Twin sisters who graduated from
Northumbria University last year have both kick-started their careers with the
same high-profile company – and in the same department.
Imogen and Eliza Hick gained a Bachelor
and a Master’s degree respectively from Northumbria’s Newcastle Business School
in 2022. And now the 23-year-olds from Sheffield have secured high quality
graduate roles in the Human Resources department of Kier Group - a leading UK
infrastructure services, construction and property group. As one of the
UK’s top contractors for Government and private clients, working on high-prestige
projects such as HS2, working for Kier has been a dream career move for the
twins. But while they are now working together in HR, their journeys to success
were quite different.
Having missed the A-level grades
she needed to enrol on a business degree directly, Imogen opted for a
Foundation course at Northumbria and has not looked back.
She explains: “My first option
wasn’t possible, so I went through Clearing and Northumbria said they had the Foundation
course available in business, which was my area of interest. I really wanted to
be in Newcastle as well, so I eagerly accepted. I went through the Foundation
year and had a really good time, settled in well, understood the university,
met some amazing people and was then able to choose the course I wanted, BA
Human Resource Management. It was ideal because it included a Chartered
Institute of Personnel and Development qualification alongside the degree – so
a dual qualification and very career-focused.
“Northumbria has a massive emphasis
on employability and improving your skill sets throughout the whole course.
Modules included mock interviews, psychometric testing and the tutors were
great. The Graduates Futures and graduates career pages were also excellent and
paired me really well with securing an amazing placement with GlaxoSmithKline –
even during lockdown.
“I graduated in July last year with
First Class Honours and having gone through the recruitment rounds I started
with Kier in September. Overall, I had a really good university experience and
to now be working alongside my sister with a major company like Kier is incredibly
exciting and rewarding.”
Eliza studied Psychology at
undergraduate level at the University of Liverpool. After graduation she
decided to study for a Masters in business and join her sister at Northumbria’s
Newcastle Business School.
She says: “The vibe at Northumbria
and the city of Newcastle in general was excellent. The amount of contact I had
with my personal tutors at Northumbria was also on a different level. That
face-to-face contact was incredibly important for me and meant I enjoyed my
Masters year way more than I did my undergraduate degree. I could also see Imogen
and other people that I knew were doing so well and getting great results so I
could tell the Business School was really good.
“Imogen and I are also keen dancers.
It sounds ridiculous but we both wanted to go somewhere that had a really good
dance team – and I knew Northumbria had that. I always wanted to be in
Newcastle as well and being able to move in with Imogen was ideal. Now, working
together at Kier is just the icing on the cake.”
Eliza graduated with Distinction
with an MSc in Business with Human Resource Management from Northumbria’s
Newcastle Business School in December last year.
Summing up and reflecting on her
Foundation route, Imogen added: “Not getting my A Level grades felt like the
end of the world initially but looking back I could not recommend the Foundation
year enough. It was an ideal stepping-stone to a degree course and personally I
don’t think I would have done as well without it. At the end of the Foundation year,
I knew the ropes, what the University wanted from me, what I needed to include
in essays; just lots of small but really important details. It really did give
me a leg up and I felt a lot more comfortable.
“For Eliza and me I think our story
shows that you can go through different routes and still have the same positive
outcome.”
Dr Dawn Whitton, Assistant
Professor at Newcastle Business School, adds: “The pathway to securing a
graduate position can be a challenge, and for both Imogen and Eliza to achieve
this at the same organisation is testament to their hard work and
commitment. In Imogen’s case securing a placement, and utilising support
from Graduate Futures demonstrates that value of work-based experience.
Eliza also gained work experience prior to joining her Master’s programme which
again reinforces the importance and value of practical experience which
employers often seek. At the Business School we encourage all
undergraduate students to undertake a placement, we have fantastic links with
industry both regionally and nationally.”
