Embedded Files
Introduction:
Introduction:
As a Neurodivergent and/or Disabled Student, your employability journey might feel a bit more complicated. This might be because finding the right job/career for you is even more important to help you thrive in the workplace. You might also be considering accommodations and adjustments you might need in your future career and to support you with this, this page offers you a list of useful resources, questions, and activities to help you produce an Employability Mission Statement. This Statement is a useful tool to help you think about how your previous experiences and personal circumstances can positively impact your employability, what kinds of accommodations are best for you, and to make sure that you are exploring your development in a way that benefits you the most.
Resources:
Resources:
The Careers and Employability Service have a dedicate page to provide information and guidance to disabled students. This covers information about 'disability positive' employers, disclosing to an employer, how the university can support you, and further resources. This support is also available to neurodivergent students (even if you don't identify with being disabled).
This ToolKit is a very useful resource if you are thinking about/doing a work placement (this can be a short-term internship or a year-long placement). This covers support, advice, information, and activities to help you through this transition. This can also be a really useful resource for considering what accommodations you might need in the future to be able to work at your best.
The Disability and Dyslexia Support Service (DDSS) can help support you during your experience at the university. Although this support focuses on helping you in your learning, you can use these accommodations and adjustments to help you understand which of these things could be transferred into the workplace to help you work at your best.
301 Academic Skills is a service that can support you in your study skills development. This can help build your confidence in the 'My Learning' Sheffield Graduate Attributes, which can then help you feel confident about how these can be transferred into the workplace.
This ToolKit is a very useful resource for thinking about the transition into a workplace. This covers support, advice, information, and activities to help you through this transition. This can also be a really useful resource for considering what accommodations you might need in the future to be able to work at your best.
This page has useful information if you want to access SpLD tutoring service. This is for all students with a specific learning difference such as Dyslexia. If you are unsure if you can access this service then do contact them to ask. You can explore Case Studies, resources, and Tutor Profiles on this page.
The equality and employment rights page on the Careers and Employability site offers you information about the support and resources you can access as a Mature Student.
Equality Matters is a great resource to find advice on the specific issues you might be facing. You can explore the specific advice and resources on this page for relevant employability support.
Knowing who your Disabled Student Rep is can be helpful if you have specific questions or ideas to share. It can also be helpful to know what your Rep is planning to do in order to support Disabled Students across the university.
Knowing what Student Communities are available can help you feel supported in your degree experience. The guidance and experience of joining these communities can help you build your personal development.
Career Connect is a great resource for signing up for events, finding vacancies, booking 1-2-1 appointments with a Careers Advisor, and exploring employability resources.
Questions and Activities to Help Your Employability Journey:
Questions and Activities to Help Your Employability Journey:
Reflection Questions:
Reflection Questions:
Which experiences (personal or professional) have given me skills that would be valuable to a future employer?
How can the accommodations and adjustments I have made for my learning experience be useful/transferred to the workplace?
Which skills and experiences do I want to learn/gain during my degree experience?
What challenges might I face as a Neurodivergent and/or Disabled Student when developing my employability?
What advantages do I have when developing my employability as a Neurodivergent and/or Disabled Student?
Do I feel confident knowing who to contact with questions about the support I might need?
What is my priority when developing my employability?
Which resources am I going to access, and what do I want to gain from accessing them?
Activities:
Activities:
Employability Mission Statement:
Employability Mission Statement:
An Employability Mission Statement is a useful way to write down exactly what you need/want to focus on during your employability journey to ensure you find the support that will benefit you the most and to help you imagine your future work environment. In doing this, you are able to explore your priorities, ambitions, and next steps when thinking about your employability development. You can use this statement to think about the opportunities and resources opened to you and to decide which opportunities and resources you want to access. To help you write this statement, you can begin by answering the prompts and questions below:
Knowing what is important to you and your priorities during your degree experience and in your future workplace is a useful way to understand how to make your employability journey the most beneficial to you. Things that might be important to you could be:
- During your Degree Experience:
Feeling supported and understood by the university
Finding a community of people who share your experiences
Trying new things and meeting new people
Feeling confident in your academic skills
Knowing where you can get your questions answered
- In a Future Workplace:
Your employer’s values align with your own
Knowing what you want your work day to look like
Being able to work in your own way
Developing your experience
Being financially stable
Creative freedom
Having tasks delegated to you
Taking time to consider these things and identify your priorities can help you focus on making sure your employability journey and future plans suit you best. You can break down this thinking into considering your wants, your needs, and your expectations during your degree experience:
- Your Wants:
What would your ideal experience look like?
What skills do you hope to use/learn/develop?
What experiences would you like to gain the most?
Which opportunities do you want to do?
Which resources do you want to use?
- Your Expectations:
How will you make the most of your experience at university?
Which experiences do you expect to gain?
Which skills do you expect you will use?
Which support and services do you expect to access?
- Your Needs:
What is essential that your future employer understands about you?
What skills/ experience do you need to gain?
Which resources can best support you in finding the answers to questions you need answering?
What support do you need to support you in your employability journey?
You can then use this to write yourself a mission statement to come back to (and adapt) when you need reminding of what you want/need/expect from your employability journey and your future workplace.
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