On Thursday 25 February, 79 current students and recent graduates at the University of Westminster attended the first ever WWC Annual Reunion event to hear exclusive and valuable insights from a host of inspiring speakers and to reunite with their friends from their WWC programme.
Since 2017, Westminster Working Cultures (WWC) has supported 245 students to take part in a short-term employability programme in the UK or overseas. During WWC, students enhance their professional development, build their confidence and expand their network by meeting with a diverse range of Westminster’s alumni and partners as they share their professional experiences and insights.
The WWC Annual Reunion event hosted students and recent graduates who have taken part in a WWC programme and also welcomed students who will be participating in the upcoming April WWC UK programmes. The event gave attendees the opportunity to learn exclusive insights on building a personal brand and guidance on graduate recruitment processes during the COVID-19 pandemic from a range of alumni speakers. Attendees also built their connections through taking part in networking sessions. A team of WWC Ambassadors, all students who have taken part in a WWC programme, helped to support the planning and delivery of the reunion event and played a key role in welcoming the WWC community back to Westminster during the virtual event.
The event welcomed three speakers, including Mike Allen, a Quantity Surveying BSc graduate and Managing Director at Secretariat, Karen Lau, a Business Administration BA graduate and Senior Marketing Manager, Greater China at Robert Walters, and Will Daulphin, a Photography BA graduate and Creative at Tangent Agency. The speakers shared unique and practical advice into the graduate and global labour market, offering attendees guidance and support on their next career steps.
Highlights included advice on identifying and building your professional brand, establishing the foundations of your career, mastering the virtual interview process, and personal insights into how participating in a WWC programme helps to guide and support professional development.
One of the attendees, Zainab Alli, a participant on our WWC Dubai programme in 2019, said about the event: “I thoroughly enjoyed the reunion event very much. It was great to network with the rest of the participants from other WWC groups and meet new people. It was a very heart warming atmosphere, everyone was friendly. It was lovely to hear from alumni such as William Daulphin, Karen Lau and Mike Allen. I have gained some valuable insights into professional development and employment especially with relevance to COVID. Will’s quote particularly stood out to me, ‘keep knocking on those doors, and one will open’. It was truly inspiring. No matter the difficulties and hardships you’re going through, something is out there for you.”
Professor Alex Hughes, Deputy Vice Chancellor for Employability and Global Engagement, said: “It was a great pleasure to be part of this event and to welcome WWC alumni to a great evening. The programme is still relatively new but is going from strength to strength. It has a fantastic future ahead of it and I’d like to thank all those who have supported it already, or will do in the future. Your commitment is hugely appreciated.”
The Westminster Working Cultures (WWC) programme gives Westminster students and recent graduates the opportunity to develop their skills, network, and confidence and learn about professional landscapes and employment culture across the globe. With students from 150 countries, staff from across the world and a highly international alumni community, the University of Westminster embraces global engagement in all its forms.
The WWC programme is made possible by the generous funding support from the Quintin Hogg Trust, Santander Universities and private donations and is organised by the WWC team within the Alumni Relations office.
Upcoming WWC UK programmes will take place in April and June 2021, focusing on the professional landscape of the United Kingdom. Applications for the June programmes will open 8 March 2021.
Upcoming WWC #Professional events will take place in March 2021, focusing on the labour markets of the African and Latin American regions.
Learn more about Westminster Working Cultures or email [email protected].
