Celebrating 10 years of the Alumni and Industry Fellowship Programme

As the originating school of the AIFP, Nottingham Business School (NBS) remains central to the programme. Through the continuous generosity of time and expertise from a large and diverse group of Fellows, countless students have been inspired to pursue successful careers in business, finance, economics, marketing, and beyond.

#NBSBright projects and presentations

#NBSBright is a dynamic initiative, designed to connect businesses with the innovative minds of the School’s final year undergraduate students. Each year, up to 50 businesses benefit from the fresh perspectives and problem-solving skills of 1,800 students who work on real-life challenges. Alumni and Industry Fellows play a pivotal role by offering these projects, bringing their expertise and industry insights to guide the students, and attending final presentations.

#WeAreNBS Industry Mentoring Programme

The NBS Industry Mentoring Programme is a key volunteering opportunity for NBS Fellows, offering one-to-one support to guide mentees toward their professional goals. Fellows share insights on career challenges, ethics, and interview skills, helping mentees grow in confidence and resilience. Participants often leave feeling empowered and better prepared for their careers. Many, like Sam Griffin, express deep gratitude for the wisdom and guidance gained throughout the mentoring journey.

Future of Work Conference

This full week of online and in-person sessions connects industry specialists with NBS students, offering insights, skills, and inspiration to confidently navigate and shape the future of work. Fellows from across the programme, and across the world, have the opportunity to design and deliver talks based on their own area of expertise.

Alumni and Industry Fellows have been an important part of the School of Arts and Humanities over the years, bringing to life a community of writers and journalists, curators and creatives, activists and change-makers. Going into 2025/26, Arts and Humanities courses will be integrating into the School of Social Sciences, creating further opportunity for Fellows to support a range of students in a meaningful way.

Employer-led projects

Fellows from the School collaborated with NTU’s employer-led projects team to design hypothetical briefs addressing real workplace challenges. These projects enhance students’ understanding of the working world and build problem solving, stakeholder management and presentation skills.

MA Museums and Heritage Development Mentoring Programme

The MA Museums and Heritage Development pilot mentoring programme connects students with Fellows who are industry professionals. They’re able to access industry relevant professional support and advice as they go through their course, preparing them for life after NTU. This programme has also comprised of other linked activity such as site visits and networking opportunities.

The School of Architecture, Design and the Built Environment (ADBE) is where our students create, design, build, plan and problem solve. Fellows within ADBE continue to share their extensive knowledge and expertise across all departments in the school, from civil engineering and architecture, to product design and construction management.

Design Exchange

This annual event provides our architecture and product design students the opportunity to showcase their work and engage with industry professionals, including Alumni and Industry Fellows. It is an invaluable experience for them, being able to network with and learn from those successfully working in industry.

Women in the Built Environment

Women in the Built Environment is a long-standing event aimed at inspiring female students studying built environment subjects by connecting them with successful role models. Fellows play a significant role by participating in discussions, offering industry insights, and supporting students’ career development through networking opportunities.

ADBE Industry Mentoring Programme

The ADBE Industry Mentoring Programme connects students with AIFP industry experts for one-on-one mentoring, helping them build confidence, networking skills, and ultimately to work toward high-skilled employment after graduation.

The School of Animal, Rural and Environmental Sciences (ARES) empowers students to have a positive impact on the planet, with Alumni and Industry Fellows supporting our students by providing industry insights, nurturing their professional development, and fostering a vibrant Brackenhurst Campus community.

Animal Science Guest Lecture Series

Over the last three years, Fellows with experience and expertise in a variety of animal-related careers have delivered inspiring guest lectures on their career journeys, highlighting the breadth of possibilities for life after NTU.

Brackenhurst Final Year Showcase

Every year Fellows return to Brackenhurst campus to celebrate the achievements of our final year students, network with them, and find out more about their career aspirations. It’s a great opportunity to help boost their confidence, and offer advice as they prepare for the working world.

Nottingham Law School (NLS) Fellows are an impressive part of our community, consistently supporting students to realise their ambitions. As one of the first schools to be involved in the AIFP, our Fellows have been involved in a multitude of different activities over the last 10 years, most notably the industry mentoring programme.

NLS Future Ready Mentoring Programme

A key part of the academic year for NLS students and Fellows is the industry mentoring programme, designed to equip students who need support with the right skills, insight and confidence to conquer the working world. For mentees participating, it has shown to effectively increase confidence in future prospects, contribute to the understanding of professional workplace environments, and increase awareness of roles available to them. Over the years, mentees and mentors have created meaningful and rewarding relationships.

NLS Careers Week

NLS Careers Week is full of activities and events to inform, support and guide students in their career choices. Students can attend networking opportunities with Fellows such as the Law Society Networking Dinner, or attend a guest talk to hear about Fellows’ inspiring career journeys.

Our world leading Nottingham School of Art & Design (NSA&D) has seen incredible impact from Alumni and Industry Fellow expertise. They encourage students across all courses to embrace their creative skill and demonstrate how to turn this into real life employment.

Employer-led projects

Fellows have delivered many impactful employer-led projects within NSA&D, ensuring that students gain invaluable work-like experience as part of their course. Fellows from organisations such as Estée Lauder Companies, Coty, Nomad Studio and The Very Group have been incredible in their support in this area, presenting real world challenges for students to tackle.

