During November, the Evangelical Alliance (EA) and the Universities and Colleges Christian Fellowship (UCCF) held a series of tours to universities in the Midlands to reach out to students who may find the transition from university to the world of work difficult and disorienting.
The tour visited Warwick, Birmingham, Nottingham, Leicester and Keele universities. Hundreds of students attended the events at which former students returned to share experiences of their struggles and how they managed or overcame them.
Great response
‘We were delighted by the response from students, many taking the time to personally thank the team of recent grads who shared their stories,’ said Dr Krish Kandiah one of the organisers of the event.
The five-university tour named One Life is an effort to help students bridge the gap between university and the world of work in order to encourage them to find a meaningful niche in life. Though hosted by two of the largest Christian organisations in the UK, Krish said that the One Life pilot programmes are to help both Christian and non-Christian students to be better prepared for life after university.
‘My hope is that most of the students that come would not get “jobs” when they leave university but that they would acquire “vocations” instead,’ Krish added.
Phil Green of the Evangelical Alliance said that the transition from university to the rest of their life can be a difficult one for students. ‘There is so much uncertainty, so many massive decisions to make, so many transitions taking place simultaneously — it’s during this period that faith is often lost. Therefore, major life decisions are made without faith being part of them. The Evangelical Alliance’s “Threads” initiative (threadsuk.com) is about helping young adults wrestle with issues of faith and life so that faith doesn’t only not unravel, but they can discover what a vibrant, faith-led, life is like,’ said Phil.
C.U. and local church
Pod Bhogal, head of communications of the UCCF (Universities and Colleges Christian Fellowship) said that they have seen time and again that students who are actively involved in their local Christian Union are almost always involved with a local church and are, therefore, more likely to make a smoother transition from university life to the world of work.
‘Their faith is less likely to unravel when they enter the world of work because of how they were encouraged to get involved in a local church whilst at the Christian Union,’ Pod added.
