On Track programme
On Track is an employability programme designed specifically for home students who are in receipt of a York Bursary or Care Leavers and Estranged Students Bursary.
About the programme
In the academic year 2024/25 the On Track programme will be exclusively available to all eligible year 2 undergraduate students (UG2), as well as final year students who have participated in the programme in previous years.
On Track runs for the whole academic year and will begin with an introductory briefing session for UG2 in Week 5 of Semester 1. Eligible students will receive an invitation to this briefing via email in Week 4 and are encouraged to come along to find out more and meet the team.
This year, UG2 students will be able to select from a number of activities which include:
- professional development workshops
- city based networking opportunities
- 1:1 coaching with Inclusive Futures
- access to the strengths-based tool, Spotlight, designed by sports psychologists, used in elite sport and also in the business world.
In addition a VLE site hosting programme resources and information will be shared with students who participate in any of the elements.
Final year students who have participated in the programme in previous years will be able to continue with 1:1 coaching and attend the city based networking event. Emails will be sent to those students with further details at the beginning of October 2024.
On Track Programme Privacy Statement
Why do it?
- Begin to understand the value of, and build your own, professional networks
- Understand your mindset and behavioural styles and learn how to adapt confidently to new situations and contexts
- Develop and increase your career confidence and employability to help you progress into graduate level, professional roles
- Help you to navigate opportunities to get involved at university
- Access other opportunities and gain an insight into professional workplaces and cultures
Students who completed this programme last year said...
- "The coaching was amazing - and it's improved my employability and my knowledge of what I want from a workplace."
- "I found the VLE site made the programme more accessible and I could engage remotely when I was struggling to attend in person for health reasons."
- "I really enjoyed On Track and think it's incredibly useful for people who already have some experience (in the workplace) and especially for those who don't."
- "My Spotlight came in handy for lots of things - applications and reflecting on strengths - and was particularly useful when working in a team."
Programme content
There are three core elements to the Second Year programme; places are limited to 100 students.
- Spotlight - Access to the strengths based tool Spotlight, used in elite sport and in the corporate world. This will provide students with a personalised profile to help with self awareness, building relationships, making and nurturing connections, using mindset and behavioural style concepts. Spotlight is all about helping you to authentically adapt within new and perhaps intimidating situations, so is really useful when navigating university and professional workplaces in the future. Spotlight will also be integrated into each professional development workshop and there will be a dedicated Spotlight explore session in week 7. Spotlight will be front and centre of each workshop; the completion of the personalised profile is compulsory to be able to participate in the workshops.
- Professional development workshops - beginning in Week 9 there will be three workshops across the year addressing themes including goal setting and planning for the year ahead, building professional networks, resilience and responding to rejection, understanding workplace culture and presenting yourself authentically. These workshops will be delivered in person on campus, led by Careers staff, bringing in employers and alumni across the year. You are encouraged to attend as many as possible.
- One to one coaching - there are 50 places for this part of the programme and students will be able to have four virtual coaching sessions over the course of the academic year. Coaches from Inclusive Futures will work with you on an individual, confidential basis, allowing you space and time to explore your situation, your future self and your employability journey at university. Sessions will be personalised to each student and can be scheduled at a time to suit you. All sessions will take place online on a secure platform.
Time commitment
The programme equates to approximately 12 hours over the year for workshops and 1:1 coaching. Each workshop will be two hours in length. Coaching sessions are one hour each and four hours in total for each student taking part in this element of the programme.
How to sign up
Eligible students will be emailed in Week 4 and invited to a briefing session in Week 5.
Those who attend the briefing session will be able to sign up to the programme through Handshake. The form will open at 9am on Wednesday 23 October and close at 4pm on Friday 1 November.
All students who have been allocated a place will be informed via email after the closing date. UG2 students who did not participate last year will need to complete a questionnaire to receive a personalised Spotlight profile before they can take part in the programme.
Programme content
The following elements are available to students who have previously participated in On Track over the past two years, and are now in their final year of study.
- 1:1 coaching - four sessions (two in Semester 1 and two in Semester 2). Students may be able to continue with their previous coach, if available, or choose to work with an alternative coach.
- Attend a city centre based networking event in Semester 2 - further details will be provided nearer the time.
Time commitment
The programme equates to approximately four hours for coaching and two hours for the networking event.
How to sign up
Eligible students will be emailed in Week 4 with a link to opt in.