Career Preparation
Career preparation at Leiden University
In addition to offering you a solid university education, Leiden University aims to prepare you as well as possible for the labour market, and in doing so contribute to the development of your employability. In this way, it will become easier for you to make the transition to the labour market, to remain employable in a dynamic labour market, in a (career) job that suits your own personal values, preferences and development.
'Employability' consists of the following aspects that you will develop within your study programme, among others:
1. Discipline-specific knowledge and skills
Knowledge and skills specific to your study programme.
2. Transferable skills
These are skills that are relevant to every student and that you can use in all kinds of jobs irrespective of your study programme, for example: researching, analysing, project-based working, generating solutions, digital skills, collaborating, oral communication, written communication, presenting, societal awareness, independent learning, resilience.
3. Self-reflection
This concerns self-reflection in the context of your (study) career, including reflecting on the choices you make as a student during your studies, what can you do with your knowledge and skills on the labour market?
In addition, reflecting on your own profile and your personal and professional development. Who are you, what can you do well, what do you find interesting, what suits you, what do you find important, what do you want to do?
4. Practical experience
Gaining practical experience through internships, work placements, projects, practical (social) assignments, which are integrated into an elective, minor or graduation assignment.
5. Labour market orientation
Gaining insight into the labour market, fields of work, jobs and career paths through, for example, guest speakers and alumni experiences from the work field, career events within the study programme, the use of the alumni mentor network, interviewing people from the work field, and shadowing/visiting companies in the context of a particular subject.
Employability in the curriculum of Governance of Sustainability
General
The Governance of Sustainability programme provides the students with the knowledge and methodological abilities to pursue both research and professional careers. The curriculum and specific learning outcomes have been created based on input from governmental actors on multiple levels, private companies and NGOs on key characteristics they were missing in graduates applying for jobs with these organizations.
These missing key characteristics are taught in this programme. Student will learn, among other things, to work towards solutions based on integrating governance and environmental sustainability perspectives, both academic and non-academic ones. In doing so, they will go beyond the traditional academic skills by learning to communicate the results and to argue a well-considered stance on the governance of sustainability issues to both a specialist and non-specialist audience.
*To get an impression on the work field that students end up working in, please check the information on this page. On the same page you have access to the Career Booklet where you will find interviews with graduates of the programme. *
The key skills and the activities we offer that are particularly relevant to career orientation are highlighted in this overview.
Skills and activities contributing to career orientation
Skills
Personal and professional development
Project management
Writing and presenting
Providing and dealing with (peer) feedback
Critical thinking, collaboration and reflection
Approaching environmental sustainability issues in a holistic way
Stakeholder outreach and encounter
Critical reflections on multiple positionalities
Engagement in science-policy interface
Activities
Intake meeting with the study advisor (offers the opportunity to talk about your personal career path, personal development and well-being)
Consultancy project for an external commissioner in the Sustainability Challenge
Guest lectures and excursions featuring (non-academic) experts from the work field
Graduate talks at several occasions in the master
Consultancy workshop
Science Skills Platform with a Personal and Professional development domain
Brightspace page Studying á la carte
- Provides a heads-up on relevant conferences, volunteering opportunities, internships, other opportunities outside of the curriculum.
Brightspace page Career Orientation
- Provides information on the mentor network, career coaches, and other opportunities.
Internship vacancies posted by the study association GOSSA and (partially) provided by the programme (outside of the curriculum)
Vacancies for after your studies posted on the graduates LinkedIn page to get a foothold in the work field
Activities to prepare for the labour market co-curricular or outside the curriculum of Governance of Sustainability
Every year, various activities take place, within, alongside and outside of your study programme, which contribute to your preparation for the labour market, especially where it concerns orientation towards the work field/the labour market, (career) skills and self-reflection. These may be information meetings on decision moments within your programme, but also career workshops and events organised by your own programme, the faculty Career Service or your study association.
Career events organised by study association GOSSA in collaboration with programme management. These career events are dedicated to Governance of Sustainability students only, and feature many graduates
Career events organised by Science faculty
Lectures by and Q&A’s with people outside of academia, for instance from EU, national and local governments, NGO’s, consultancies, etc.
Our study association GOSSA organises interesting lectures and excursions with possible future employees, researchers and alumni. They also post different vacancies on their website.
Career Service, LU Career Zone and career workshops calendar
Faculty Career Service
The Career Service of your faculty offers information and advice on study (re)orientation and master's choice, (study) career planning, orientation on the labour market and job applications.
Leiden University Career Zone
Leiden University Career Zone is the website for students and alumni of Leiden University to support their (study) career. You can find advice, information, (career) tests and tools in the area of (study) career planning, career possibilities with your study, job market orientation, job applications, the Alumni Mentor network, job portal, workshops and events and career services.
Workshops and events
On the course calendar you will find an overview of career and application workshops, organised by the Career services.
