November 25, 2004

Student's Virtual 'Day Trip To Bangor'

Students and graduates in Wales will be taking a virtual 'day trip to Bangor' for their careers advice, thanks to a new Internet based meeting system adopted by Graduate Opportunities Wales.

GO Wales has installed the Marratech web collaboration solution to enable job hunters to meet with advisors and attend workshops and seminars without leaving college or home, using just a laptop or PC. Individual and group meetings will take place at any time and without the need to travel.

Said Eben Muse, e-Ployablity Officer at Go Wales, Bangor University: "There are eleven universities in our group with careers specialists and training staff plus employers groups. It can take me four hours just to get to Cardiff so co-ordinating meetings was a major headache. "We decided that 'teleworking' was the way forward but chose to use the web rather than video because it would make us available to anyone with a computer and an internet connection."

Using Marratech with just a laptop, headset and webcam, job hunting students and graduates will be able to interact with professional helpers and tutors on demand, or attend scheduled group meetings and seminars. They will be able see each other, talk, exchange messages and interact with an on-screen whiteboard.

Go Wales is already benefiting from the system by using Marratech for on-line staff training and presentations. "During comparative testing, we found Marratech's simplicity to be its greatest strength. Added to the fact that it works in a 'familiar' Internet environment and is cross platform, it was the obvious choice making it easier for people to work together and enabling meetings which otherwise, might not have taken place."

Graduate Opportunities Wales is an employability and business development programme that encourages businesses and graduates in Wales to get the most out of working together. It is managed by the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales (HEFCW) and delivered in partnership by University Careers Services, The programme is partly funded by the Welsh Assembly Government and partly by the European Unions¹ Social Fund.

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