Developing skills

At the University of Leeds, you’ll be developing skills every day that will be useful to your future career – even if you don’t realise it!

Consider how your extra-curriculars might help your skill-building as well as your degree, like being on a society committee or writing for the student newspaper. 

There are loads of ways to develop new skills, including virtually in this digital age. We’ve made some suggestions here – plus, you could always chat to one of our careers advisers about how your skills and experience could translate to job applications. 

LinkedIn Learning 

Being a University of Leeds student means you have access to LinkedIn Learning – a huge platform of online resources where you can learn a huge variety of skills. 

Whether you’re learning to develop in an existing role, to support a job application or just to learn something you’ve always wanted to – you’ll probably find it on LinkedIn Learning. Explore our curated collections to get the most out of your LinkedIn Learning account.

If you’re a graduate of 2022 or 2021 you also have access to LinkedIn Learning. Fill in a brief registration form on MyCareer and you'll receive an email from LinkedIn Learning inviting you to join the platform within five working days. You'll need to register as a graduate on MyCareer if you haven't done so already. 

If you’re a graduate from before 2021, please email graduatesupport@leeds.ac.uk for access.

Part-time work 

Students often get part-time jobs alongside their studies to help pay the bills – but you’ll probably gain more employable skills here than you’d think! Part-time jobs are full of transferable skills that can strengthen your job applications – even if you don’t think it’s relevant to what you want to do. 

Look out for part-time work opportunities on MyCareer, and through LUU’s Joblink. 

Volunteering 

If you’ve got the time and want to grow your CV while giving back to the community – volunteering might be perfect for you. We have a dedicated volunteering team who work alongside loads of fantastic local organisations – and they’re often looking for student volunteers. 

Visit the Volunteering Hub on MyCareer to find upcoming opportunities to volunteer. You can also explore websites such as Doing Good Leeds and Do IT.

Student societies 

Did you know student societies aren’t just for fun, and can give you loads of skills and experience for future work? Things like writing for the student newspaper, organising events and working as part of a committee are all incredibly useful skills to take away with you.  

Check out all of the different student societies you could join through LUU.