Exploring the tailored career support on the Accelerator MBA

Wondering what you can expect in terms of career support on the Accelerator MBA? To find out more we caught up with Sarah Jackson, MBA Careers Manager, to explore the comprehensive career support available to you on the Accelerator MBA.

Can you explain how the career support is structured within the Accelerator MBA?

The Accelerator MBA is designed to enable early- and mid-career professionals to ‘accelerate’ their leadership potential. The careers offering supporting the programme is bespoke, designed to meet the unique needs of each individual student and their cohort. It includes blended delivery workshops, as well as individual coaching appointments, and complementary alumni and networking events.

The careers support element has also been designed to complement the academic modules. For example, during the half-day careers session at the induction, we use the Spotlight psychometric tool to aid self-awareness and leadership skills. The outcome of this then underpins other careers interventions throughout the programme and is also revisited during the Leadership Accelerator module.

What can participants expect from the Leadership Accelerator module?

The Leadership Accelerator module is a journey that will help you focus on you. This cutting-edge and innovative module will provide you with a thought-provoking view of leadership, challenging your perception of what it is and where it comes from.

Combining a special blend of in-depth experiential learning, along with the latest leadership research, personal reflection, group activities and real-world workplace applications, you’ll be encouraged to reflect on your own leadership styles and practice to help you develop your future leadership brand and achieve your career aspirations.

How is individual career guidance incorporated into the Accelerator MBA?

Career consultation appointments will be offered to you throughout the programme, available on demand in bookable individual appointments. These sessions will be predominantly led by you, with the coaches using a mix of directive and non-directive styles to support you in identifying appropriate strategies for career planning and taking the next steps in your career progression.

In addition, you’ll receive three executive coaching sessions, as well as access to our award-winning mentoring programme. Consultations and coaching sessions are available to you either in person or on line.

Can you tell us more about the structure and content of the bite-sized workshops?

Our bite-sized workshops are embedded throughout the programme and address a wide range of topics. From self-reflection and understanding your own leadership approach, to working on your negotiation skills, all are designed to support you in taking your career to the next level. The workshops will be delivered using a mixture of online and face-to-face teaching, and you’ll also have access to a wide range of online resources available to support you as you take the next steps in your career progression.

Will there be opportunities to network?

Careers activities are delivered not only by the CareersPlus team but also through learning from industry leaders and alumni. Learning to network is key to raising visibility and accessing the job market. To support you with this, CareersPlus offer the opportunity to join a ‘Learn2Love Networking’ session so you can practice your networking skills and be set up to network successfully.

Is career support available after graduation?

To help you successfully navigate your future career, our career provision extends beyond graduation. In the first year after completion of your MBA, you’ll be able to access intensive career support from our Alumni Careers team. This includes unlimited virtual careers consultations, e-guidance, weekly drop-ins, tailored webinars, including opportunities to connect with established alumni from different regions in the world, a dedicated monthly newsletter and access to free careers resources.

You’ll also have access to lifelong support including workshops, individual coaching and a range of resources including the extensive alumni network and professional networks.