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Why NTU…

What inspired you to study your subject and what was your experience of studying your course at NTU?

I wanted to study Politics and Å·ÃÀ¾ÞÈé Relations because it is an exciting, dynamic subject, and you can see it happening at the local, national and international level every day. By studying it, I hoped to develop my understanding of the field and pursue a career in it. I chose to study at NTU because the course provides a theoretical understanding allows you to apply it to the real world, in topics that interested me the most. Seeing the knowledge and enthusiasm of the lecturers at the open day made choosing NTU an easy decision.

I also liked the location of NTU within the heart of Å·ÃÀ¾ÞÈé, and the societies and sports opportunities available through the Student’s Union fitted with my interests.

Your graduate journey

What is your current job role? What does it involve? What was your journey post-graduation to where you are now?

After graduating from NTU, I continued my studies at the University of Sheffield and undertook a Masters degree which built on the skills and knowledge I developed at NTU. After finishing my studies, I continued in the part-time retail job I started during my A levels while I applied for jobs and took the opportunity to Travel around Europe and North America. I used the confidence and communication skills I had developed at NTU to gain more responsibility in my retail job, culminating in a promotion to Supervisor, overseeing checkout and the petrol station.

My job hunt eventually resulted in my being offered a job in Public Affairs for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority (CPCA). As a member of the Combined Authority's communications team, I work alongside colleagues who specialise in social media, press, and campaigns. I use the knowledge of the political process and written communication skills I developed at NTU to support the Combined Authority's engagement with stakeholders and help senior officers and elected leaders understand government policy announcements.

So far, I have undertaken a wide variety of activities, including supporting the planning of CPCA's presence at a large national conference, helping elected leaders and senior Officers to prepare for media appearances and roundtables, preparing briefings to update senior leaders and the broader organisation on policy developments, including a quick response briefing to the English Devolution White Paper. I also lead the writing of the combined authorities' responses to government consultations, which often define the combined authority's position on specific policies. I prepared the Combined Authority's response to the National Industrial Strategy, which involved working with stakeholders to refine our requests to the government to support Cambridgeshire and Peterborough's key industries, including Life Sciences and Advanced Materials.

Skills

How does the knowledge and skills you developed at NTU support you in your current role?

I use the knowledge of British politics and political processes I developed during my degree every day, from identifying audiences or finding relevant policy announcements. However, the value in my degree comes from the transferable skills I developed. The very nature of a Mayoral Combined Authority means that I work in an environment with various stakeholders, including elected representatives who may have competing ideas. The ability to proactively identify a policy perspective contributes to building coalitions in pursuit of shared goals.

The wide variety of modules that I undertook as part of the course prepared me wide portfolio of policy areas, I support including Bus reform, skills provision, devolution and many others. Quickly absorbing and applying information is essential for preparing briefing notes for senior combined authority officers and elected leaders.

It was not just the skills and knowledge I developed from the course that prepared me for my current role. I participated in various academic and interest-based societies and sports clubs. I use the collaboration, leadership, and communication skills this participation developed daily to advocate for myself, my team, and the Combined Authority.