Dear Candidate s1

February 2011

Dear Candidate,

Thank you for your interest in our University Liaison Officer Internship Programme. IntoUniversity is an award-winning education charity which provides local learning centres where young people are inspired to achieve, and we’re seeking an enthusiastic and committed individual to join our dynamic team as University Liaison Officer Intern.

Part of your role will be to help facilitate on-campus events for our young people – an integral aspect of our work. Successful applicants will be based at the Imperial College Outreach Office and will also assist in the recruitment and co-ordination of volunteers who support young people at our centres.

We target children and young people most at risk of failing to meet their potential to go to university due to economic, social, cultural, or linguistic disadvantage. At the heart of our programme is the belief that underachievement is best addressed in the context of a long-term pastoral engagement with young people where we can build their esteem and support their learning to enable them to reach their potential to go to university or realise another chosen aspiration.

You will hold an undergraduate degree, be enthusiastic, energetic, flexible and able to exercise initiative. You should have passion and enthusiasm for the mission of our charity, and outreach work in general. These internships are ideal for people seeking to gain experience of both the charity and university (especially around widening participation) sectors for their CVs.

As an IntoUniversity University Liaison Officer Intern, you will become a full and integral part of the entire IntoUniversity team and will be able to draw on us for advice and guidance. You’ll receive an introduction to the charity, suitable training, and the opportunity to develop your skills and acquire experience the university and charity sector. This means that you will also acquire experience of the university sector and widening participation and you’ll be fully supported in this by the Outreach team at Imperial College. This is an unpaid internship, but your lunch and some travel expenses within London will be reimbursed (Imperial College is based in travel zone, South Kensington, SW7 2AZ). Please note a bursary scheme is available as part of this internship and further details regarding the criteria will be available on successful appointment of the role.

If this sounds like the right internship for you, please find further information and an application form below.

If you wish to apply for this post please email your application by 12 noon on Thursday 24th February 2011 to [email protected]. If you are successfully shortlisted, the selection process will take place on Thursday, 3rd March at IntoUniversity Lambeth and Thursday, 10th March at Imperial College Outreach Office.

We look forward to receiving your application.

Dr Rachel Carr Chief Executive IntoUniversity

Graduate-entry Internship Programme University Liaison Officer

BASED AT: You will be based at Imperial College (Outreach Office), South Kensington SW7 2AZ with visits to the IntoUniversity network.

START DATE: 21st March 2011

PAY: This is an unpaid internship. Some travel expenses and lunch will be reimbursed. Please note a bursary scheme is available as part of this internship and further details regarding the criteria will be available on successful appointment of the role.

LENGTH OF INTERNSHIP: Three to six months.* During this period, you may have 25 days per annum pro rata off plus any time required for job interviews.

HOURS OF INTERNSHIP: The internship is part-time for a minimum of two full days a week and a maximum of three full days a week.*

MANAGEMENT: You will report to the IntoUniversity Volunteering Manager. You receive ongoing support and advice from Imperial College’s Head of Community Partnership and Volunteering

TRAINING: There will be an initial handover period based at Imperial College Outreach Office.

*Please note: all applications will be treated equally and the success of your application will not be dependent on the number of days you are available.

Watch a video here about our innovative programme of support “University has always been something I wanted to do, but it’s only really happened because of IntoUniversity” - Ayisha Adedeji, student on the IU programme

2 Why do we need you? There is a huge need for our services in London, and we simply couldn’t deliver our programme without the help of our interns and volunteers. The partnership between IntoUniversity and Imperial College has been thriving since 2002 and we need an enthusiastic and committed graduate to help us co-ordinate and deliver the activities jointly run by IntoUniversity and Imperial College.

What will you be doing? Our University Liaison Officer will be responsible for three key areas:

Volunteer Recruitment and Promotion

You will take charge of volunteer recruitment from the student body by advertising opportunities at Imperial College. As IntoUniversity’s on-campus representative you will provide information to prospective volunteers, facilitate with the logistical aspects of their training and selection, and process their Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) checks. You will be the first person they contact and will need to provide email, telephone, and face to face encouragement and assistance.

Events Management

You will coordinate IntoUniversity events that take place at Imperial College. This can range from Year 6 FOCUS Graduations or Volunteer Training and Selection Days. Management involves a variety of areas from room bookings, to risk assessments, to ensuring the event runs smoothly on the day! You will be in contact with members of IntoUniversity staff and Imperial College staff. You will also be the ‘face’ of Imperial for all of our students who come to Imperial College.

Administration

You will be responsible for keeping a record of all events and volunteer interest. This will be done in the form of a main database and Excel spreadsheets. As mentioned above you will be responsible for all email correspondence to ensure that all enquiries are dealt with in a timely fashion.

You will be IntoUniversity’s on-campus representative to volunteers and provide essential support to IntoUniversity’s Academic Support, Mentoring and Buddy programmes.

Of course, no two days are ever the same in a busy university office, so from time to time you’ll be required to get involved with other tasks, some of them administrative, as and when needed alongside the rest of the Outreach team.

What skills do you need? This internship is suitable for a recent graduate, ideal for someone seeking to gain practical experience in the charity and/or university sector. You will be required to be energetic, flexible and enthusiastic with the ability to exercise initiative. You’ll need to be a quick learner who is resourceful in working with systems for a fast-moving and developing organisation.

