The Employability Award helps students to prepare for the world of work by helping them:
- Recognise employability skills they gain through coursework, part-time work, and extra-curricular activities.
- Understand and develop new relevant skills during their time at university and showcase what they have to offer on their CV and gain confidence in interviews.
The applicants learn lifelong skills and practices that they can utilise and continue to develop in their personal life and in their professional life, during their time in university and throughout their career.
To earn this badge the student must:
- Take part in Employability Skills workshops provided by employers or partner groups across the university and attend Employability & Careers workshops.
- Complete at least 40 hours of Work Experience, which can be part-time work, voluntary, community or with groups across the university (previous work experience can be used).
- Updated CVs and practice interviews are evaluated, and a specific standard must be met to qualify for the award. This ensures the award's integrity and maximizes its value to recipients.
Business Acumen|||Networked with employers at workshops and events which developed commercial awareness, creative problem solving, strategic thinking, and to be able to see the bigger picture.
Communication|||Developed the skills to effectively communicate suitability for a job through a targeted CV and a recorded interview. Enhanced through taking part in a variety of workshops, the ability to listen and communicate effectively with others.
Confidence|||Built belief in the skills developed through coursework, work experience and extra-curricular activities, and confidence to be able to communicate these effectively on CV and in interviews. Practised emotional intelligence skills and utilised self-awareness tools and techniques to identify strengths and values which help in career path selection and preparation.
Critical Thinking|||Learned to look at recruitment with an employer’s lens and use this to critically appraise what changes and improvements one can make when applying for jobs. Developed understanding of how to tailor CV and interview preparation, depending on job and employer, crucial for life-long career management. Reflected objectively on the learnings gained and skills developed through participation in the award.
Lifelong Learning|||Managed own learning and developed awareness of learning needs based on the stage of Career Readiness. Completed the award as an optional addition to university course.