As thousands of both new and returning students arrive at Warwick to begin or resume their academic studies, behind the scenes the university Skills Training team is busy as they prepare to launch the brand-new Warwick Award. We thought we would share with you why we are excited to launch the award and how it can benefit you both whilst you are with us at Warwick, and as you start positioning yourself for that all important next step towards your dream career.

So, first things first; what is the Warwick Award? It is a new University of Warwick initiative that offers students the opportunity to gain recognition for the employability skills they develop within and alongside their studies. It is a great way of encouraging students to think more deeply about the skills that they already have, the skills they need to develop further and how they will present their skills and experiences to future employers.

The Award is based around 12 core employability skill sets that research by the Warwick Institute of Employment Research has identified as being crucial for the next step in a students’ journey. These skill sets are critical thinking, problem solving, self-awareness, communication, teamwork, information literacy, sustainability, ethical values, digital literacy, intercultural awareness, organisational awareness, and professionalism.

The Award is free for all Undergraduate, Master’s, Exchange, and Degree Apprenticeship students. Students can choose the pace at which they complete the Award and which skills they focus on, allowing them to design their own programme and development plan. For undergraduates, the Award will also appear on their Higher Education Achievement Report (HEAR).

The Award is the Warwick response to the growing demand for students to be able to develop employability skills whilst at university and evidence them to employers when they are looking for work. Anyone who has any contact with Warwick students knows that they are bright, capable, and highly skilled. Students just need to be able to articulate and then demonstrate this during their interactions with potential employers

So, how does the Warwick Award work? For each Warwick Award accredited activity completed, a student will earn Core Skills Points (CSP’s). These points help students track their progress towards the Award and their development of the different core employability skills it covers. Each activity will be worth a different number of Core Skills Points based on several criteria, including how much time is spent developing a skill, how demanding that development is, and how much opportunity students have to practise the skill.

Some examples of activities that will earn Core Skills Points towards the Warwick Award are academic modules that have embedded core or employability skills, skills training courses (whether online or face-to-face, work placements, internships, study abroad visits, volunteering through Warwick Volunteers), or leadership roles such as Faculty, School, and Departmental representation or SU society and Sports Club committee membership.

One Core Skills Point is equal to five hours of learning effort, and students will need 60 Core Skills Points to complete the Warwick Award Gold stream. 60 Core Skills Points is equivalent to 300 hours of activity over the full duration of a student’s time at Warwick. Therefore, we expect most Gold Awards to be earned over the course of a three or four-year undergraduate degree. However, Masters, Exchange, Degree Apprenticeship, or part-time students should not worry; other award streams are available with a lower points threshold to ensure they can still earn a Warwick Award during their time as a Warwick student.

So why not Sign up for the Warwick Award now! 

• If you are just starting at Warwick and it is your first time using the Gradintelligence platform at Warwick, you will need to activate your account using the link sent to your university email address (search Gradintelligence to find it). If you cannot find this, you can easily reset it here. 
• If you are a returning student and you have previously accessed your Higher Education Achievement Report or a digital Award Certificate, you will have already created a username and password for your account. If you need to reset it, you can do so here.  

We look forward to seeing you progress through the Warwick Award!