The department makes good use of its alumni and wider professional network to give you a grounding of policymaking in practice

Why did you decide to study at Sheffield?

For me, it was a combination of the location and the course design. The open day was the first time I had visited Sheffield (or the north!) and the city left with me with a really positive impression - for a city of its size Sheffield is really walkable and has tons of green space.

I was also really drawn into the research-led philosophy behind the politics course that meant there would be plenty of opportunity to actively feed into the research process - this set Sheffield apart from some of the others institutions I was looking at where you wouldn't get the same level of access to "big names" in the department at undergraduate level.

What was the most useful thing about the course you studied?

The focus on “practical politics” on the course is a real highlight; the department makes good use of its alumni and wider professional network to really give its students a grounding of how policymaking happens in practice. A highlight here would definitely be being taught by Lord Blunkett in third year as part of a policymaking module.

If I were to narrow it down to one thing, I’d put my money on the Parliamentary Studies module. The first of its kind in the UK, the module uses practitioner insight to give a depth of knowledge to students about how Parliament functions - culminating in the chance to publish coursework as part of a real parliamentary inquiry. A growing number of former Sheffield Politics students in the Alumni network I am close with attribute interview success to this module - it really does stand out.

Did you take part in any opportunities or extracurricular activities during your studies? 

I took a year out to go abroad and study at the University of Wollongong, Australia and had a fantastic time. It has a smaller but focused politics department and was a great place to get an in-depth understanding of the Political Economy. The support I got from Sheffield throughout the process was brilliant, it really was a catalyst for both professional and personal growth.

What is your fondest memory from your time in Sheffield?

I was lucky enough to take part in a trip to the G7 in Sicily. The whole experience gave a real working insight into the day to day operations of an international insight of that level. It also gave us the ability to publish insights from the field in an internationally recognised policy journal - a working example I leaned heavily on in the post university job hunt. 

What has your career path been since graduation?

I joined the Civil Service Fast Stream straight after graduation, firstly working in Sheffield before moving down to Whitehall. During my time of the Fast Stream I had a number of roles in the Cabinet Office and the Department for International Trade. I finished my time on the programme at the end of 2019 and moved to lead on a workstream at Government Digital Service focused on delivering Digital Capabilities to Government at the best value for the UK Taxpayer.

What piece of advice would you offer to new and existing students in the Department?

The demand for talent with strong political knowledge in the labour market seems to only be increasing, especially where candidates are able to demonstrate how that knowledge will further a wider organisational goal. Whether that be in how a situation/piece of legislation will impact a companies bottom line or, in the Whitehall context, how that knowledge can further the goals of the Government of the day.

It's also clear, regardless of career intention, that having a working understanding of quantitative data analysis is going to be an expectation of what to have in the job market going forward. I’d advise taking all the opportunities open to you to further this. The same applies to emotional intelligence, the methods of development here are probably less tangible - but the course will give you plenty of opportunities to develop these skills - whether that be directly (e.g. seminar debating) or as part of the wider University experience.