Friday 3 February 2012
New student links for Nottingham Trent University and the Institute of Directors
Delegates at the Institute of Directors' student membership launch event
Nottingham Trent University has become the first university in the country to pilot a scheme to provide free student membership to the key international business organisation, the Institute of Directors (IoD).
Some 120 Nottingham Business School and School of Architecture, Design and the Built Environment students will be the first to benefit from the scheme which will give them unrivalled support in progressing their careers or developing business ideas.
It is the latest link between business and education for Nottingham Trent University and the IoD, which last month celebrated the first year of its East Midlands regional office residency in the university’s Newton building.
Ron Lynch, IoD East Midlands Regional Director, commented:
"We have been working towards much closer links between business and education which is so vital to the employment market and the economy. This pilot scheme represents a huge step forward in supporting the business leaders and entrepreneurs of tomorrow."
The scheme was launched at a lunchtime event involving representatives from the IOD and the university on Tuesday, 31 January. Students also received their membership cards and welcome packs at the event, in the University’s Old Library.
David Eade, the Head of Student Employability and Enterprise at Nottingham Trent University, said:
"At Nottingham Trent University we know it is essential that university graduates understand the world of work and this is a fantastic opportunity for our students to engage with business leaders, access some tremendous resources and further enhance their knowledge and skills.
"The graduate recruitment market is challenging and this presents an excellent way for these students to gain invaluable experience to differentiate their CVs from those of other applicants."
Four UK universities will pilot the IoD Student Membership scheme but Nottingham Trent University was the first to launch.
The IoD has some 2,000 members in the East Midlands. Each month it offers a range of support to company directors including workshops, networking events and free business meeting facilities. An active Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Young Directors’ Forum (YDF) provides social and networking events and a learning environment for future business leaders. Its chair is Lucy Herreras-Griffiths who co-founded kuku apps.
Ron Lynch added:
"This scheme provides a real opportunity for undergraduates to get involved in director level activities and networks as part of their step towards a career or their own business. It is intended to improve knowledge and understanding of the business and professional environment and will provide opportunities to network with successful business leaders and to learn from them."
Notes to editors:
For further information please contact:
Ron Lynch, IoD East Midlands Regional Director on +44 (0)115 8486190 or +44 (0)7939 584626.
Or Janet Wootton, IoD East Midlands Public Relations Officer on +44 (0)115 9139760 or by email.
The IoD (Institute of Directors) was founded in 1903 and obtained a Royal Charter in 1906. The IoD is a non-party political organisation with upwards of 45,000 members in the United Kingdom and overseas. Membership includes directors from right across the business spectrum – from media to manufacturing, eBusiness to the public and voluntary sectors. Members include CEOs of large corporations as well as entrepreneurial directors of start-up companies.
The IoD offers a wide range of business services which include business centre facilities (including ten UK regional centres [three in London, Reading, Birmingham, Cardiff, Manchester, Nottingham, Edinburgh and Belfast] and one each in Paris and Brussels), conferences, networking events, issues-led guides and literature, as well as free access to business information and advisory services and a comprehensive Information Centre. The IoD places great emphasis on director development and has established a certified qualification for directors - Chartered Director - as well as running specific board-level and director-level training and individual career mentoring programmes.
In addition, the IoD provides an effective voice to represent the interests of its members to government and key opinion-formers at the highest levels. These include ministers, constituency MPs, Select Committee members and senior civil servants. IoD policies and views are actively promoted to the national, regional and trade media.
For further information visit the IoD website.
