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These events are your chance to hear from those working at the heart of government, influence policy, and more!
Overview
Interested in a career that makes a difference? These events are your chance to hear from those working at the heart of government; people who influence policy; and leaders in the public sector.
How to prepare
Speaker profiles will be provided for each event, allowing you to do some initial research before attending. This will help you ask insightful questions at the events themselves.
We would recommend that you read through the range of help sheets and resources recommended on our resource library on effective networking and the relevant sector guides below, to better understand job roles, key employers and emploment opportunities, sources of sector news and information, and how UCL can help you:
We will also run a regular series of lunchtime talks on effective networking at events as part of our Career Essentials programme which provide tips and advice on building your professional networks.
Events 2024/25
- Routes Into the Civil Service
Tuesday 29 October, 1pm-2pm
Looking for more information about working for the Civil Service and the different routes into the sector? Join us for an online panel event to hear from alumni in different roles in the Civil Service, including a Q&A session.
Hear from our panellists about the different kinds of roles available to new graduates across the Civil Service, from Fast Stream, general recruitment and Local Government. Expect to hear about what recruitment looks like, the highlights and challenges of different roles, top tips for entering the sector and starting a career, and why the panellists chose the path they took.
The final section of the event will be based around questions from the online audience, so be ready to enter your queries into the chat box.
- Career Options in Government and Policy
Thursday 21 November, 5:30pm-7pm
If you are interested in working for the government or in a policy-related career in general, join us for this online panel event. You will hear from several panellists working in different roles in this sector. They will talk about their career journey, the highlights and challenges of their role and share their top tips for entering the sector.
The panel discussion will be followed by a Q&A session from the audience.
- Working in Local Government - Student & Alumni Mixer
Thursday 30 January, 6:15pm-7:45pm
Want to learn more about working in local government? Interested in building on your networking skills? Keen to meet like-minded individuals and build on your professional network?
If you’ve answered yes to any of the above, then come along to this fun, interactive, speed-dating event where you will have the opportunity to network with both UCL alumni with experience in various roles across a range of organisations, and other students who share similar career interests.
During this event, you will speak with up to six UCL Alumni at various stages of their professional journeys to gain invaluable insight into a variety of careers within local government, and to pick up tips and strategies on how to break into the sector.
Event Schedule:
6:15pm – Welcome and brief introductions from our visiting alumni
6:25pm – Speed-dating carousel begins: one to one networking with individual alumni at tables in small groups (10 minutes per table)
7:25pm – Informal networking with all alumni and other student participants
7:45pm – Event ends
**Please arrive at 6:00pm for registration, so that we can begin promptly at 6:15pm.**
- Everything You Wanted to Know About Working in Think Tanks
Tuesday 25 February, 5:30pm-7:15pm
Interested in working in think tanks? Want to know how to get started?
At this panel event you will have the opportunity to hear from UCL alumni at a range of career stages who are working in Think Tanks. You will gain insight into a range of roles within Think Tanks and learn how to get started in the sector.
We will be welcoming speakers working in various roles at a diverse range of think tanks. Please check back later for full profiles of the alumni we will be hearing from.
Event timings:
5:30pm – arrivals, for a prompt 5:45 start (please see note below on arrival times and waiting lists)
5:45 – Introduction to the sector and short introductions from our panellists
6:15pm – Audience Q&A
6:45pm – Informal networking with our panellists
7:15pm – Event ends.
Recent graduate case study
Shaye graduated from MSc Security Studies in 2022 and is now a Stakeholder Engagement Officer in the Department of Business and Trade, working on ‘Technical Barriers to Trade’. Read Shaye's case study.
Archive
Watch event recordings in our archive. These include complete panel discussions and in-depth interviews with experts.