It is a one-stop careers site and recruitment system for students interested in a construction career and employers looking for undergraduates. The site is designed to ensure that students on construction-related courses engage with the industry at an early stage so that they are more likely to look for full-time employment in the industry when they graduate.
How does it work?
The site is free for students but construction companies have to pay an annual fee to register. The registered companies have their own self-contained micro-sites that contain information on summer placements, sandwich years, industrial placements, vacancies and other work experience opportunities. The site can arrange site visits and tours, and companies can also add project information for students to use as a research resource.
Who's running the website?
The site is a joint initiative between the Construction Industry Training Board and IT firm GTI Online Solutions. Construction companies also had a say in its development, including the 22 firms that have agreed to work together to improve graduate recruitment and retention. Designajob.co.uk is also supported by the RICS and the Institution of Civil Engineers.
How will companies benefit?
Chrissie Chadney, head of personnel, training and development at Willmott Dixon – one of the firms involved in the creation of the site – believes that designajob.co.uk provides three advantages for employers:
- It raises the profile of registered companies.
- It speeds up the process for acquiring students for year-out placements and, eventually, full-time jobs.
- It gives companies great access to students on construction-related courses, providing a targeted audience to which firms can disseminate information – for example the dates of their "milk round" recruitment days at their universities.
The site is designed to ensure that students on construction-related courses engage with the industry at an early stage
How will students find out about it?
The site will be promoted in universities to encourage students to log on. Students should start to use the site during the first year of their undergraduate course, initially as an information resource and later to help find their first job.
How do students use the site?
Students need to register online and then complete an application form. They can then link up with companies by browsing through the company profiles and vacancy pages. Candidates join a "talent pool", which registered companies can search.