An important part of the role will be the ability to communicate effectively with a variety of people both in person and in writing. You’ll need to be committed to taking an active part in the life of IntoUniversity and the Outreach team at Imperial College. You need to be able to use your initiative and undertake tasks independently without close supervision.

Last but not least, you’ll need to be computer literate and conversant with MS Word.

What benefits can you expect? 3 Whilst it’s an unpaid internship, lunch will be provided and you will receive reasonable travel expenses within London. Please note a bursary scheme is available as part of this internship and further details regarding the criteria will be available on successful appointment of the role.

You’ll benefit from an introduction to IntoUniversity, including visits to some of our centres to see the activities we run. As well as gaining opportunities to learn about how the charity sector operates, including in relation to fundraising and governance; you will have an insight into Higher Education sector and its Widening Participation activities.

Throughout your internship, you will be supported by Imperial College’s Head of Community Partnerships and Volunteering Manager. You’ll also have monthly meetings with your line manager, IntoUniversity’s Volunteering Manager.

The internship will provide valuable and varied experience for your CV, with opportunities to develop your own ideas and initiative and gain relevant skills for future career development. We’ll give you advice on future job applications, including training on CV writing and interview techniques. Where appropriate, we’ll support you in finding employment within our own organisation.

And you’ll have the satisfaction of knowing that you are making a strong impact on the development of a cutting-edge charity, and a difference to young people’s lives.

4 Further information about IntoUniversity

What are the distinctive features of our IntoUniversity model?  We offer a Centre-based service away from school  We are a ‘home-from-home’ rather than a ‘school-from-school’  We use a pastoral model  We maintain a high staff/student ratio. This is crucial for both the quality of the educational support and the maintenance of pastoral relationships  We have excellent existing educational partnerships at local and national level  We start working with young people from age eight and work with them over the long term until university access; academic research shows that access to university from socially-excluded groups needs children to aspire to future study from a young age  We provide a positive aspirational ethos  We recognise that young people require many types of support in order to raise and attain their aspirations: academic support, new learning opportunities, aspirational activities and confidence building.

What does IntoUniversity’s programme include?  Primary & Secondary Academic Support: Tutored help with homework, coursework, literacy and numeracy.  Primary FOCUS Weeks & Days: Themed weeks and days of out-of-school experiential learning for Years 5 and 6.  Secondary FOCUS Workshops: An innovative series of workshops for Years 11-13 designed to give students a clear understanding of what a university is and how and why they should aspire to enter Higher Education.  Extending Horizons FOCUS Weekends: Educational weekends which help to raise aspirations and motivation to achieve at school and promote the importance of team building.  Mentoring: We work with the University of London pairing undergraduates with our users. We also run a corporate mentoring scheme to support students from Year 13 through to their first year at university. The programme promotes self-worth, social development, responsibility and aspiration.  Aspire & Achieve Days: Training days to encourage and motivate young people. The Go For It! Programme we use is proven to raise academic standards and aspirations.  Mentoring: We work with the University of London, pairing undergraduates with our users.

Read a feature on IntoUniversity in the Times Higher Education Supplement

See an article on IntoUniversity in The Times

What do experts in the Charity Sector think about IntoUniversity?

NPC's research reports dig deep into social issues ... exploring which approaches work and which don't, what government is doing to tackle the issue and what difference private donations can make.

‘IntoUniversity is a charity that demonstrates excellent optimisation of resources, and is one of the best-run charities that NPC has come across. There has been impressive growth at IntoUniversity since NPC wrote the long analysis two years ago, though the fundamentals of the charity’s vision, strategy and approach remain constant.’ Research Report on IntoUniversity available from NPC’s website http://www.philanthropycapital.org/

The Impetus Trust is a leader in Venture Philanthropy in the UK, and one of our key partners.

‘ The Impetus portfolio consists of 14 high-performing charities, with IntoUniversity, which inspires and engages young people from disadvantaged backgrounds to attain either a university place or another chosen aspiration, showing the highest performance in the portfolio this year. IntoUniversity has been able to grow its average number of children helped by 177% a year, since it obtained Impetus backing.’

5 Further information about Imperial College

Outreach Office

Imperial College Outreach Office aims to encourage applications to Imperial College by suitably qualified home students. It also pursue activities which raise aspirations, change perceptions and stimulate interest in science, engineering and medicine from primary through to A- Level education.

The purpose of these activities is also to enhance the College’s reputation among key audiences of capable young people from a diverse and wide range of backgrounds. In addition, the Outreach Office aims to promote interaction between Imperial College and the local community.

The main focus of the Outreach’s community work is to give volunteers an opportunity to gain new skills and experiences while putting something back into the community. In this way, the Outreach office links different communities through mutually beneficial voluntary activities.

IntoUniversity Scheme is one of Outreach’s community engagement programs and many students give their time every year as Imperial Volunteers, thus utilising their academic expertise and being role models to young people from disadvantaged backgrounds. These voluntary activities also offer valuable development opportunities to Imperial’s students through personal and professional development.

Evidence (Impact Study 2010) demonstrates that volunteering supports both personal and professional development of Imperial’s students. But, for this activity to be successful, volunteering needs to be managed professionally through central coordination within the College. The Outreach Office provides this central element of organisation and the IntoUniversity’s University Liaison Officer will be providing key services in this area of work.

Outreach Office www.imperial.ac.uk/outreach www.imperial.ac.uk/volunteering