Master of Science in Logistics and Supply Chain Management

at University of Bolton United Kingdom

Business management qualifications open doors and are considered essential whether you’re looking to pursue a career in business, or achieve higher levels of responsibility in your current work. We’ll support you to enhance your existing Foundation Degree or HND-level knowledge and skills, ready to achieve the status of BSc (Hons) Business Management (People Management) Top-up graduate. You can study advanced aspects of business, management and leadership, enhance your professional skills, and boost your employability.

Building on your prior studies, we’ll guide you as you explore advanced topics such as international human resource management, learning and development, and the employment relationship. This Honours-level programme will also support you to gain knowledge of strategic management, and develop critical inquiry and research skills to improve your work and enhance its quality. As a graduate, you’ll also receive the CMI Level 5 Award in Leadership and Management, helping you stand out to employers.

Developing your employability is a key focus of this dynamic and flexible programme. Real-life case studies, guest speakers and industry visits are designed to help you to understand the business environment and the needs of employers in local, national and international contexts. We’ll support you to develop sought-after skills such as communication, data analysis, time management, team working and problem solving.

We also aim to help you develop lifelong learning skills so that you can take ownership of your professional development for the future, maximising your potential for success.

Highlights

• The Institute of Management Greater Manchester – and the wider University – provide a warm and friendly environment for your studies, with relatively small class sizes, purpose-built teaching facilities, and excellent student support and library services.
• On successful completion of this dual award course you’ll receive both an academic degree and a professionally-recognised management qualification – the CMI Level 5 Award in Leadership and Management. You don’t need to take extra exams or coursework to achieve the Award – we combine our degree module and CMI assessments streamlining your route to both qualifications.
• This course is part of our Business Management suite of degrees. At Honours level, depending on your prior studies, you can follow this specialist pathway in People Management, choose the core Business Management route, or select one of our other specialist pathways in Enterprise, Law, Supply Chain, Finance, Marketing or Retail.
• Face-to-face sessions and one-to-one support is offered by our team of highly experienced and enthusiastic lecturers who have worked in a wide range of businesses ranging from multinational organisation to SMEs.
• We’ll introduce you to your course and new study environment through a bespoke induction programme focused on helping you transition smoothly and effectively to Honours-level study.

Key Features

• This course is offered within our vibrant Institute of Management environment in Bolton town centre.
• We use small group and tutorial teaching, so you have the opportunity to benefit from the excellent support offered by our teaching staff.
• We regularly invite guest speakers who hold senior positions in industry and practice, enabling you to benefit from their knowledge and advice.
• Course materials are available online, allowing you to prepare work at home and make the most of the highly interactive in-class tuition.
• Contemporary research findings are woven into our teaching. We offer a robust academic underpinning to your studies of business management.
• Our dedicated team will support you as you develop critical thinking and research skills and apply these during your final year dissertation or work-based project (if you’re in suitable employment).

Professional recognition
Graduates of our BSc (Hons) Business Management (People Management) Top-up course will receive the Level 5 Award in Leadership and Management from the CMI (Chartered Management Institute).

Our BA (Hons) Community Development and Youth Studies degree runs in parallel with our dual accredited BA (Hons) Community Development and Youth Work course. Both courses involve work-based learning through fieldwork placements, and academic studies that support the development of knowledge and skills for practice.

Placing greater emphasis on academic skills development and research expertise, and requiring 200 placement hours, the BA (Hons) Community Development and Youth Studies is ideal if you’re seeking the flexible and adaptable skills and knowledge needed for a career changing lives by challenging discrimination and oppression through informal social inclusion, or if you’re considering Master’s level or postdoctoral study.

Our passionate and knowledgeable staff will guide you to explore issues such as social education, social policy, community engagement, politics, globalisation, social justice, equality and diversity, social history, housing and homelessness. You'll also be supported to develop key transferable skills such as communication, self-awareness and time management. Completing a dissertation in your final year offers an excellent preparation for higher level study.

Fieldwork placements or work-based learning could be in a number of distinct settings that work to improve the lives of people in communities and young people, preparing you to adapt to the changing environments in which you may be employed in future.

