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CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION.............................................................................3
HIGHLIGHTS ..................................................................................4
Campus EVENTS............................................................................5
Additional ACTIVITIES..................................................................10
Committee STEWARDSHIP..........................................................11
Committee PROFILES ..................................................................12
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS...............................................................17
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INTRODUCTION
“I am delighted to introduce the 2015/2016 Annual
Report that highlights the organised events and
achievements of Bright Futures Society at University
of Strathclyde.
Strathclyde Bright Futures Society has always
maintained a high standard, receiving ‘The Event of
the Year’ Award in 2014-15 and repeatedly winning
‘Bright Futures Society of the Year’ in both 2013-14
and 2014-15. In addition, Bright Futures Society was
also recognised by University of Strathclyde, which
rewarded the society with the ‘Strathclyde Society of
the Year 2013-14’ award. This year the team had the
challenge of both maintaining the same standards
with our events and engaging more students in
exploring their career opportunities.
The aims to keep the high standards and reach even
more students were shared by all the committee
members of the Bright Futures Strathclyde and this
lead to a very successful year in 2015/16. We
organised more than 15 events that engaged over
700 students, which shows the hard work that the
entire committee has put into the events we
organised.
As the President of Strathclyde Bright Futures, I got
the opportunity to work alongside many determined
and bright people, meet inspiring employers and
develop myself both intellectually and personally.
Moreover, being part of Bright Futures allowed me
to discover what I want from my career and gain the
graduate job of my dreams. Working with Bright
Futures was a delight and I hope to see that the next
year will be even more successful.”
Christine Bianca Hanganu
President
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HIGHLIGHTS
From the beginning of the new academic year, we have been striving towards achieving our goals and
maintaining the high standards of the society within wider Bright Futures community. We have
continued to connect high quality employers with ambitious students and provide opportunities for
these students to develop their employability skills.
In addition, we strengthened our relationships with corporate employers, other universities like
University of Glasgow, Glasgow Caledonian University and University of Edinburgh and other on-campus
organisations such as Strathclyde Accounting and Finance society and the Career Service of University of
Strathclyde.
Our focus has remained on ensuring that our members receive the training and skills that allow them to
seek the best opportunities out there. We have been indirectly responsible for many of our members
being offered fantastic internship and graduate job opportunities. One of our greatest achievements this
year was running the ‘challenGEdison’ competition, which resulted in three internship offers being
extended to the winning team.
We will aim to build on the momentum we have gained so far with the purpose of continuing to provide
excellent peripheral support to students and to equip them with the tools needed to be successful in
today’s highly competitive job market.
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Campus EVENTS
30/09/2015 Attendance: 232
HOW TO GET THE BEST GRADUATE JOB
As the first event of the year ‘How to Get the Best
Graduate Job’ always sets the tone for the year to
come. We promoted this event extensively at our
Fresher’s Fair stall and throughout campus using
social media and lecture announcements. The even
had over 100 attendees and was a great start for the
committee allowing us to kick off our year with a
successful and informative presentation on all the
necessary qualities for graduates to have. We would
like to thank Lottie and the rest of the Bright Futures
National team for their support in ensuring that this
event ran smoothly.
05/10/2015 and 10/11/2015 Attendance: 85
CHALLNGEDISON
This was a two part event developed in conjunction with
GE Aviation. The first part involved an informative and
well attended skills session centred on creating the
optimal CV. GE Aviation then introduced their challenge
for which the prize was a one week trip to their
Cheltenham facility as well as a fast track to an
assessment centre for a graduate role or a summer
internship. The second part of the event took place a
month later when the corporate investors returned to see
all of the entrants’ presentations for the challenge. We
were very pleased to hear that the winning team were all
offered places on the GE Aviation summer internship
following their site visit and assessment centre.
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06/10/2015 Attendance: 98
STEM NETWORKING EVENT
Following on from the success of this event last year
it was imperative that we had another big
attendance so that it could be established within
the engineering faculty as a regular and useful
event. This was another great opportunity for STEM
students to network and discover the opportunities
that some of the biggest names in the field have.
From the employers’ side we had representatives
such as Arcadis, Bechtel, Rolls-Royce, Schlumberger,
Jaguar Landrover and others.
20/10/2015 Attendance: 39
NESTLE: HOW TO SUCCEED AT VIDEO INTERVIEWS
This event welcomed employees from Nestlé who both
provided information about the company and ran a
workshop on how to succeed at video interviews. The
session began with an interactive presentation on the
company, their graduate schemes, and their internships.
Students could ask questions and discover more about
Nestlé’s requirements and application process. Nestlé
representatives provided tips for video interviews,
which our students were especially interested in.
Companies increasingly require candidates to videotape
themselves answering interview questions instead of
classic telephone interviews. The event concluded with
networking with Nestlé employers and gaining inside
knowledge on how to succeed when applying to Nestlé.
