UEA’s Award Fellowship boosting career development for students
By: Communications
The University of East Anglia (UEA) has recently introduced the UEA Award Fellowship, an advanced career development programme designed to build on the proven track record of The UEA Award, a certification that is designed and delivered in-house, with similarities both in activities and outcomes, to the Duke of Edinburgh Award.
Through activities such as volunteering and entrepreneurship, The UEA Award certifies students' achievements in ways employers value, giving them a competitive advantage in their chosen job market. Originally the award had three levels: Bronze, Silver and Gold, but a further level, the Award Fellowship has since been introduced following discussion with participants.
Image: Natalie Freeman, UEA Award Manager in the University’s Careers Service
Natalie Freeman, UEA Award Manager in the University’s Careers Service, explains why:
“The UEA Award Fellowship programme was developed in response to Gold Award completers expressing an interest in continuing their reflective journey. The core UEA Award equips students to reflect on the transferrable skills they have developed through day-to-day activities and articulate their strengths in recruitment situations.
“Fellows are expected to speak at employability events when invited, mentor current Award students and to demonstrate to current students how employability skills awards are a brilliant way of improving self-development.”
Ilona Winn, who graduated in 2022 with a BSc in Ecology and Conservation participated in the Fellowship, which significantly influenced her early career with Norfolk County Council, where she melds her passions for sustainability and encouraging people to spend time outdoors. She said:
“The UEA Award Fellowship has been a really great opportunity for me and my development. I completed the Award whilst working full-time in my first graduate job. Although balancing the work was challenging at times, it was a great way for me to reflect on my work development and learnings in a structured way, helping me feel more confident in my job.
“Six months after graduating, I started working in the Active Travel Team at Norfolk County Council. My team, which sits in the Environment Department, aims to enable and encourage more people in Norfolk to travel actively by cycling, walking or wheeling (using a wheelchair or mobility aid). I work on a variety of behaviour change projects, for example to teach more children, especially in deprived areas of Norfolk, how to ride a bike.”
Study Ecology and Conservation
Award Fellowship programme benefits
Advanced Reflective Models: Introduces new frameworks for professional reflection.
Mentorship Opportunities: Allows participants to guide current UEA Award students.
LinkedIn Proficiency: Provides training on leveraging LinkedIn for career growth.
Community Engagement: Engages Fellows in UEA employability events and resource development
Benefitting the region and beyond
Ilona isn’t the only Award Fellow utilising the skills and experience they’ve honed within East Anglia. Computing Science graduate, Callum Clegg, who now works as a software engineer at SimSage in Cambridge, said:
“The Fellowship programme has helped me apply my academic experience to a professional context, equipping me with the necessary tools to complement the technical ability I gained on my course. I have developed leadership and reflective learning skills and have been able to lean into my intuition and self-expression in the world of work. Since completing the UEA Award and the UEA Award Fellowship, I have successfully passed recruitment interview panels.”
Beyond the region, Environmental Science graduate, Jahidul Hussain, works as a Graduate Planner at Arup, a global engineering and design consultancy at their Birmingham office. They said:
“I signed up to the UEA Award Fellowship whilst undertaking my master's degree. The commitments never added additional pressures to my studies and were easy to pick up as I continued to progress through the programme.
“As part of the fellowship, I acted as mentor for current UEA Award students to help with their own UEA Award progress. I was able to support them by giving examples, advice on structure and talked about my own experiences of employment at UEA. It was great to give a little back to UEA and I know I will be using the skills I have learnt from the Fellowship in my future career.”
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