Highlights

• The course has been designed in consultation with employers, ensuring the relevance of the skills and knowledge gained by graduates.
• Work placements offer you the chance to gain 200 hours of practical and professional community development and youth work experience.
• Our excellent links with over 70 partners and external agencies means we can offer a wide variety of placements; for instance, in youth and community centres, schools, alternative education projects, women's refuges and community projects, or housing, health, leisure and youth training schemes, resettlement projects, and detached, outreach and mentoring projects.
• You have the chance to graduate with a wide range of practical and transferable skills that apply in all kinds of social, professional and academic areas.

Key Features

• Our programme gives you the chance to gain significant practice-based experience.
• You’ll have access to excellent academic and pastoral support from teaching staff who are also experienced professionals in community development and youth work.
• Throughout the course, we’ll support and encourage you as you develop your understanding and articulation of the key theories of personal and social change affecting young people and communities today.
• Specialists in the field of community development and youth work join us as guest speakers and lecturers throughout the course.
• You can change routes within the programme should you wish to – until the end of the first semester at HE4. If your circumstances change and you’re confident you can meet the placement requirements for the professionally endorsed route, you can transfer to our parallel course – the BA (Hons) Community Development and Youth Work.

While it’s possible to become a mobile app developer by studying short online courses independently, our BSc (Hons) Computing (Application Development) degree offers comprehensive training designed to prepare you for a career in the wider applications development industry. Our focus is to ensure you fully understand the principles and concepts that underlie the technologies, programming languages, platforms and operating systems used to develop and run applications. In the fast-moving digital world, tools and technologies evolve rapidly and having a solid understanding of the fundamentals of computing will help you to stay current, adapt to changes and maintain the skills you’ll need to continue to develop high quality applications commercially throughout your career.

Our expert and dedicated team will support you to gain the in-depth, comprehensive skills and understanding needed for you to develop applications that are truly functional, creative and intuitive – be these secure, efficient business applications or 5-star mobile apps that users choose to return to. Drawing together aspects of software development, cloud computing, networking, and security, we’ll support you to gain a sound understanding of how mobile, desktop and tablet computers interact with applications and data repositories. We’ll explore design for user experience, multi-platform and cross-platform development, security testing and evaluation, and how to plan, manage and deliver projects within constraints such as user requirements, timescale and budget.

The department’s strong links with business mean you’ll have the chance to work on ‘live briefs’ in your coursework assignments, so you’ll have the opportunity to enjoy real-world context and application for the skills and knowledge we’ll help you develop.

Highlights

• The department – and the wider University – provides a warm and friendly environment for your studies, with relatively small class sizes, purpose-built teaching facilities, and excellent student support and library services.
• Your teaching and tutorial team brings an impressive range of professional experience and technical prowess to the course, so you’ll have the chance to explore and evaluate a range of perspectives relating to your studies.
• A big part of our commitment to your progress is helping you develop your employability and industry networks. So we’ll encourage you to attend guest lectures that give your learning context, offer industry contact, and contribute to your underlying professional development.
• By underpinning our content and assignments with a strong industrial focus, we foster a keen understanding of the professional IT environment, and help you develop essential skills such as team-working, communication and problem solving.
• We’ll focus on your individual needs, and provide personalised support to help find the learning strategies that best support your learning and ultimate success.

Key Features

• Our dedicated laboratories, servers and end-hosts feature high-specification hardware and the latest software, so you’ll have industry-equivalent hands-on experience.
• You’ll also get to experience the latest technologies, such as OpenStack – developed by Rackspace and NASA.
• As you’d expect, many of our computing facilities are accessible online, so you can work on your assignments wherever you are, and whenever inspiration kicks in.
• We’ll support you to develop sought-after skills such as background research, critical reasoning and problem solving, as well as professional communication, time management, teamwork, and lifelong learning.
• We’ll also encourage you to build a portfolio of evidence representing the projects and tasks you’ve completed during your studies, ready to impress potential employers.
• We continually monitor and update the course to reflect current and ever-changing issues in computing, and to keep your learning in line with technological advances and innovations.

Business management qualifications open doors and are considered essential whether you’re looking to pursue a career in business, or achieve higher levels of responsibility in your current work. We’ll support you to enhance your existing Foundation Degree or HND-level knowledge and skills, ready to achieve the status of BSc (Hons) Business Management (Retail) Top-up graduate. You can study advanced aspects of business, management and retail, enhance your professional skills, and boost your employability.