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28/10/2015 Attendance:70
ROLLS-ROYCE CV COMPETITION
This event was a huge success, with a large number of
students sending in their CVs to be looked through by
Rolls-Royce. The winners were invited to an exclusive
tour of one of the RR jet engine turbine blade
production facilities and all those who entered were
given the opportunity to come and meet Rolls-Royce
on campus in a mass-feedback session.
09/11/2015 Attendance: 152
CV AND APPLICATION HELP SESSION WITH ROLLS-ROYCE
Following on from our CV competition, this event
provided essential skills and advice around how to
create a dynamic CV which stands out from the
crowd. Everyone who participated in the
competition was able to attend and we opened it up
to everyone who was interested.
10/11/2015 Attendance: 34
HSBC - HOW TO SUCCEED AT AN ASSESSMENT CENTRE
This year we had the opportunity to welcome
employees from HSBC for this amazing skills session.
They gave all the attendants an overview of the firm
and the opportunities within. Then, we carried out a
case study where students had the opportunity to place
themselves into the shoes of a banker and decide
whether they would or would not lend to a client. The
employees were very satisfied with the event and we
achieved an attendance of around 40 people.
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03/12/2015 Attendance: 21
HOW TO USE LINKEDIN TO YOUR ADVANTAGE
In today’s digital age LinkedIn profiles are one of the
most important tools for students looking to build
credibility online. This presentation delivered advice
on how to structure a LinkedIn profile as well as using
the website’s hidden tools to your advantage. This
event was run in collaboration with the University of
Strathclyde Student Association (USSA) and the
feedback we received was very positive.
09/02/2016 Attendance: 55
SCOTTISH NETWORKING EVENT
This event, led by Mark O’Neill from the National Team,
aimed to bring together representatives of the three
main Scottish Bright Futures societies and to allow
them to network. KPMG presented a skills session on
commercial awareness and attended the event in order
to promote their graduate opportunities. The event
was a huge success, allowing Bright Futures
representatives to collaborate on potential future
events.
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08/02/2016 Attendance: 20
ACCENTURE PERSONAL BRANDING WORKSHOP
Personal Branding is an increasingly importatnt skill
for students to possess as they enter the graduate
employment market. This event involved welcoming
a Bright Futures tutor to the Strathclyde University
campus on behalf of Accenture in order to deliver an
insightful presentation on the topic. Most of the
students who attended found this very informative
and useful.
22/03/2016
BUILDING A CAREER IN EXECUTIVE MANAGEMNET - MIKE HUGHES & HIIRE
We have the honour to welcome Mike Hughes,
an experienced senior executive with a wealth of
experience and a track record in running multi-
national businesses. He will talk about his fruitful
career and give some insight on how to become
a strong and decisive leader. He will talk about
his new venture called Hiire, a software solution
for smartphones that connects employers and
job seekers much more efficiently. We believe it
will be a very successful event.
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Additional ACTIVITIES
SCHOOL’S NETWORK SUPPORT
In the beginning of June 2015, 150 school pupils from Bishopbriggs Academy came onto campus to see what
the university life is like. The day involved a skills session on identifying personal strengths as well as a talk
from our ex-president Tom Brawley. It then proceeded with a case study scenario that each team had to
present their solution to at the end.
Bishopbriggs Academy continues to run a successful Bright Futures society and the general feedback from
both students and teachers was great. Our president Youssef Hounat was also involved in advising a number
of schools committees in delivering their first events this year. He has worked closely with Mark O’Neill to
ensure that these new committees have the necessary support in order to grow.
Finally, we are planning to run a committee training session for the schools’ committees on campus in early
June 2016. This will allow us to support a number of different schools in delivering their own developmental
workshops and enables then to achieve a high level of committee capability.
ENGAGEMENT WITH NATIONAL NETWORK
We have managed to engage with the Bright Futures network as a whole in a number of ways. Firstly, by
having representatives at every single national event, we have been able to meet with other societies and the
national team face to face and share ideas on how to develop and create high quality events.
One society we have worked closely with was Glasgow Caledonian University BF. As a newly formed society
we have been able to provide them with advice on how to run events, engage with employers and work with
students. They have flourished and thrived within their environment in order to create a dynamic and
engaging society.
We have also done this through directly helping other societies when they have reached out to us, offering
insight and practical advice on the organisation of events we have done before. Publishing articles in the
Hired Ezine is another method of knowledge sharing we have been able to facilitate.
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Committee STEWARDSHIP
GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT
At the beginning of this year the committee was in one of the best positions ever with regards to
personnel. We have built on this by recruiting motivated individuals who show interest in joining the
committee at our events. It was vital for us from the outside to recruit individual in first and second years
in order to ensure continuity. This was something we have been successful with three first year students
and a second year student joining the committee.
FINANCES
As in previous years Bright Futures Strathclyde has been run on a zero budget and no investors have been
charged.
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Committee PROFILES
Similarly to previous years, our committee operates in a free-flowing manner with no designated roles, aside
for those of President and Vice-Presidents. This has proven to be a suitable approach for our committee
members, allowing them to freely choose the areas they feel most comfortable to work in. Usually, each
committee member would lead at least one event from start to finish with the support of others, if needed.
