May 16, 2012, by bbasb

William Lobo wins the Leadership Prize supported by Barclays Retail and Business Bank

Final Year Economics with French student, William Lobo, has successfully completed the Nottingham Advantage Award and is the winner of the Leadership Prize supported by Barclays Retail and Business Bank. Barclays were looking for a candidate that had demonstrated that they had developed and utilised leadership qualities and attributes in activities throughout the award.

The prize from Barclays Retail and Business Bank was a paid summer internship and an iPad 2. At the event Will was presented his prize and certificate by Laila Crosby from Barclays Retail and Business Bank.

As part of the award Will undertook the following modules: Developing Personal Skills, Career Skills in Economics and Part-time jobs, Vacation jobs and Volunteering

What Will had to say about winning the prize:

“In my first year I went to the Careers Service and they mentioned that the Nottingham Advantage Award was being set up. I decided to join and took part in one of the first modules, which was Developing Personal Skills through Teamwork. As I was playing university hockey anyway I thought it was a great chance to think a bit more about what I was actually learning. I have chosen modules that compliment my interests throughout my university career.  I have always tried to do things because I have wanted to do them rather than just ‘for the CV’. As the Advantage Award has expanded I haven’t struggled to find modules which interest me. The modules have definitely helped my employability. Whilst you are taking part in extra-curricular activities, you are not often thinking about what you are actually getting out of it and recognising that you are developing a number of skills. It is not until you actually start reflecting on it and analysing it that you can make the most of those opportunities to develop personal skills and recognise what you have learnt.

So many students are involved in many extra-curricular activities during their university careers. The Advantage Award modules and these prizes are a really good way of bringing together all of that experience under specific competencies. This year I took the module Work Experience and Volunteering. It was great to be able to apply the framework we used to think about a range of experiences from voluntary work to internships.

I applied for this prize in particular as I hope that I have shown leadership qualities in some of the activities that I have been involved in during my time at university. The leadership prize had some very attractive components, in the prize itself, the Barclays internship programme in Canary Wharf, and the iPad. I am delighted to have been selected as the winner. It is a great honour to have been recognised for a university wide prize so I am very proud and pleased.

The internship with Barclays Future Leaders Development Programme is going to be very good for my personal development. There will be a number of sessions on leadership skills and the chance to work on exciting projects, all within the Barclays headquarters at Canary Wharf (which also houses the London Olympics Organising Committee this summer!). I will predominantly be working in the Barclays Wealth division. I imagine that some of the new clients may be French individuals moving to London to avoid the new top rate of tax proposed by the recently elected Président Hollande so hopefully I’ll get a chance to use my French. I did an internship with Ernst & Young last summer and that was great exposure to the working world and professional life. I always wanted to experience a few different options in order to make an informed decision about my future. The Barclays internship is certainly going to be a great chance to see something a bit different.

It’s going to be great exposure to a different sector and offers the chance to meet other interns, Barclays graduates and senior employees. The introduction of the prize itself is a great initiative of the Nottingham Advantage Award, especially given the association with Barclays. I feel honoured to have received this recognition through the University of Nottingham and the Advantage Award. I am very grateful to both Barclays and the university Careers Service for setting up this opportunity.”

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