Building on your prior studies, we’ll guide you as you explore specialist areas including retail operations, global consumer behaviour and digital marketing strategy. This Honours-level programme will also support you to gain knowledge of strategic management, and develop critical inquiry and research skills to improve your work and enhance its quality. As a graduate, you’ll also receive the CMI Level 5 Award in Leadership and Management, helping you stand out to employers.

Developing your employability is a key focus of this dynamic and flexible programme. Real-life case studies, guest speakers and industry visits are designed to help you to understand the business environment and the needs of employers in local, national and international contexts. We’ll support you to develop sought-after skills such as communication, data analysis, time management, team working and problem solving.

We also aim to help you develop lifelong learning skills so that you can take ownership of your professional development for the future, maximising your potential for success.

Highlights

• The Institute of Management Greater Manchester – and the wider University – provide a warm and friendly environment for your studies, with relatively small class sizes, purpose-built teaching facilities, and excellent student support and library services.
• On successful completion of this dual award course you’ll receive both an academic degree and a professionally-recognised management qualification – the CMI Level 5 Award in Leadership and Management. You don’t need to take extra exams or coursework to achieve the Award – we combine our degree module and CMI assessments streamlining your route to both qualifications.
• This course is part of our Business Management suite of degrees. At Honours level, depending on your prior studies, you can follow this specialist pathway in Retail, choose the core Business Management route, or select one of our other specialist pathways in Enterprise, People Management, Law, Finance, Marketing or Supply Chain.
• Face-to-face sessions and one-to-one support is offered by our team of highly experienced and enthusiastic lecturers who have worked in a wide range of businesses ranging from multinational organisation to SMEs.
• We’ll introduce you to your course and new study environment through a bespoke induction programme focused on helping you transition smoothly and effectively to Honours-level study.

Key Features

• This course is offered within our vibrant Institute of Management environment in Bolton town centre.
• We use small group and tutorial teaching, so you have the opportunity to benefit from the excellent support offered by our teaching staff.
• We regularly invite guest speakers who hold senior positions in industry and practice, enabling you to benefit from their knowledge and advice.
• Course materials are available online, allowing you to prepare work at home and make the most of the highly interactive in-class tuition.
• Contemporary research findings are woven into our teaching. We offer a robust academic underpinning to your studies of business management.
• Our dedicated team will support you as you develop critical thinking and research skills and apply these during your final year dissertation or work-based project (if you’re in suitable employment).

Professional recognition
Graduates of our BSc (Hons) Business Management (Retail) Top-up course will receive a Level 5 Award in Leadership and Management from the CMI (Chartered Management Institute).

The global games industry continues to grow. Worth over $137 billion in 2018, this value is predicted to rise to over $180 billion by the end of 2021*. Games offers lucrative careers at the cutting-edge of technology and talented games programmers are always in demand in the UK, Europe and the USA.

Offering a broad education in games programming, design, development and technology, our Games Programming degree emphasises the technical aspects of game production. We aim for you to become a skilled programmer and you’ll use C++, the principal programming language in the games industry, at each stage of the course. We assume no prior knowledge of programming but a good knowledge of mathematics, especially algebra, will help you succeed on the course. We’ll guide and support you throughout your studies to help you master object orientated programming and design techniques and learn about advanced programming data structures and algorithms for game development.

Games and interactive applications are becoming more cinematic in look and feel so we teach maths and physics in a very practical way to help you learn to create 2D and 3D environments where behaviour and movement looks realistic. You’ll also have opportunities to gain experience of multi-platform programming and artificial intelligence techniques used in the development of efficient and robust games.

Highlights

• University of Bolton games graduates have been enjoying careers in the games industry for longer than most – we were one of the first UK universities to offer games courses.
• We’ll help and support you to develop a portfolio of work that demonstrates your skills in readiness to impress potential employers.
• Team working skills are essential so you’ll have opportunities to work with students from our Games Design and Games Art courses on projects that mimic the multi-disciplinary teams found in the industry.
• Our Game Jams are great opportunities to build your social network and practice your programming and problem solving skills.
• We collaborate with games development companies on beta testing, offering you the chance to test upcoming games before they go to market. Previously, students have even got their names mentioned in game credits.
• Industry experts from the leading games studios in the UK, along with Bolton graduates now successful in the sector, are regularly invited to give guest lectures on aspects of games development.