Supportive, motivated and result-driven, Youssef has
shown outstanding leadership skills as the head of
the committee. His experience and networking skills
have contributed to the success of many of the
society’s events.
Youssef Hounat - President January 2015 – January 2016
BA (Hons) Accounting and Finance
Graduating 2016
Julius has shown great leadership and professionalism in
his role as president of the society. An experienced
committee member, Jullius’ expertise and advice have
guided the team to successfully host its events. Youssef
and Julius have both set an excellent role model for what
is expected from the committee’s presidency role. We are
reluctant to see them go, yet, we wish them all the luck
and success on their career paths.
Julius Matuzevičius - President January 2015 – January 2016
BA (Hons) Economics
Graduating 2016
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Hosting the “How to succeed at video interviews”
event with Nestle, Christine has exhibited great
networking and leadership skills, that are more than
well-fitted in her current role as president. Swiftly
taking over the position, Christine has shown great
initiative and responsibility, when supporting
members with their events, as well as leading the
committee meetings every fortnight.
Christine Bianca - President
BA (Hons) Business Enterprise and Hospitality & Tourism
Graduating 2016
Sara joined Bright Futures Strathclyde the beginning of this
academic year. During her time in the committee she has
shown strong interpersonal skills. She was in charge of the
society’s stall at the Freshers’ fair in September. Her hard
work and enthusiasm attracted many of the society’s
members. Sara has also been supportive towards other
committee members with organizing events.
Sara Dabour - VP of Business
BA (Hons) Accounting and finance
Graduating 2017
Jack is an excellent example of success even amongst
the committee’s new members. Only a few months
on board with the committee, Jack hosted a
successful and outstanding event with HSBC. He is a
fresh addition to our team that will allow us to reach
even more students in the engineering department of
the university.
Jack Waddell - VP of Engineering
MEng Electrical and Mechanical Engineering
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Carrying on from last year, Ashleigh has shown amazing
interpersonal skills within the team. She has been very
supportive and reliable. Her motivation and expertise
helped attract new members at the Freshers’ fair’s stall, as
well as the contribution towards the committee’s events.
Ashleigh Newlands
MEng Chemical Engineering
Graduating 2017
Ambitious and open-minded, Humza is another
example of this year’s new committee members. He
has shown great networking skills when
communicating with companies. He is reliable and
supportive when it comes to organizing events.
Humza Nisar
BA (Hons) Accounting and Finance
Graduating 2017
Frank is a success driven first-year student who joined the
committee at the start of the 2015/2016 academic year. He
has successfully hosted the HSBC event. Thanks to his
ventures outside of University he managed to bring Mike
Hughes, an experienced senior executive and CEO Hiire to
present on campus. He hopes to make the committee
stronger and steer it the right way during next year.
František Broček
BA (Hons) Economics and Finance
Graduating 2019
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Laurynas joined the committee at the beginning of the 2015-2016 academic year.
He is a supportive member of the committee with great professional skills that
can be beneficial to the team.
Laurynas Petrauskas
BA (Hons) Finance and Economics
Graduating 2016
Haroon also joined the committee at the start of the 2015-2016
academic year. He is motivated and supportive. His connections
amongst the university’s engineering students can greatly
benefit the society’s reach to other departments.
Haroon Zahid
MEng Chemical Engineering
Graduating 2017
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NEW COMMITTEE MEMBERS
The committee is delighted to welcome our new members. They have all been
very motivated to help with the society, as well as the organization of events.
Keen and ready to expand on their professional skills, some of them have even
already started preparing to contribute with their own events. We are proud to
have them on board and look forward to working with them!
Russel Parker
BA (Hons) Accountancy
Graduating 2019
Andrew McGlynn
BA (Hons) Accountancy
Graduating 2019
Gemma Paterson
BA (Hons) Accountancy
Graudating 2019
Konstantina Mandellou
MEng Chemical Engineering
Graduating 2018
17. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The Strathclyde Bright Futures committee would like to thank Simon, Claire, Toby and Mark as well as all of
the Bright Futures tutors for their continued support and assistance in delivering our events. Indeed without
the help of the entire national team and our fellow societies we would not have been able to achieve even a
fraction of the results you can see in the above report.
We would also like to extend our gratitude towards the University of Strathclyde Students Association and
the Careers Service for providing us with the venues and resources as well as their time and effort in ensuring
the success of our society.
Also, we would like to thank Bright Futures GCU and Bright Futures University of Glasgow, with whom we’ve
kept in touch throughout the year and have presented us with more than one opportunities for
collaboration. Allowing us to reach not only University of Strathclyde students, but students in the whole of
Glasgow.
Finally, we would like to recognise the corporate investors we were fortunate enough to work with for their
input and patience. Without these connections the content of our events would not be of as high standard
and we would struggle to attract the attendance that we do.
Bright Futures Strathclyde Committee 2015-16
Email: strathclydebrightfutures@gmail.com
Facebook.com/BFstrath
