Studying at the Brussels School of Governance reaches further than the classroom. In line with our School’s STEP approach, it is our aim to establish connections between our students and the work field during their studies with us. Together with the Student Representatives of the BA in International and European Law, Programme Director Kristin Henrard succeeded in providing her students with a lecture series of 5 prominent Career Workshops.
The series consisted of 5 interactive sessions spread over the academic year 2022-23, each focusing on a different career track. By combining a substantive lecture on a topical theme with insights in one of the international law affiliated work fields, students had the opportunity to ask many questions to the experts and gain an official certificate while doing so.
Students who registered, committed themselves to be present for the entire series, and in that way received an open view of possibilities for them after graduation. Groups were limited to 20-25 participants and the sessions took place in the evenings to avoid clashes with day-time courses.
The five career paths that were chosen for the 2022-2023 Series were an academic, a lawyer working in international business, a partner of a law firm, a director of an NGO, and an ambassador.
"The career workshop has been very helpful in defining my own personal plan for my future career. Next to this it has definitely finetuned my future vision but more important than that it was just incredibly interesting to listen to the extraordinary stories of even more extraordinary people. It is overall just a fantastic opportunity to meet and have a more informal conversation with individuals who have already "walked the walk" and ask them questions on how and why. Even though a career path is very personal and it is very unlikely to have exactly the same career path as the individuals who came to speak in the workshop, yet I like to believe that, at least for me, it has been a source of motivation to work harder an be better, a source of inspiration, and that the career workshop has made me feel like my own personal future career plans are doable", said our student Dries De Smedt.
Programme 2022-2023
- Monday 7 November:
Alessandra Arcuri - academic track: professor specialised in international economic law at Erasmus University Rotterdam, with a lecture on Perverting the laws of Globalization - Thursday 26 January:
Catherine Woollard - NGO track: Director of ECRE – the European Council on Refugees and Exiles - Tuesday 13 February:
Michiel van Roey - international business track: Co-Founder & General Counsel at Profila | Technology Lawyer at Cisco - Tuesday 7 March:
Erik Valgaeren - partner in law firm Stibbe and specialised in IT law - Tuesday 28 March:
Annelies Verstichel - Belgian diplomat, previously in New York
Next academic year the Career Workshop Series will be continued for many more students to benefit from.