Key Features

• Teaching staff on the games courses have a vast range of industry experience and an extensive network of contacts in the games industry.
• The course covers both 2D and 3D game environments and game engines for traditional gaming (PC and console), mobile gaming (cloud, social and casual) and virtual reality gaming, along with game play analysis and hardware specification.
• We organise studio visits and field trips to games development companies, and will encourage and support you to undertake work experience and industrial placements.
• We design the course assignments and projects so that they mimic industry pipelines and standards to give you a real feel for a career in the games sector.
• Our dedicated games labs feature high-specification hardware and industry-standard software.

Almost every business or organisation uses some sort of system to keep things working efficiently and productively. This system might keep information moving securely and efficiently, or it might ensure product distribution or service availability. A systems engineer is the all-important link between complex programming and technology, and its users, customers and stakeholders. So, you’ll need a firm knowledge and understanding of both sides, and the ability to take a joined-up approach to ensuring systems meet a wide range of needs reliably, efficiently, and in user-friendly fashion.

That might sound like a tall order, but it’s a hugely rewarding career path, and this course is a great opportunity for you to develop a unique blend of practical engineering and management-orientated learning. We’re here to help you further specialise your systems engineering knowledge and skills, and completing this course successfully should make you highly employable in a range of sectors and settings.

The course meets professional institution standards in the UK and Europe, and addresses a range of contemporary issues in engineering and engineering management. If you’re looking to take a systems-based approach to engineering management, this course is could be ideal.

PLEASE NOTE This programme is only open to students who are currently enrolled on the MSc Systems Engineering and Engineering Management programme offered by South Westphalia University of Applied Sciences (SOEST) in Germany. If you are not currently studying at SOEST, please see the related programmes section of this web page for details of the University of Bolton’s other MSc programmes in this subject area.

Highlights

• This programme is a collaboration between the University of Bolton and South Westphalia University of Applied Sciences in Germany. It allows you to spend one of your three semesters of study in the UK and receive two awards, one from each University.
• We’ll support you as you develop a systematic knowledge and understanding of how advanced engineering concepts and design methodologies apply in the design of electronics-based equipment.
• We’ll encourage you to develop a mastery of digital signal processing for use in control applications.
• You’ll have the chance to explore advanced artificial intelligence techniques used in the design and control of automated machinery.
• We’ll work to help you develop a detailed understanding of how ‘total quality management’ applies to design, manufacture and project management.
• You’ll have the opportunity to learn about the commercial side of project management, including contract negotiation, stakeholder management, quotations, procurement and a range of other financial and legal matters.

Key Features

• The course is designed to meet professional institution standards in the UK and Europe.
• We’ll encourage you to undertake a work placement and/or an industry-based project.
• You can also choose from two alternative pathways: Mechatronics or Mechanical Systems Engineering.
• You can select common systems modules, whichever pathway you take.
• For this three semester programme, you’ll normally study semester 1 at South Westphalia University of Applied Sciences, Soest, Germany and semester 2 at the University of Bolton, UK. The third semester, which is largely devoted to project work, is normally undertaken at South Westphalia University of Applied Sciences.

If you've been struggling to find a postgraduate course that exactly matches your ambition then the University of Bolton's MA (Specialist Title) via Creative Practice could be the answer. Our expert team will work with you to devise a series of projects that enable you to develop your creative practice. You may choose to focus on a single discipline, such as Animation, Illustration, Art and Design, Fine Art, Graphic Design, Media, Performance, Dance, Photography, Textiles and Surface Design, Fashion, Creative Writing, Live Events Design and Production, or an associated subject. Alternatively, you may combine several areas of practice to follow an interdisciplinary route. When you successfully complete the master's, your degree title will be chosen to reflect the focus of your studies.

We'll support you to develop a unique body of creative work through a series of negotiated projects that will be underpinned and informed by industry practice. You'll work with a specialist supervisor who will provide support and guidance throughout the developmental process. Alongside this, you'll undertake two taught modules. The first investigates current contexts for creative practice and offers you the necessary skills to undertake research at an advanced level. The second invites you to place your practice within a professional landscape to help you gain the skills to develop your industry profile and ensure your work reaches your desired audience.

