The Students' Union: Why get involved

By Hayley Williams, Students’ Union Employability Manager

Being part of your Students’ Union (SU) gives you so many opportunities to experience new things, meet new people, and develop new skills. Your involvement in your SU can be shaped and influenced by your interests and personal development goals. Join a student group, volunteer in the local community, represent and shape your course, work in your SU to enhance the student experience.

We spoke to students who’ve been involved in the SU and asked what they gained by being involved.

Joseph Banks, Head of NSTV 2024-25

Being involved in a student-run service has been a major highlight of my time at the University of Nottingham. Throughout my time at the university, I have been involved in University Radio Nottingham (URN) and Nottingham Students’ TV (NSTV), which have given me countless opportunities to gain professional experience alongside my studies.

Finding a specialism

Early on in my time at URN, I was involved with the Varsity Ice Hockey coverage at the Motorpoint Arena. With the help of industry alumni and fellow radio members, we put together a professional broadcast live from the rink to listeners around Nottingham and beyond. This experience ignited my passion for live events and media production. The adrenaline of covering a live event, the technical challenges, and the satisfaction of creating a high-quality broadcast were all incredibly motivating.

Making friends and building networks

What has truly stood out throughout this journey, however, is how the friendships I’ve built have gone beyond the bonds formed in regular university societies. Many of the people I have worked with are now professionals in the media industry, and the relationships we’ve developed have been invaluable. The collaboration with industry alumni at URN and NSTV has allowed me to tap into their expertise and insights, and the networks I’ve established have opened doors for future opportunities in media.

Building a solid foundation

Being part of these student-run services has given me a real taste of the media world, where the lines between learning, passion, and career growth all come together. Through these experiences, I’ve found my focus shifting more and more towards the media industry, and it’s exciting to think about where that could take me next. The skills I’ve picked up, the lessons I’ve learned, and the friendships I’ve made along the way are all helping me build a solid foundation for the career I’m working towards.

Sean Nolan, Sports Officer 2023-24

To be completely honest, I finished my psychology degree with no idea what was next for me. Working in the Students’ Union (SU) as a full-time Officer, embracing opportunities and being willing to learn meant that two years later, I left feeling confident, skilled, and ready.

Developing soft skills

After my degree, I wanted to work with people and create change for good. The SU gave me a platform to develop a host of soft skills, from creative thinking to leadership in challenging times, the experiences offered allowed me to develop these in a real, but safe environment.

Helping me land my current job

In an elected officer role, I was trusted in board meetings with senior university staff, while expected to convey information and decisions back to students. The communication skills I developed as a result of this prepared me for my current role, which involves working with a variety of stakeholders, both in individual meetings and larger public speaking opportunities I could only get as a graduate within the SU.

Getting involved in the SU filled my CV and gave me crucial examples of event planning, campaigning, personal organisation, and even sitting on interview panels that supported me in landing my current role. Whether you know exactly what is next for you, or like me, feel like a blank canvas, getting involved in the SU will give you a broad spectrum of experiences and skill development to prepare you for whatever the future holds.

Margot Howell, URN Station Manager 2024-25

I joined URN in my first year of university, and I did a daytime show called ‘It’s Margot Mondays’. Over the summer, going into my second year, I came up with loads of fun, creative ideas for It’s Margot Mondays. And it paid off. I won a Student Radio Award for Best Daytime Programming in the country! I think URN is so great because it lets you delve into so many different things in the media world.

Learning a broad range of skills

You are producing, presenting and learning the tech for your show. You are marketing your show on social media and coming up with creative ideas. There are so many different areas that you are doing without even realising it when you’re putting together a radio show, and it’s all transferable for the future. I’ve done daytime radio, sport broadcasting and commentating, and news talk shows as well.

Making the most of the opportunity

I think the best thing about URN is how much you can do with it, and you can take it in any direction that you want. I definitely want to go into something broadcast-related. I love radio, I love journalism.

Keen to be involved? Work as part of the events team organising events for over 6,000 students? Volunteer in a local food bank? Collaborate with peers in a course based society? To find out how to get involved visit the SU website.

First published July 2025