����Ӱ��

Each year, Bucks Students’ Union hosts its annual employability festival, STRIVE. The week-long festival is open to all students at the industry focussed University and is key to their growth and development as they begin to prepare for the working world. 

This year, the festival ran from 24 – 28 February and hosted special guests from the National Film and Television School and The Air Charter Association.

Across the week, students were able to meet with other industry partners and were given an opportunity to have professional headshots taken for their portfolios, CVs, or LinkedIn profiles.

Students were encouraged to attend the multiple sessions available on topics such as public speaking, time management, building resilience, leadership, as well as an engaging masterclass on the importance of social media, held by Vice-Chancellor Professor Damien Page.

Sharing his personal journey, Damien explained how he has cultivated a presence on LinkedIn through a mix of creating engaging content, being authentic, widening his network, engaging with his intended audience, and much more. 

“Social media is a tremendous source of learning” said Professor Page.

Damien also shared insights on how social media can be leveraged to improve graduate prospects before opening a Q&A and answering various challenging questions from the students. Professor Page finished the session by wishing the students good luck for the rest of the academic year.

Later in the festival, students had the opportunity to attend a panel session with BNU’s esteemed alumni where they were able to ask questions about real-life experiences, industry advice and more.

Jessica Hughes, Training and Development Co-ordinator at Bucks Students’ Union and event lead said “Strive is tailored to meet the needs of our students, to ensure that BNU is producing graduates who have confidence when speaking with industry professionals, have the best quality and most relevant skills on their CVs when going into interview, and promoting a feeling within the student body that they have truly been set-up for success during their time at BNU. Thanks to events like these, delivered by Bucks Students’ Union and all for free, thanks to The Big Deal, we are working hard to develop the BNU Graduate Attributes in our student body.  

“From informal feedback at each session over the week, the resounding theme is that by attending Bucks Students’ Union’s STRIVE event, BNU students are feeling more confident, more prepared, and less nervous about their lives after graduating.”

Taking place across BNU’s High Wycombe and Uxbridge campuses, the festival concluded with two sessions on community engagement and leadership before wrapping up for another year. 

To learn more about the University’s Students’ Union and other opportunities for the year, head to their .