May 30, 2013, by brach6

Celebration Event 2013

This month the University of Nottingham celebrated the achievement of students who have completed their Nottingham Advantage Award this academic year. The event took place in Trent Building’s Great Hall. Speakers from the University included Wyn Morgan, Director of Teaching and Learning; Stephen Dudderidge, Head of Student Operations and Support; Sarah Speight, Academic Director of the Nottingham Advantage Award and Sharon Bell, Associate Director of the Careers and Employability Service.

The Nottingham Advantage Award is in its fifth year and is offered through the Careers and Employability Service. It was developed as a scheme to aid students in developing and understanding the work environment, as well as giving them the necessary tools to improve their employability. The Celebration Event, hosted every year, welcomes all students who have passed all three modules required to complete the scheme, as well as top graduate employers who sponsor and are actively involved in the scheme.

This year ten of our students were awarded prizes by representatives from graduate employers Barclays, Teach First, PwC, GE, Experian, Ernst & Young, BT, Enterprise Rent-a-Car and Accenture. These prize winners received a special Award for their excellence throughout the Scheme. The Vice Chancellor of the University, Professor David Greenaway, in collaboration with STA Travel awarded one student with the ‘Global Graduate Prize’ and £500 of STA Travel vouchers.

The award is greatly valued by its students who recognise the importance of improving their employability.  Mathew Liasis, this year’s Joint winner of Barclays’ ‘Leadership Prize’ says that ‘the NAA has enhanced the value of my degree by allowing me to share my beliefs in ambiguous settings, embrace different ways of solving the same problem and personally develop into a highly dependable team player… [it] has given me exposure to practical and international business environments, allowing me to realise a strong degree of my leadership potential in which I have become a more assertive decision maker and influential team leader. As a leader I have recognised the importance of a client focus and adding value to a business by delivering solutions that go beyond set expectations’.  Shakiru Okunade, MEng Chemical Engineering finalist, says ‘I wholeheartedly recommend the Nottingham Advantage Award to anybody who wants to get a little more out of university. I have also met some great like-minded people, some of who I still keep in touch with on a regular basis’.

The Nottingham Advantage Award Scheme encompasses a variety of modules including leadership modules, contribution to community, and seminars about preparing for job interviews. These seminars are delivered by representatives from graduate employers offering graduate opportunities, giving students ‘real’ experience of interviews, an opportunity to network and to impress potential employers. The Award has an ever-widening scope, facilitating language learning in the form of accredited evening classes, rewarding students for being active members of the Students’ Union and much more. The Celebration Event aims to honour its students’ achievements and to recognise their personal and professional development.

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