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Trinity Employability Award - Professional Services Pathway

This Award pathway is run in collaboration with Deloitte, EY and PwC, some of the world's leading professional services companies.

Each employer will host a range of tailored activities designed to give you insight into the professional services industry, practice your transferrable employability skills, and articulate the attributes you've developed through your prior learning. Our partners will engage with you through...

At Level 1, an interactive workshop on a key topic with other Trinity students and expert staff which will be an opportunity to get a first hand insight into the ethos, workplace culture, and creativity of their company.

At Level 2, a unique practice exercise which will give you experience of relevant skills and activities useful for your future career.

At Level 3, a final Employer Challenge which will give you the opportunity to interact with our partners on a one-to-one basis, demonstrate your learning, and compete for the overall Award prize.

Eligibility requirements

The Trinity Employability Award - Professional Services Pathway is open to students in all disciplines who are in the 2nd, 3rd, or 4th year of their undergraduate programme.

This Award will be delivered through a blend of online and in-person activities at the Trinity main campus and employer premises in Dublin. To participate you must be available to attend all Award content for the Level of the Award you want to complete i.e. to acheive the Level 2 certificate you must participate in all required in-person and online activities to qualify.

Level 1: Award Partner workshops

There are three partner employer workshops available on this Pathway. All participating students must complete two of these at Level 1.

Successful applicants will be asked to rank their preference for each workshop, places will then be assigned with every effort made to allocate a place at your preferred sessions.

Note: Students who intend to take part in a Level 3 Employer Challenge can only do so for employers whose workshop they attend at Level 1.

Deloitte Workshop

Cyber Security and Online Risks

Participants will join a fully immersive workshop on the theme of cyber security. Led by industry experts, this session will give you an overview of how security consulting works by engaging with industry-specific examples, risks, and the solutions proposed to counter them.

By the end of this workshop, students will:

  • Understand Cyber Security and how it applies to the industry
  • Gain insight into a ‘day in the life’ of a Cyber practitioner / Ethical Hacker
  • Learn how to identify possible threats and cyber / privacy risks where they can apply the learnings to daily life
  • Complete a security risk assessment exercise
  • Understand the prerequisites for pursuing a career in cyber security

EY Workshop

Leadership and Purpose in a Virtual World

EY invite you to take part in an interactive and immersive session on why Purpose is such an important motivator tool for leadership, and what is the next evolution of Purpose in a virtual environment?

By the end of this workshop, students will be able to:

  • Understand our Purpose at EY
  • Understand Purpose and their personal Leadership Style
  • Understand what happens when we lack leadership in a given situation and how to prevent this
  • Evaluate and redefine leadership in the new virtual world

PwC Workshop

The Future of the World of Work

Through this workshop students will be able to gain a great insight into the impact that COVID has had on the world of business and how companies are working to prepare their people in the future. Our Digital Team will take the students through the approach PwC has taken to continue to progress in the new and ever-changing environment. By the end of this workshop, students will be able to:

  • Understand context, trends, and planning approaches for the future of Work
  • Gain insight into 'PwC & Digital' - what PwC has implemented to plan for the future
  • Learn digital tips & tricks that will be useful for students to engage successfully in college and their future careers

Level 2: Employer Assessment

There are three partner employer level 2 assessment activities available on this Pathway. All participating students must complete one of these at Level 2.

Successful applicants will be asked to rank their preference for each workshop, places will then be assigned with every effort made to allocate a place at your preferred sessions.

Deloitte Level 2 Assessment

Business Chemistry Workshop

Students will join a group workshop led by Deloitte staff to complete exercises in 'Business Chemistry'. Business Chemistry is an approach to strengthening teams and enhancing relationships in a professional context. The tool identifies four different types, each characterised by a stable pattern of behaviours and preferences in the workplace. Participantswill work together in a group session and use the Business Chemistry tool to learn more about their professional selves.

By the end of this workshop, students will be able to:

  • Recognize the preferences and styles of others
  • Develop effective interactions with other types of individuals, as well as combinations of types in team environments
  • Apply a soft skills tool to team projects both at University and in working life

EY Level 2 Assessment

EY Mock Interviews - Learn how to navigate a competency based interview for a global firm

EY invite you to take part in an interactive and immersive session on how to navigate a competency based interview for a global firm like EY.

By the end of this workshop, students will be able to:

  • Understand what makes a successful application
  • Understand how to best prepare for an interview and set yourself up for success
  • Understand the interview structure, competency based questions and how to interact with your interviewer

Have the opportunity to test your skills in a 1:1 interview setting, and receive personalised feedback from an EY recruiter.

PwC Level 2 Assessment

Arctic Shores Assessment and Q&A

Date/Time:

Students will be invited to complete an assessment using the Arctic Shores behaviour-based assessment tool which is used by PwC in their recruitment process. This will give students a first-hand insight into the kind of varied tasks involved in starting a career with the professional services. Information on the Arctic Shores assessment style is available here: https://knowledgebase.arcticshores.com/knowledge/what-is-the-behaviour-based-assessment

Students who complete this option will receive a personalised report and guidance on how to interpret their results to inform their future applications. Students will also be invited to a group Q&A session with the Recruitment Team at PwC to answer any questions you may have about the process and next steps.

