About the society
The Cambridge Guild is a 40-year old organisation, making it the oldest student careers society in Cambridge. We work with firms and professionals from a variety industries to host a wide range of events varying from speaker events to hackathons, consultancy case study workshops and company hosted networking dinners.
Thinking about careers can often be both a scary and tedious task for most students. At The Cambridge Guild, we know how precious time really is at our university, so let us make your life easier and help you discover how best to fulfil your potential.
Our background
When founded back in 1976, the Cambridge Guild existed under the name of the Cambridge University Industrial Society after its founders realised that a degree from Cambridge no longer guaranteed post-university employment. What ensued was an inspiring story. The founders subsequently began to promote careers awareness amongst their peers by inviting speakers from different industries to come to Cambridge and offer information on careers.
This initiative proved so successful that within just a few years, the society grew to become one of the biggest societies in Cambridge. However, the society’s success was not restricted to just Cambridge. It was soon approached by the nationwide careers NGO, The Careers Research and Advisory Centre (CRAC), to help promote careers skills for students at universities across the UK. This formed the basis for the Bright Futures network that still exists to this day.
This overwhelming success continued throughout the rest of the 20th century and with the help of a rebranding to Cambridge Futures in 2002 to reflect its expanding focus and activities, the society was invigorated, maintaining its status as the largest student careers society for the 2000s.
Our Story
Unfortunate circumstances meant that Cambridge Futures was officially forced into inactivity in 2014. Nevertheless, in 2016, Andy Quach, realising that Cambridge lacked a society solely dedicated to student careers, relaunched the society.
Seeking to revitalise the organisation, he rebranded the society to The Cambridge Guild, representing the society’s grand history as well its dedication to serving its members. Thanks to meticulous planning, a well-thought launch strategy and a belief in the idea behind the society, the society experienced rapid membership growth in its first year as The Cambridge Guild.
Over the past few years The Cambridge Guild has joined forces with firms and professionals from a variety industries to host a wide range of events varying from speaker events featuring Thomas Flohr (CEO of VistaJet), Richard Reed (Co-Founder of Innocent Drinks) and Jordan elfort to more intimate events such as Hackathons, “Consultancy & Cake” case study workshops and company hosted networking dinners. ince our rebranding in 2016 we have grown exponentially, by finding new ways to bring employers and students together. Now, with thousands of members, we are excited to continue to build on our strong foundations by deepening our relationships with existing partners, working with a broader range of partners and attracting global leaders to give inspirational talks.
Our Ambitions
With 40 years of experience in uniting employers and students, we strongly believe that we will be able to give our members the best possible opportunity to explore different career paths. In fact, we know that with the society’s extensive credentials, the society can quickly return its peak status in no time at all.
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We are the founder of the Bright Futures network, a network of societies that has now spread to over 50 different UK universities.
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We have hosted events for the world’s leading companies from across the full range of industries, including Google, IBM and Morgan Stanley.
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We have a proven track record; we have worked alongside both the Cambridge Careers Service and the Careers Research and Advisory Centre (CRAC), an NGO, to promote awareness about the importance of careers throughout Cambridge and the UK.
And it doesn’t stop there. We have lofty ambitions and have teamed up with a number of organisations to provide our members with the greatest range of opportunities possible. So don’t miss out; join the Cambridge Guild for free!