Creative Futures

NSA&D’s vibrant flagship employability event, Creative Futures, is all about discovery and inspiration for students interested in working in the creative industries. Fellows from across a variety of creative roles give their time to participate in panel discussions, workshops, portfolio reviews and networking. In 2024/25, over 750 students engaged with our Fellows at the event, demonstrating the importance of their support.

Over the last decade, Fellows within the School of Science and Technology (SST) have shown that they left NTU inspired by their learnings, proud of their achievements and prepared for their futures. Their support ensures that future SST students leave NTU in the same way, moving into a successful life and career. Fellows generously share their industry expertise to ensure the longevity of the wide-ranging courses within the school via course enhancement boards, alongside boosting student employability via practice interviews, degree showcases and guest talks.

Final year degree showcases

SST’s degree showcases are an incredible opportunity for final year students to proudly display and present their brilliant projects which are the result of years of dedication and hard work. It is also a time for celebration as they approach the end of their time at NTU. Showcases cover a range of subjects including Biosciences, Engineering and Maths, and Fellows are reliable attendees, keen to celebrate and engage with students. As well as viewing student work, networking and talking with students about their futures, Fellows also contribute to choosing award winners for the event.

As one of our larger schools, the School of Social Sciences (S3) sees great impact from Fellows’ support. Across the years Fellows have been an integral part of many activities and events within the school, including the Festival of Social Sciences, subject specific guest talks, and providing business challenges for students. By being a compassionate and relatable face of industry, Fellows are able to encourage and steer students to a fruitful and enriched future within their chosen careers.

With the upcoming integration of Arts and Humanities courses in 2025/26, the School of Social Sciences will continue to grow, and Fellows’ support will remain an important feature for students.

Festival of Social Sciences

The Festival of Social Sciences unites four disciplines, featuring panels, Q&As, and networking. With 506 attendees in 2025, it supports students' career decisions through vital Alumni Fellow involvement and industry insight.

Academic support within S3

Fellows enrich academic experiences by sharing tailored expertise in lectures and seminars, both online and in person, supporting modules like Child Mental Health, Adult Care, and Criminal Justice.

Looking to the Future

In 2024/25, a student-initiated Neurodivergent Alumni and Industry Fellow Mentoring Scheme was piloted, matching neurodiverse students with Fellows who have relevant experience to support their transition from NTU into the workplace.

Our NTU Mansfield hub offers flexible, career-focused courses aligned with local job needs. Our Fellows enhance student experiences and offer industry insights through speed networking events and guest lectures, especially supporting those studying and working within the local community.

Speed networking events

These employability-based events are an excellent opportunity for students to connect with Fellows from the local area, in relevant careers. Fellows work with small groups, creating a safe environment for students to develop and practise their networking skills, allowing them to grow in confidence.

2023 saw the launch of our relationship between NTU Sport and the Alumni and Industry Fellowship Programme. Our aim is to create a community of Fellows who were involved with NTU Sport during their studies, fostering connections, support, and enhancing the experience of students both at university and beyond.

Since the launch, our NTU Sport Fellows cheer on our students at various varsity fixtures and provide support during our Annual Club Committee Welcome Week, an annual leadership training designed for incoming sport club committee members. As alumni panellists, they share their post-NTU journeys, highlighting key takeaways from university that have supported and guided their careers to date.

Alumni and Industry Fellows are also great supporters of activities and events run via our central employability and student support teams. These activities and events transcend school boundaries, allowing Fellows to support a range of students depending on their need. Below are some of the largest and most impactful that Fellows are involved in.

Women’s Development Programme

Over the last five years, NTU’s Employability team have delivered the Women’s Development Programme with support from our Fellows. This is designed as an empowering initiative for female, female-identifying, and non-binary students, providing them with invaluable opportunities to advance their skills development. Through dedicated workshops and one to one mentoring with Alumni and Industry Fellows, students develop their confidence, attitude, aspiration and identity.

International Employability and Global Lounge

With a wealth of international knowledge and experience, Fellows support many activities and events aimed at international students and students who would like international study or work experience. Fellows generously share their experiences and learnings from working abroad, or being international students and successfully transitioning to working in the UK, building confidence amongst current students who want to emulate their journey. Global Lounge is a unique feature amongst this offering hybrid Fellow Q&A sessions and in person speed networking.

Black Leadership Programme

The Black Leadership Programme is designed to empower second year undergraduate students of black heritage to gain confidence and become resilient leaders. As part of the programme, they participate in a series of interactive events and have access to one-to-one mentoring with Alumni and Industry Fellows. Fellows’ support with this initiative is crucial in enhancing each mentee’s sense of belonging, empowerment, entitlement and mattering, and providing inspirational role models to those students.

Rise PLAN

NTU’s Rise programme provides additional support for students who are statistically the most disadvantaged in terms of their career prospects. This includes students with low household incomes, those with disabilities, and care leavers, making up almost 50% of NTU’s population. Fellows support this programme by participating in a short informational interview over the phone with a Rise student, answering questions on their own careers and journeys.