent.futures@solent.ac.uk
Employers: employers@solent.ac.uk

Book an appointment
Careers guidance, short advice appointments and start up advice - book online

Prospective students and graduates: careers@solent.ac.uk (for careers guidance) or enterprise@solent.ac.uk (for business start-up advice)

Follow us on social

LinkedIn

Instagram

Solent Futures team information

Liz Hillawi is the Deputy Head of Student Experience (Careers). The administrative assistant for the department is Gwen Goodger. For more information on individual members of the team, and what they do, please visit our Meet the Team page.

 

Tell us what you think

We want to know what you think of the service you have received. This will help us to continue to improve our service, as well as develop new ways to engage with students.

You can contact us in the following ways:

  • You can call us: 023 8201 3883 or email: solent.futures@solent.ac.uk.
  • Hand in your suggestion to the student hub in TS114 (these suggestions can be made anonymously).

Your feedback will be forwarded to the most appropriate member of staff to deal with. You don’t have to give your name and contact details, but if you do, we will also reply to you personally. If you are unhappy with the way you have been treated by a member of staff, please ask to speak to the senior staff member on duty.

How and when we will respond

We will acknowledge any written or emailed complaints within two working days of receipt. You will receive a full response to your written complaint within ten working days.

If you are not satisfied with how we respond to your complaint, in the first instance please contact:

Tania Struetzel, Head of Student Success

email: tania.struetzel@solent.ac.uk

Solent University, East Park Terrace, Southampton SO14 0RU

Your complaint will be acknowledged within two working days. We will investigate it further and provide a written response within ten working days.

If you are still unhappy with our response at this stage, you can consider the further options available to you under the University’s formal student complaints procedure. 

Student complaints procedure

Commitment to employability

Solent Futures activities are about empowering students and graduates. We do this by:  

  • Providing you with access to impartial careers information, advice and guidance.

  • Enabling you to develop career management skills to build a successful future.

  • Supporting you to set up your own business and develop your enterprising and creative potential.

  • Giving you access to and promoting the wide range of opportunities in employment, placements, volunteering, mentoring and further study.

    Opening times

    Monday to Friday

    Find us on campus:

    Solent Futures The Workshop (JM108), just off the main atrium of the Spark Drop ins from 12:30pm to 3:30pm daily
    Solent Creatives (JM109)
    Wheelchair access through The Spark Atrium

    Book an appointment on our Solent Online Learning page

    Email: solent.futures@solent.ac.uk
    Phone: 02382 013883