Student Volunteers and Coaches Complete Edinburgh Award

Every year over 1000 students from the University take part in the programme, with bespoke versions being offered across schools and departments, all aimed at enhancing the employability of graduates. 

The Edinburgh Award is a skills development programme organised by the Careers Service that recognises students' engagement in extracurricular activities alongside their studies. Participants select three specific skills to develop throughout the programme, actively seeking opportunities to enhance these competencies. The Award emphasizes reflective practice, requiring students to assess their progress at multiple stages: initially setting development goals, conducting a mid-point evaluation, and completing a final reflection on their achievements and impact. This structured approach not only aids in personal growth but also prepares students to articulate their experiences effectively to future employers. Upon successful completion, the Award is documented in the student's Higher Education Achievement Report (HEAR), providing formal recognition of their commitment to personal and professional development.

The Sports Union offers two versions of the Award:

Leadership

This version is for students who are in committee positions within Sports Union clubs. Students in these roles take on a wide variety of responsibilities, often over multiple years and some across multiple clubs. This version offers training on leadership skills and styles; conflict resolution and having difficult conversations; and managing their time and workload. 55 students from 38 different sports clubs, including  Intramural teams, completed this years version.

Coaching

Student sport doesn’t function without student coaches, and this is the space where so many take their first steps into this side of sport. Coaching not only requires a good knowledge of the relevant sport, but a whole host of skills that students wouldn’t get as many opportunities to develop outside of sport. This year 12 student coaches from 11 sports clubs completed the Award, which included a 2-part Sport Psychology introductory module.

These students have shown great leadership in taking on roles within the sports clubs, and have now gone above and beyond in demonstrating the importance of leaders committing to continual personal development.