To mark International Mentoring Day on 17 January, Dr Lucy Dean reflects on our history alumni mentorship scheme.
At the UHI Centre for History, we are grateful that many of our graduates keep in touch with us and share their experiences about the variety of paths they have taken. Even more exciting than hearing how they are spreading their wings in the world beyond UHI, is being able to provide them with opportunities to inspire our current students and see their enthusiasm encourage others though our history alumni mentorship scheme.
During the past two years, we have been working with alumni to support undergraduates through contributions to our core skills modules. These contributions have helped students to identify and better appreciate the transferable nature of the skills that they are developing during their studies.
As well as benefiting our current students, our mentorship scheme gives graduates the opportunity to reflect on their own experiences and the skills they have gained.
Three of our graduate contributors – Sam Baillie, Victoria Whiteford and Jonathan Main – offer insights into the key skills they gained at UHI which are essential to their everyday work and why they chose to join the alumni mentoring scheme.
Sam Baillie – BA (Hons) in Scottish history, 2017
Tell us about your time at the UHI Centre for History
While studying at UHI, I learned how to effectively communicate virtually, including organising video conferences, creating online presentations, engaging with virtual audiences and working on live documents together. Nowadays, my role in the communications team at SAMH – Scotland’s largest mental health charity – requires me to take full advantage of these skills. Even before the pandemic, digital skills were in high demand in the third sector. Now, they’re essential.
Using these skills learned through UHI’s online learning approach, I’ve been able to effectively pitch social media campaigns, press releases, video scripts, TV adverts and more to a virtual audience across the world. This includes being confident on video calls, sharing documents on the cloud to allow collaborative work and gathering audience member input using real-time interaction and voting software.
Studying at UHI has also helped me to manage my time and tackle several projects simultaneously. For example, I now organise my time through Outlook calendars and Trello boards to ensure I’m prioritising each project appropriately. I learned these skills in my later years at UHI, where I would work on several modules on any given week (as well as a dissertation!) while ensuring I met fast-approaching deadlines.
What inspired you to get involved in in the alumni mentoring scheme?
After graduating, I often felt unsure of where I wanted to take my skills. There are a few ‘traditional’ career paths associated with history degrees, such as museum and conservation work, but I was always keen look for opportunities outside the box. Fast forward to today and I’ve worked alongside many talented history graduates in my field of communications, marketing, public relations and policy. I’m now keen to spread awareness about these roles to encourage people undertaking history degrees not to limit themselves, to experiment in new areas and to never write themselves off for roles they may not have originally thought about.
What did you gain through the process?
Encouraging students to think about careers in new sectors is beneficial as it can increase the quality of work in these areas. I’ve seen history graduates lead national campaigns, shape policy and create large-scale positive change and I find it rewarding to know I’m encouraging this to continue.
What do you hope to achieve?
I really hope students become aware of how important and useful their skills are in a range of industries. If one student becomes interested in an area or discipline that they hadn’t previously considered or had perhaps even questioned their suitability for in the past, I view that as a great success.
Victoria Whiteford – BA (Hons) in Scottish history and theology in 2019
Tell us about your time at UHI Centre for History
The key skills which I learnt during my studies at UHI were research and interpretation. I continue to use these skills every day at my job. I work in valuations, where we value companies for different purposes.
To do this, we must research the company thoroughly to understand its place in the wider marketplace as well as its unique selling point. We also interpret different forms of information, not just financial! For example, in each job, I must read through the Articles of Association for the client company and, although Articles tend the feature the same or similar information as other Articles, they do not necessarily express that information in the same manner. Sometimes we must discuss our interpretation with the client’s lawyers and, if our interpretation is not how the Articles were intended, then they need to be redrafted, as they should only be read as having one explicit meaning.
The Articles also often express financial concepts, such as how funds would flow if the company was bought, verbally, and we have to interpret that language to create a financial model in Excel. Having an eye for detail and a sensitivity to language are vital to my job, and these were skills which I developed at UHI.
Jonathan Main – BA (Hons) in history and politics in 2020
Tell us about your time at UHI Centre for History
As a policymaker for a local authority, the critical thinking skills I developed during my history degree have been exceptionally valuable. While studying history, I learned to analyse complex information, assess multiple perspectives and consider the implications of decisions made in the past. These skills have afforded me the ability to approach policy issues with a nuanced and well-informed outlook.
In particular, my training in historical research has proven surprisingly helpful in my current role. History graduates are skilled at finding and synthesising information from various sources, which has helped me navigate the often-complex landscape of policy research. Whether I am researching the best practices for housing policy or evaluating the impact of new regulations, my history degree has equipped me with the skills to conduct thorough and insightful research.
From critical thinking to research abilities, studying history has equipped me with the essential tools to tackle complex issues and make informed decisions. Who knew that a passion for history would lead to a successful career in policy?
What inspired you to get involved in in the alumni mentoring scheme?
As an alumni, providing content on careers and employability was an opportunity to bridge the gap between academia and real-world applications. Reflecting on the value of my history degree, I realised the wealth of transferable skills it equipped me with, such as critical thinking, research and effective communication. By sharing my insights, I aimed to empower current history students with a practical understanding of how these skills can be leveraged in the workplace.
What did you gain through the process?
Engaging in alumni activities allowed me to give back to the academic community which shaped my journey and provided a platform to connect with current students. As former students, we can offer guidance, encouragement and valuable insights into the diverse professional avenues a history degree can open.
What do you hope to achieve?
In essence, it’s a collaborative effort to strengthen the bridge between the classroom and the ever-evolving landscape of careers, ultimately enriching the educational experience for both past and present students.
To find out more about studying history at UHI, visit www.uhi.ac.uk/courses
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