Volunteering is a fantastic way to stay connected to Cranfield and continue learning while sharing your time and expertise with current students, alumni and the Cranfield Community.
Why volunteer?
- Support alumni, students and prospective students.
- Enhance your professional and personal network.
- Develop interpersonal, coaching and leadership skills.
- Enhance your organisation’s talent acquisition efforts.
- Be a part of Cranfield’s success.
Whether you're a recent graduate or an expert in your field, there are lots of opportunities for you to guide and inspire Cranfield students and alumni, both face-to-face and online. Discover how you can get involved below.
Give a careers talk
We’re always looking for alumni to return to Cranfield to talk to current students and alumni about their career journey. Sharing your journey, expertise, and what you’ve learnt along the way is a great way to inspire future leaders, technical specialists and business professionals.
You can play a key role in guiding and inspiring both students and alumni through a range of in-person and online events, including guest lecturing, speaking at an event, or giving an alumni webinar.
To register your interest and be informed of opportunities, please contact the Alumni team.
Share your experience of Cranfield
By sharing your Cranfield and beyond with prospective students you can inspire them and show how your education has shaped your career. There are several ways you can get involved:
- Submit a testimonial about your time at Cranfield and your career journey since you left Cranfield. There is no one path our alumni take after Cranfield so real-world examples bring the benefits and opportunities of a Cranfield education to life for both current and prospective students.
- Attend a student recruitment fair and open day to meet with prospective students, and provide them with a real-world perspective of Cranfield, having studied here yourself. You will be an invaluable advocate inspiring the next generation of Cranfield students. Please email the Alumni team if you are interested in attending a student recruitment fair or open day.
- Join the Alumni advocate programme and inspire future generations to study at Cranfield by working with our International Office. Attend local student recruitment fairs and speak with prospective students, both in person and online, about your experience of studying abroad and how Cranfield has impacted your career.
Recruit Cranfield students and graduates
Talent plays a critical role in the success of any organisation and we can help you discover suitable candidates for your vacancies to drive growth, innovation, and success. But it’s not just about the wealth of talented Cranfield students and alumni we can connect you with. Here's how Cranfield can add value:
- Tailored solutions: We customize our recruitment strategies to align with your specific needs, industry, and organisational culture. This ensures that we identify candidates who are not only qualified but also the right fit for your team.
- Extensive network: Our extensive network of talented Cranfield students and alumni enables us to source candidates with the skills and experience your organisation requires.
- Comprehensive matching: We conduct a thorough vetting process with Cranfield students to get a deep understanding of them as individuals, their personalities, their skills, experience and aspirations. This ensures that the candidates we present to you are not only capable but also aligned with your values and goals.
- Efficiency: Our team of dedicated professionals uses technology and best practices to streamline the recruitment process, saving you time and resources.
- Cost-effective solution: Our talent acquisition services are free, ensuring you get a strong return on investment.
Find out more by contacting the Careers and Employability team.
Build and strengthen the alumni community
Connecting with your alumni network not only enables you to stay in contact with your classmates and meet fellow alumni, but it could open doors to future professional and personal opportunities. There are a couple of opportunities for alumni to get involved with building and strengthening the Cranfield alumni community.
- Get involved with our International communities: You can enhance your professional network, meet new people and stay connected with Cranfield through our International communities. Each community differs, but you could get involved with organising local events, hosting academics and supporting Cranfield initiatives. If there isn’t a community in your area, we’d be delighted to support you in setting one up.
- Become a School of Management Year Rep: Act as a key contact between the School of Management (SOM) and your classmates, represent your cohort, and support the School in building engagement with the alumni community. Through regular events, School of Management Year Reps share their views and ideas with SOM, learn more about the School’s current activities and key priorities, and network with other Year Reps.
Find out how to get involved in these initiatives by contacting the Alumni team.
Host a student internship or project
Do you have an industry challenge or business opportunity you need help with? You may not have the time, resources or expertise to do everything you would like in your business or organisation, or you may be looking for talent for your internship programme. Either way, we can help you.
A student internship or project is when a Masters student (MSc or MBA) carries out a project as part of their studies, within an organisational setting. Students will work with your company on a particular issue or challenge set by you as the host organisation so that you can be sure it meets the needs of your organisation. It’s a great way to support students and gain insight from a group of diverse talented young people.
You can find out more about offering a student project or internship, or if you have a project or internship idea, please complete the online form.
Become an alumni career mentor
Cranfield's Career mentoring programme is about bringing together bright, enthusiastic students and alumni with successful professionals in a mentoring partnership. The programme is an opportunity for you to provide advice and guidance to someone who can really use your help - to support them during their studies, career aspirations, and continuing professional development.
Cranfield alumni from all industries, sectors, and at all career stages volunteer to be Career mentors, so why not join them.
You can find out more about being an alumni mentor in our Mentors handbook or on our website.
Organise a reunion
Whether you graduated five or 50 years ago have you thought about organising a reunion for your former classmates? We are keen to help alumni stay in touch with each other after they have graduated from Cranfield. Not only do reunions provide the opportunity for classmates to reconnect with each other but they can lead to new business or career opportunities, new chances to learn and new perspectives.
We rely on individuals to volunteer as reunion organisers, but the Alumni team can provide you with support to co-ordinate your reunion on campus - or advice if you want to hold it elsewhere. We are also happy to support you in the following ways:
- Reaching out to your class to invite them
- Sending emails on your behalf
- Including your reunion in our monthly event bulletin and on the alumni event web pages.
- Inviting faculty to join you.
- Helping secure space on campus
If you would like information about organising class activities, please contact the Alumni team.
