In this activity students will be introduced to the concept of networking and given the opportunity to practise. The activity can be structured as follows: 

1. Introduction: introduce the concept of networking, the skills/techniques required and the value of it 

2. Practice: give participants time to plan some questions together, then the chance to practise these exchanges with peers  

3. Networking session: facilitate a speed networking session for participants to network with real staff. This can be arranged 1-1 or in small groups.

You could provide information on who the staff will be in advance, in the form of a short “bio” so that participants can tailor their questions. 

If there is time, include a feedback session whereby volunteers can feedback on the participants networking techniques and quality of questions. 

This activity gives students the opportunity to ask a panel of volunteers questions about their career path, current role, experiences etc. 

You can structure the activity as follows: 

1. Preparation: give participants the chance to plan their questions in advance. You could include a short introduction on question types and a discussion around appropriate/inappropriate questions. 

2. Panel discussion: facilitate the panel discussion by selecting students to ask questions and the panellists to answer.  

You could provide information on who the staff will be in advance, in the form of a short “bio” so that participants can tailor their questions. 

This activity gives students the opportunity to hear from a member of staff about their current role, their team/department, area of expertise, previous roles, education/career path and other experiences.  

The activity can be structured in the following way: 

1. Presentation from guest speaker 

2. Q&A: give students the chance to ask questions after the presentation from the guest speaker. 

You could provide information on who the staff will be in advance, in the form of a short “bio” so that participants can prepare tailored questions. 

 It can also be helpful to provide the guest speaker with some context, hints and tips (e.g. how does their presentation fit into the wider scheme, age group and interests of students).