Prime Highlights:
- Universities are now helping graduates in their 40s and 50s with career changes, including CVs, job applications, and interview preparation.
- Lifelong access to careers services is boosting confidence and helping older alumni successfully find new opportunities.
Key Facts:
- Over 40% of universities in England and Wales now offer lifelong careers support to their graduates.
- Many alumni returning to work after career breaks or redundancy gain new roles thanks to university guidance and coaching.
Background:
UK universities are now offering careers advice to graduates of all ages, helping people in their 40s and 50s change jobs and find new opportunities. While careers services were once mainly for recent graduates, they now also help older alumni with CVs, job applications, interview preparation, and career moves.
Gil Hamilton, a Lancaster University graduate, had been in the same job for 17 years and felt increasingly dissatisfied. “I hadn’t had a different job in all that time, and I didn’t even have a CV. I hadn’t been to an interview in 18 years, so the process felt intimidating,” she said. A chance mention in an alumni magazine led her to Lancaster’s careers service, where career coach Rachel Beauchamp helped her refresh her CV and prepare for interviews. Hamilton credits this support for giving her confidence and ultimately securing a new role.
Beauchamp noted that many older graduates have been out of the formal job market for 15 to 20 years, often due to caring responsibilities, career breaks, or redundancy. “The challenge is recognising and translating skills gained outside the workplace. We help alumni see their experience in a new light and guide them towards suitable roles,” she explained. She recently assisted a graduate who had been out of work for 12 years in securing an administrative position within the NHS.
Jeremy Swan, head of policy and advocacy at the Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services, highlighted that lifetime access to careers services is becoming increasingly common. Over 40% of universities in England and Wales now offer support for graduates at any stage of their career, though many alumni remain unaware of this benefit.
Hamilton believes more alumni should take advantage of the services. “Most people stay in jobs that fit their family or offer decent pay, even if they’re unhappy. But it’s never too late to try something new. The support is easy to access and free, and it really helps boost confidence,” she said.
With growing awareness, universities across the UK are proving that learning and career development need not end at graduation, offering a lifeline to alumni seeking to reinvent their professional lives.
