PHOTO OPPORTUNITY: Tonight (Wednesday, April 27), at 7.30pm, Elphinstone Hall – details to follow
A new competition focused on supporting graduate employment will conclude this week with a prize-giving reception at the University of Aberdeen.
Future Skills is the first competition of its kind open to all students at the University to help make the most of their work experience, voluntary work or any other activity they are involved in.
Organised jointly by the Aberdeen University Students’ Association (AUSA) and the University’s Careers & Appointments Service, the competition was held over the last autumn and spring terms and attracted upwards of 70 students.
In its pilot year, the competition featured two strands with entries from societies and sports clubs in the Team Competition and students from the Grampian Area Student Tutoring Scheme taking part in the Individual Competition.
Future Skills organisers will join with competition participants at the awards ceremony tonight (Wednesday, April 27) at Elphinstone Hall, King’s College, at 7.30pm where Dr Graeme Roberts, Vice-Principal of Teaching and Learning will present each of the students with a commemorative certificate.
The winner of the Individual Competition, which was sponsored by BP, will receive £250 worth of travel vouchers with two second prizes of £125, while the Team Competition winners will receive £500 towards the club or society they are representing, and £500 towards the individuals who entered.
Regina Styles, Careers Adviser and Project Manager, University of Aberdeen, said she was delighted that the competition had inspired students to enter and to realise their full potential.
She said: “The aim of the Future Skills competition is to encourage work experience and to make students more aware of the skills they gain through the many activities they are involved in.
“We hope that the competition will enable our students to become more confident and to market themselves more effectively when they apply for jobs or postgraduate courses.”
Locker Madden, Head of the Careers & Appointments Service at the University and one of the judges for the team competition said: "I believe this new and exciting competition should be both fun and developmental. I am delighted to be involved and I hope the participants gain in enthusiasm and business awareness from this experience.”
Bryan Snelling, Student Activities Manager at Aberdeen University Students’ Association said: ”For years Graduate employers have been telling us that the number of graduates leaving university without key skills and thinking that just a degree will get them the job they want, is on the increase. We have decided to try and support Aberdeen University students to help them gain these key skills and support their employability and development in the future giving them more of a chance to get the job they really want “
The Individual Competition focused on students who are interested in the teaching profession and involved the participants spending time in a local school every week. This initiative was supported by the University’s Centre for Lifelong Learning. The Team competition saw the 11 teams developing their personal and social skills to build on their extra-curricular activities.
All students were required to set objectives, collect evidence and keep a diary of their progress. They were also asked to deliver a brief presentation and to chat with the judges. Each student was appointed a mentor to offer help and support with their projects.
For more information on the next round of the Future Skills competition contact the Careers & Appointments Service on (01224) 273601 or email: careers@abdn.ac.uk or Aberdeen University Students’ Association on (01224) 272965.