How Business Schools Can Transform Students into Sought-After Graduates

Employability plays an important role in a student’s life – whether they’re choosing the school that can help them land their dream job or networking with companies to make powerful connections for their future career.

But how can business schools ensure that their graduates are among the most sought-after candidates in the job market?

Lancaster University Management School seems to have cracked the code. With an impressive 100 percent of Master’s in Management (MiM) graduates landing jobs within three months of graduation, noting a 49 percent salary increase, the school boasts a great employability record in the UK and across Europe.

We’ve caught up with Dr Radka Newton, Director of the Master’s in Management course, to find out more.

It’s all about the skills

Lancaster’s MiM focuses on helping students develop a balance of management and soft skills. The program is structured around core courses, leadership and career development, and global commercial awareness, with real-life projects, company visits and foreign exchange experiences – a formula that Radka believes to be the winning ticket with its blend of theoretical and practical knowledge.

She said: “For us, it’s not just about the travel or the projects, it’s about incorporating a practical component in every part of the program.

“Students develop self-awareness, they learn how to network with business communities, how to present themselves to future business leaders and employers. This is a thread that runs throughout the whole program, and it’s helping their confidence in engaging with the business community.”

Career services can make or break graduate employability

Another aspect of the course Radka considers essential to boost graduate employability is the school’s careers team, which offers personalized support to every MiM student throughout the course.

She said: “I really believe that having somebody with a close relationship with the cohort means a lot both to the school, as we have somebody who is really dedicated to look after it in a very personal way, and to the students, because they see the commitment from the Management School to their personal development.”

Through a series of meetings and networking sessions, MiM students at Lancaster University Management School identify their strengths, career aspirations and the necessary steps they can take to kick-start their management career after graduation.

And there’s more: they can still receive support from the careers team years after graduating from the Management School.

Radka said: “We have graduates who go into their third or fourth job and they come back to consult our careers team, which helps them prepare for the next steps.

“What makes our achievements so special is that our careers team stays with them. They start with them, they are with them during the program, and they stay with them in the alumni stage. The students are really nurtured and supported even beyond their graduation.”

A variety of career paths

According to Radka, Lancaster supports its students “in trying all kinds of different paths”.

She said: “A lot of students, when they start their career, want to go into big corporations, but after one or two years they realize they need a change. And we help them make a bigger impact. Sometimes they go into smaller or non-traditional companies, sometimes they end up in technology and finance.

“This program really prepares them to be open-minded, innovative, and to think about their career as a journey. But they’re not a finished product, they’re always developing and learning, and I think that’s what makes our program exciting. I am extremely proud of it.”