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Life and employment has made a massive shift with the advent of the covid-19 pandemic. With many students delaying graduation or changing their career path, it became imperative to create an action plan to launch out quickly. According to research from Milkround, a UK-based graduate jobs website, only 18% of graduates were securing full time offers compared to 60% in previous years. Virtual networking and the transition to the workplace became harder than ever before as more emphasis was placed on practical skills. Moreover, the ability to work independently became an important criteria to land graduate jobs.
Meet Ather…
Ather Rasool is a recent graduate based in Lahore, Pakistan who had graduated with a Masters degree in commerce with a specific focus on accounting and finance. After having completed the course, he was on the lookout for opportunities to gain hands-on experience through real world projects. In addition, he enrolled in a few traditional courses and certifications to gain a better understanding of digital marketing and the various functions involved within the domain – but the practical application of these concepts were still missing. He was keen to learn about different topics under the umbrella of digital marketing and hopefully make a shift from the field of finance.
“After completing my course in Digital Marketing, I was actively looking for an entry level position to gain hands-on experience. Due to the pandemic, I was unable to find any opportunities. I landed up on the Qureos platform and loved the concept of learning and gaining experience under the guidance of industry experts. The fact that there were opportunities to work on real time projects attracted me to become a part of the Qureos community.”
Explore options & Choose your career path
A research report showed that only 27.3% of college graduates took up jobs related to their major of study while most diverted into different fields. While graduates often pivot into new job functions, they should have a chance to explore and decide whether to pursue a career within that particular field. With Qureos, students and recent graduates can choose various proficiencies ranging from data science to sales & marketing and undergo micro-cohorts to gain an understanding of various topics. Through live events, mentor sessions and peer interaction, apprentices are able to explore different options.
“All Qureos cohorts are extremely productive. They are intensive and full of learning but I began with SEO and am looking forward to enrolling for marketing analytics next. Throughout the learning process, from live sessions to toolkits and tasks, all material was well-organized. Overall, I would give it five stars for the quality of cohorts.”
Ather has completed two cohorts: Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Social Media Marketing and acquired a high score as a graduate. Having learnt through practical simulations to apply theoretical concepts, Ather has become confident with his capabilities within these domains. He continues to seek out avenues to learn through webinars, mentor sessions and new cohorts.
Receive mentorship from top industry professionals
“The process of working on tasks was very effective. Support from my mentor always helped me to accomplish my goals. The mentors are friendly and accessible, I could reach out to my mentor at any time. Feedback is constantly shared from mentors to help develop skills in par with the requirements of the corporate world.”
Qureos mentors are driven to give back to the student community by imparting their knowledge to upskill and transition apprentices into the corporate world. A study by Moving Ahead has found that 87% of mentors and mentees feel empowered by their relationships and it has helped them develop greater confidence. Having subject matter expertise and years of experience, they are cognizant of the shortcomings of the academic sector and strive to bring practical application to cohorts. Mentors share insights and aim to simplify complex concepts through simple examples and visual techniques.
Ather worked closely with his mentors for both cohorts and corporate projects. His hardworking attitude coupled with curiosity and willingness to keep learning was a brilliant combination. He would ask for feedback frequently and be sure to include changes and improve the quality of his work with every revision.
Build your portfolio with corporate projects (and even full time job offers)
“Working on Qureos corporate projects was an outstanding experience. It provided me with an excellent opportunity to collaborate with companies and helped improve my skills based on their feedback. My resume has been positively impacted by these learning opportunities. An employer has recently interviewed me for a full-time job and I will soon receive an offer letter.”
According to the NACE, 91% of employers prefer to hire employees with previous work experience and 65% prefer candidates who have relevant experience within the similar industry or function. Once verified on the Qureos platform, apprentices can start claiming projects on-demand and bypass all application processes. We have companies from all over the world who are looking to work with apprentices on short term or long term projects, apprenticeships and internships. We are also very excited to see our apprentices receive full time permanent employment offers from companies.
“Qureos mentors pushed me to improve the quality of my work and bring a more professional look to my submissions. Additionally, the deadlines and time limits heightened my ability to work under pressure and manage my time effectively.”
What’s next for Ather?
Having upskilled through cohorts and expanded his portfolio through paid projects from many Qureos partners, Ather has excelled and been able to jumpstart his career in digital marketing. Currently, He is working as an SEO specialist with a heightened focus on technical setup and on-page and off-page SEO strategy to improve visibility, ranking and traffic for the companies that he works with. In his free time, Ather loves to travel and soak up new experiences and cultures.
“I am a passionate and driven digital marketer who is always looking for ways to improve my skill set. Over the next two-three years, I want to dive further into the field of search engine optimization and learn all the ins and outs along with the best strategies and tactics. I’m motivated to keep working on more projects to expand my knowledge and eventually become a subject matter expert.”
How can Qureos help upskill & potentially land your dream internship?
Qureos is bridging the gap between academia and the workplace by exposing students to practical skills to help them gain work experience and build a brilliant portfolio. We are constantly pushing our apprentices to adhere to a standard of quality that will eventually make it easy for them to work with companies and achieve their corporate goals.
If you’d like to learn more about all the buzz at Qureos, contact us or check out our socials!