With a strong theoretical underpinning, this MA is designed to develop your skills in research, critique and synthesis. We’ll guide you as you learn to work with self?direction and originality and develop your analytical and critical competencies. This combination of academic, creative and professional skills development helps to prepare you for a career in the creative industries, as well as providing a sound basis for doctoral-level study.

The MA is designed to enable you to develop a considerable body of work and a plan for its future development beyond the course. This may take the form of applications for funding, exhibitions, publication, or small?scale tours.

Our industry?engaged staff are practising artists, writers and performers. You'll benefit from our strong industry links with a range of arts and cultural organisations across Greater Manchester and the North West region, which offers opportunities for industry masterclasses and lectures, joint projects and networking.

Highlights

• You can develop your unique body of creative practice under the supervision of our experienced teaching team.
• We'll support you to prepare your creative practice for industry via funding applications, business plans, exhibitions, publication or small?scale tours.
• You'll be able to make use of specialist facilities across the University of Bolton's Schools of the Arts and Creative Technologies to develop high-quality creative outputs.
• We'll help you learn about tax self-assessment, invoicing, intellectual property and risk assessments, as well as offer business start-up sessions to prepare you to take advantage of opportunities for enterprise development.

Key Features

• Teaching and supervision are delivered by our dedicated team of experienced and well-qualified staff.
• The programme provides opportunities to engage with and learn from industry professionals, including visiting speakers and practitioners.
• We'll offer you opportunities for interdisciplinary work and collaboration.
• You'll benefit from our strong industry links with local and regional arts, culture and trade organisations, studios, galleries, publishers, manufacturers and companies specialising in creative art and design practice.
• Your final master’s degree title will reflect your specialist areas of practice (please note that the final award title will be selected in agreement with the University within the parameters specified in programme documentation). For example, your title might be something like MA Animation via Creative Practice, MA Dance via Creative Practice or MA Fashion Photography via Creative Practice.

Aligned to the Final Year ACCA programme, our MSc in Accountancy and Financial Management is designed to support your career development in business, accounting and financial management roles. It offers the finance, accountancy and broader management knowledge that can be central to success in many private and public sector industries.

Our dedicated, highly qualified and experienced team will lead you in an exploration of the principles and practice of financial management and accounting, the context in which they operate, and how they are managed. We’ll support you to learn the applied skills involved in financial reporting and financial management, as well as wider management issues such as corporate and social responsibility, business ethics, risk and business strategy, financial performance, and taxation/auditing.

You’ll be encouraged to explore research methods, giving you the chance to gain an understanding of a range of research tools and analytical techniques. This knowledge will be of value when you undertake your Master’s dissertation – carrying out a substantial piece of research on an accountancy or financial management issue will enhance your critical and investigative skills, and could benefit your professional practice, too.

Highlights

• You’ll have the opportunity to focus on the global competitive environment, with topics including performance management, ethics, social responsibility, and strategic management accounting.
• Students with a good honours degree in business or accountancy can enrol in optional modules that could enhance your employment prospects.
• You’ll be encouraged to develop a critical awareness of the principles and techniques needed for effective financial decision making.
• Your studies will provide you with the opportunity to evaluate existing empirical research, evaluate and apply theoretical concepts, and think critically and creatively.

Key Features

• Our small class sizes – up to a maximum of around 20 students – give you the chance to benefit from direct and personal guidance from our experienced teaching staff.
• By learning from case studies, and being encouraged to use mathematical and statistical techniques to solve business and accountancy problems, you could benefit in professional situations.
• All our tutors have a masters, PhD or professional accountancy qualifications, as well as considerable teaching and professional experience.

Business management qualifications open doors and are considered essential whether you are looking to pursue a career in business, or achieve higher levels of responsibility in your current work. We’ll support you to enhance your existing Foundation Degree or HND-level knowledge and skills, ready to achieve the status of BSc (Hons) Business Management (Top-up) graduate. You can study advanced aspects of business and management, enhance your professional skills, and boost your employability.

Building on your prior studies, we’ll guide you as you gain knowledge of strategic management, and develop critical inquiry and research skills that support your work and enhance its quality. This flexible Honours-level programme offers a wide choice of modules drawn from our Law, Enterprise, Finance, Supply Chain Management, People Management, Marketing or Retail specialisms, so you’ll have the opportunity to ‘zoom in’ on aspects of the subject you have personal interest and strengths in, or that support your career or further study goals. As a graduate, you’ll also receive the CMI Level 5 Award in Leadership and Management, and some of the modules you choose may offer exemptions from further professional qualifications from institutes such as ACCA and CIM.

