PHOTO OPPORTUNITIES: Tomorrow (Wednesday, April 26) 1.00pm – 3.00pm, Elphinstone Hall, University of Aberdeen
A new and innovative competition designed to make students more employable when they leave university concludes this week with a prize-giving reception for the winning teams.
Future Skills is the first initiative of its kind aimed at developing the key skills students will need to effectively deal with the realities of the working world such as organisation, communication, team-working, decision-making, and problem solving.
At the University of Aberdeen, 97% of graduates enter directly into work or further study within six months of graduating. However, with an increasing number of people going to university, it’s now more important than ever for students to make the most of their time at university to ensure they have something to offer employers.
Organised jointly by the Aberdeen University Students’ Association (AUSA) and the University’s Careers & Appointments Service, Future Skills is open to both individual and team entries. The main stipulation is that the students must incorporate the Future Skills ethos into an every day activity the team or student is involved with, for example, a sports club or society; volunteering; or part-time work. Last year’s inaugural competition proved a huge success with over 70 students taking part and gaining in enthusiasm and business awareness from the experience.
This year’s Team Competition, sponsored by Nat West, has been running since September 2005 and will conclude with a prize-giving ceremony for the winning team on Wednesday, April 26, at Elphinstone Hall, King’s College.
Future Skills organisers will join with students from the 13 teams who took part. Ms Cathy Macaslan, Vice-Principal of Learning and Teaching, will present each of the students with a commemorative certificate. The prizes for this year’s winners include £1000 for first place; £500 for second place; and £300 for third place.
Regina Styles, Careers Adviser and Project Manager at the University of Aberdeen, said the competition inspires students to realise their full potential. She said: “Future Skills encourages work experience and makes students more aware of the skills they gain through the 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.”
The teams were set the challenge of outlining clear goals and objectives for their sports clubs, societies, or part-time job for the year. The competition then involves the students running their activity as normal but with one eye on achieving the objectives and to create or achieve these as a team. The teams are also required to deliver a brief presentation to the panel of judges, which includes officials from the University’s Careers & Appointments Service, Aberdeen University Students’ Association, and competition sponsors.
The Individual Competition, which will be launched on the evening of April 26, will run from May – September 2006, when the students will work on their projects and present to the judges in the autumn.
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 University of Aberdeen 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.”
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.