Careers and employability

Our courses help you prepare for your future.

As a student at ARU, you'll develop skills that employers value, such as creative thinking, flexibility, and team working.

The curriculum for most of our undergraduate degrees features:

• Ruskin Modules where you'll explore a topical issue – and build your skills and confidence.
• Live Briefs where you'll get hands-on experience working with clients.

Many of our courses also include optional placement years.

Throughout your time at ARU and after you graduate, you'll have access to a dedicated careers and employability service.

We offer:

• careers advice, including personalised appointments with our experienced advisers
• help with your CV, job searches, applications and interview preparation
• an online Employability Programme, which helps you hone the skills employers say they want in graduates
• campus job fairs, workshops and employer visits
• an online portal, the Career Centre, packed with useful careers tools and resources
• access to Handshake, a dedicated platform to help you connect with employers and find placement and graduate job opportunities
• once you graduate, lifelong access to the Alumni Career Centre.

Challenge yourself to embrace as many opportunities as you can, and amplify your career possibilities.

If you’re career focussed and thinking about your future, ARU is for you.

Placement years are available in most subjects. They're a great opportunity to develop your transferable skills, while working in industry.

Many of our courses feature mentorship, industry collaboration or Live Briefs.

If you're studying law, there's the chance to gain hands-on experience working with qualified solicitors in our Law Clinic.

If you're studying nursing, midwifery, medicine or other healthcare courses, you'll spend a significant amount of time on clinical placement.

We can help you to explore, seek, and secure work experience, placements and internship opportunities.

Enhance your CV, boost your income and gain experience and skills.

ARU Temps is our campus recruitment agency and part of ARU’s Employability Service. It provides paid temporary work including Student Ambassador opportunities to fit around your studies. It’s also a unique resourcing tool for employers.

Register online with ARU Temps before you start your course, and drop into see us on campus when you arrive.

International students are welcome to register too – though note there may be some restrictions to working hours, as stated on your visa.

Visit our online jobs board at any time to see the latest vacancies.

Volunteering is your chance to get involved and give something back to your community. Gain life experience and develop skills that you’ll be able to evidence on your CV and talk about in interviews.

You could work with organisations on projects that make a social impact, through Students at the Heart of Knowledge Exchange (SHoKE)). One recent project focused on helping young people living with diabetes. It's a great way to gain skills in team-working, problem solving, creative thinking and presenting.

Our Students' Union has a thriving volunteering programme, with hundreds of opportunities to get involved in the local community and develop skills that employers look for in graduates. These can include communication, team working, and emotional intelligence.

You could also become a Students' Union Rep or Officer, working with students and staff across ARU.

If you have a particular interest you want to indulge while you're at uni, join (or create) a society. You can choose from stand-up comedy, cheerleading, vegan, K Pop, LGBTQ+, Harry Potter, and about 100 more...!

Law students can volunteer in our Law Clinics in Cambridge and Chelmsford. You'll work on real-life cases under the supervision of qualified solicitors, and receive full on-the-job training.

Explore the world of business with the Anglia Ruskin Enterprise Academy (AREA).

AREA can support you in:

• generating ideas
• starting (or scaling up) your own business
• going freelance
• building skills in areas such as leadership, pitching and presenting.

You can also hear from guest speakers, take part in an annual pitching competition, and use the AREA CoLab space to exchange and develop ideas.

We're ranked #1 in the East of England for student start-ups, and top 10 in the UK.

In 2024, we received the prestigious Entrepreneurial University Award, in part because of our support for enterprise and student entrepreneurship.

Learning a language can help to boost your employability – and your confidence.

Our Anglia Language Programme is open to all ARU students, and you can study French, Japanese or Spanish online.