Developing your employability is a key focus of this dynamic and flexible programme. Real-life case studies, guest speakers and industry visits are designed to help you to understand the business environment and the needs of employers in local, national and international contexts.

We also aim to help you develop lifelong learning skills so that you can take ownership of your professional development for the future, maximising your potential for success.

Highlights

• The Institute of Management Greater Manchester – and the wider University – provides a warm and friendly environment for your studies, with relatively small class sizes, purpose-built teaching facilities, and excellent student support and library services.
• On successful completion of this dual award course you’ll receive both an academic degree and a professionally-recognised management qualification – the CMI Level 5 Award in Leadership and Management. You don’t need to take extra exams or coursework to achieve the Award – we combine our degree module and CMI assessments streamlining your route to both qualifications.
• We’ll introduce you to your course and new study environment through a bespoke induction programme focused on helping you transition smoothly and effectively to Honours-level study.
• Face-to-face sessions and one-to-one support is offered by our team of highly experienced and enthusiastic lecturers who have worked in a wide range of businesses ranging from multinational organisation to SMEs.
• The University offers excellent 24/7 library and IT facilities, WiFi, and well-appointed learning areas.

Key Features

• This course is offered within our vibrant Institute of Management environment in Bolton town centre.
• We use small group and tutorial teaching, so you have the opportunity to benefit from the excellent support offered by our teaching staff.
• We regularly invite guest speakers who hold senior positions in industry and practice, enabling you to benefit from their knowledge and advice.
• Course materials are available online, allowing you to prepare work at home and make the most of the highly interactive in-class tuition.
• Contemporary research findings are woven into our teaching. We offer a robust academic underpinning to your studies of business management.
• Our dedicated team will support you as you develop critical thinking and research skills and apply these during your final year dissertation or work-based project (if you’re in suitable employment).

If you have a passion for the arts and culture and a keen interest in areas such as creative producing, galleries and curation, and cultural heritage and museums, this master’s degree offers you a route into a rewarding career in arts management. Whether you are progressing straight from undergraduate study, or are already working in the sector, this programme aims to prepare you to work in partnership with a range of arts, theatre and cultural organisations to develop and manage projects that have tangible social, educational and commercial benefits.

Our dedicated team will support you as you investigate the current arts landscape to develop your understanding of the social, political and cultural contexts for the arts, examining growth areas such as arts and wellbeing, social prescribing, social engagement and regeneration. The applications for arts and culture are varied and you’ll have the opportunity to explore areas such as social enterprise, creative engagement, and arts and culture for health and wellbeing.

Your studies will focus on key aspects of arts management practice, including leadership and management, networking and collaboration, logistics and managing risk. Audience engagement, project planning and development, and impact evaluation will also form key cornerstones of your learning. You’ll have the opportunity to work with a number of arts and cultural organisations via live briefs and work-based learning, as well as to gain additional qualifications such as safeguarding, health and safety in the workplace, equality and diversity, and risk assessment to further strengthen your professional profile. Our aim to support you to develop the real-world skills that will enable you to work freelance, on contracted roles within existing organisations, or to set up your own company.

Highlights

• This MA offers opportunities for you to work with a range of arts and cultural organisations across Greater Manchester and the North West region on live projects.
• Our industry-engaged staff are experienced in developing and leading arts and cultural projects, so are well-versed in the skills and knowledge needed for success in the field.
• We’ll focus on helping you develop the practical, real-world arts management skills you’ll need to work freelance, start your own company, or secure employment with established organisations.
• We'll help you learn about tax self-assessment, invoicing, intellectual property and risk assessments, as well as offer business start-up sessions to prepare you to take advantage of opportunities for enterprise development.

Key Features

• Teaching and supervision are delivered by our dedicated team of experienced and well-qualified staff who are engaged in arts practice, management and research.
• We offer an engaging programme of visiting speakers and practitioners that gives you opportunities to network with and learn from industry professionals.
• You’ll have opportunities to gain additional qualifications such as safeguarding, health and safety in the workplace, equality and diversity, and risk assessment, alongside your master’s degree to ensure you achieve a strong professional profile in preparation for employment.