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What makes the Open University unique? Why should I be interested in employing your students?

The OU is the UK’s largest university, providing courses to 33% of all part-time undergraduate students in the UK.
The OU promotes educational opportunity for everyone who wants to study.
The Quality Assurance Agency has placed 17 of our 24 subjects in the top ‘Excellent’ category. The OU is acclaimed worldwide for the quality of its teaching and research.
The OU came top in the National Student Satisfaction Survey in 2005, 2006 and 2007.
More than 2 million people have studied with the OU since 1971. Notable alumni include Lenny Henry, Jerry Hall, Joan Armatrading, Sheila Hancock and Julie Christie.

What areas do you cover?

In terms of geography, the OU operates in the UK and the Republic of Ireland via 13 regional or national centres and we also have nearly 21,000 students studying in Europe and internationally.

A wide range of subjects is offered in the following areas.

Business and management
Education and teacher training
Environment
Health and social care
Humanities: arts, languages, history
IT and computing
Law and criminology
Maths and statistics
Psychology, philosophy, politics and economics
Science
Social science
Technology, engineering and manufacturing
Continuous professional development

Go to Study at the OU for more information on subjects and qualifications.

Don’t OU courses (modules) start and finish at different times of the year than other universities?

Yes, our courses (modules) do start and finish all year round. We offer around 600 to choose from at undergraduate, postgraduate and professional levels; the majority start in February and end in October. The dates are given on the Study at the OU site.

How does the OU careers advisory service operate?

Students and recent graduates have access to information, advice and guidance from a dedicated careers adviser in their region or nation. Because the OU is a distance learning organisation our contact with students is mainly by telephone, post, email or through our Careers Advisory Service website.

Liaison with employers is dealt with by our Careers Service Development & Leadership Team, based in Nottingham.

I have a vacancy in Cambridge I want to advertise to OU students. Should I contact your careers adviser in that region?

No. If you have a vacancy for an OU student or graduate we have a system whereby you can input the details directly to our database yourself by registering with Graduate Prospects.

See our Employers page for an outline of all the services we offer employers and the different ways they can work with us to raise their profile with the OU community.

What is your typical student profile?

There isn’t one! The OU attracts a wide range of people, nationally and internationally, of all ages and backgrounds. Some students build up modules to get a formal degree or postgraduate qualification, others to help them progress in their career or to make a change of career, and some study just for pleasure. Some are sponsored by their employer, and others are doing specialist research.

Can I be sure that my vacancies will be seen by the type of students and graduates I want to target?

One thing we do know is that our students are likely to have considerable work and life experience, developed through their study and their employment - a level of experience that is less likely to be found in individuals who have come straight through the full-time educational system. Our research has shown that 75% of our students work while they study, and that around 60% of these are studying to further or change their career. For an employer looking to recruit motivated staff, this is an incredibly large pool of people to capture and address directly.

These sound exactly like the sort of people I want to recruit, but would these experienced people want to apply for the ‘first level’ graduate jobs that I am advertising? I thought most OU students were approaching retirement!

12% of OU students are 18-25, and 61% are in the 25-44 age group. Many of these students are studying with us to get a foot on the ‘graduate ladder’ and are actively looking for this type of vacancy. Some of our students feel that they are at a disadvantage, having not completed their studies earlier, so knowing that there are employers out there who are interested in recruiting them is a big boost.

Publicising your vacancies with the Open University will attract applicants from a wider age range than if you followed traditional recruitment methods for graduates.

I am not currently recruiting, but how can I increase the profile of my company with OU students?

Our online Employer Showcase is available to employers who are keen to promote themselves to OU students and graduates. This is a protected area of the site. You can gain access by sending an email request for a password to SS-CAS-Careers@open.ac.uk.

What other services do you offer to employers?

We can offer a range of services to employers, which include

contact with academic departments
online discussions and forums with students

See our Employers page for more details of the services we offer to employers. It indicates how employers can advertise their vacancies to OU students and graduates. It also mentions other ways in which employers can work with us to raise their profile to the OU community. If you would like to discuss how we might work with your company please contact us.