Level 3: Award Partner Challenge

There are three partner employer challenges available on this Pathway. Students can take part in one which must be for an employer whose workshop was attended at Level 1.

To apply, please read the challenge requirements below and follow the relevant submission guidelines. All students who complete a submission and the other Award requirements will receive a Level 3 certificate, with one winning student also receiving an employer prize.

Deloitte Level 3 Challenge

The prize for this challenge will be €500 for the winning student.

Challenge Requirements

Students will submit a written assignment related to the themes of the Level 1 workshop "Cyber Security and Online Risks". Students will be shortlisted based on their written assignment with shortlisted students invited to present their work to a panel of Deloitte staff.

Students are asked to:

  • Conduct a comprehensive research analysis
  • Critically analyse information and present convincing recommendations
  • Produce a cohesive written report

Stage 1 - Written assignment

Select one of the Deloitte topics belowand provide a brief analysis of the topic and recommendations

Some suggestions around what the panel will be looking for on the day:

  • The creativity of your recommendations
  • The feasibility of your recommendations in terms of implementation and practicality (e.g. budget, resources, additional supports)
  • The professionalism and communication style of your assignment

The assessment panel will assess submissions based on their ability to:

  • Demonstrate critical analysis and insight into the theme and topic
  • Justify their recommendations through clear reasoning and feasible implementation
  • Communicate effectively, concisely, and to a professional standard

Deloitte Challenge Topics (choose one)

  1. How do we make cyber security more approachable to different audiences (students, older age groups, not computer-oriented backgrounds, etc.)?
  2. Cyber security is a field with over 2 million open positions globally, what does the field need to do to attract top talent?
  3. What are the biggest Cyber security concerns for Ireland – threats, risks, etc. and how can we address them?
  4. How can social media companies facilitate global interaction alongside managing security and privacy of users?

Submission Requirements

Proposal submission should consist of the following information;

  • An introduction
  • WHAT: What is your recommendation?
  • WHY: Why would your recommendation work well?
  • HOW: How would you implement your ideas?
  • BENEFITS: List the potential benefits of your idea.
  • BUDGET: Consider the costs & how realistic your idea is.

Format: PowerPoint or Word

Length: Maximum 1500 word count

Entitle Slides: Name_TopicNumber_TCDEmployabilityAward e.g. EmerSherlock_Topic1_TCDEmployabilityAward

Stage 2 - Presentation

Students will be asked to present a summary of their written report for 5 minutes to a panel of Deloitte staff and other students competing in the challenge.

You must prepare a presentation in advance and you make use any other supporting notes you prefer.

EY Level 3 Challenge

The prize for this challenge will be €500 for the winning student.

Challenge Requirements

Students will submit a written assignment related to the themes of the Level 1 workshop "Leadership and Purpose in a Virtual World". Students will be shortlisted based on their written assignment with shortlisted students invited to an interview with EY staff to discuss their report.

Stage 1 - Written assignment

Please select one of the 2 questions below and write a report (soft copy only):

Leadership & Purpose

  1. Why is Purpose such an important motivator tool for leadership
    in a virtual world?

  2. What is the next evolution of Purpose?

Submission Requirements

  • Total word count is up to 1,500 words.
  • Please include a title page and use Arial font, size 10 for the report part of this assignment.
  • All reports will be reviewed and judged by a panel of EY experts

All submissions can be sent to studentrecruitment@ie.ey.com under the title “Trinity Level 3 assessment.” by noon on Wednesday 30th March.

Stage 2 - Interview

Shortlisted students will be asked to meet a panel of EY staff to discuss your report, and the initiative you took to actively learn about the topic using the knowledge you gained at the EY sessions.

Further guidance from EY is available here: EY Level 3 Challenge

PwC Level 3 Challenge

The winning student will receive a €500 cash prize.

Challenge Requirements

On completing Level 3 of the Trinity Employability Award – Professional Services Pathway, students are asked to: 

Report and Presentation:

  • Critically evaluate how technology is impacting business behaviour in our current climate?
  • How can organisations utilize digital & technology to reach their goals?

Stage 1 - Written assignment

  • Report must answer two questions above.
  • Please feel free to graphs and pictures etc. to get your point across.
  • Word count: 2,000 max.
  • Students must show the ability to develop independent opinions based on your interpretation of the level 1 workshop and individual research.

Stage 2 - Presentation: Top 4 Finalists

You must present for no more than 5 minutes on your thoughts to a panel of PwC judges and other finalists:

  • Presentation must summarise your report and findings.
  • Please feel free to use any supporting notes during your presentation.
  • Please use slide decks and videos etc. to support your presentation (all format and presentation styles are accepted).
  • This task will develop your ability to communicate on a real world topic, based on your research. You will also demonstrate your ability to think independently about a topic.
  • Our panel will ask you some probing questions to explore your understanding and interpretation of the subject.

Some suggestions around what the panel will be looking for on the day:

  • Clear and concise communication style for the presentation

Further information

If you have any questions about the Award after reading the above material, you can send them to the Student Employability team at employability@tcd.ie.

You should also engage with Trinity Careers Service on social media for updates on this award and other activities:

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