• What is the Ulster Edge Award?• What do I Need to do?• When will I receive the Ulster Edge Award?• FAQ’s

Agenda…

Career Development Centre

• Visit our Information Room 13G01 (UUJ), H214 (UUC), MF226 (UUM)

• Find out who your Career Development Adviser is – http://careers.ulster.ac.uk

• Make use of Career Development Centre Resources

Factors to consider

Did you know that there are over 85 applications for every graduate job

Employers are recruiting graduates who not only have a degree but also key transferable skills

View what EDGE graduates say

What is the Ulster EDGE Award?

• An employability Award for F/T Undergraduate Students

• Provides official recognition and evidence for activities outside your programme of study

• Taken in addition to your degree

• You have up to 4 years to complete the award.

• You will receive it with your degree at graduation

How do you achieve the EDGE?There are 3 steps to complete: 1, 2, 3

1. Register for the Ulster EDGE Award

2. Choose and complete activities (during the length of your degree programme)

a) EDGE Award: complete 4 activities which are NOT all from the same category b) EDGE Excel: complete 6 activities across 3 categories (no separate registration)**Ensure that each activity is verified within the academic year that you complete the activity**.

3. Apply for the Award (in final year) once you have completed activities

a) Ulster EDGE Award: Written application – (end of April)b) Ulster EDGE Excel Award : Written application & Employer-led panel interview – (mid

April)

**Gain the EDGE Excel Award – You will be considered for the ‘EDGE Award student of the Year’**

How do you achieve the EDGE?

EDGE: Complete 4 activities (they CAN’T all be from same category)

EDGE Excel: Complete 6 activities from across 3 categories

Category 1: Accredited co-curricular modules

Category 2: Work Experience, Study Abroad and Enterprise

Category 3: Internal & External Opportunities

Category 4: Formal University-wide Opportunities

Category 1 Category 2 Category 3 Category 4Accredited co-curricular modules

Work experience, Study Abroad and Enterprise

Internal and External Opportunities

Formal University Wide Opportunities

•Open to 1st Year students•Building your skills PPD105 •Developing Skills for Work PPD104 •Graduation- what next? PPD102

Open to all students•Skills Development through Student Representation

Open to Law, Psychology, Pharmacy, Built Environment, Computing and Engineering students•Peer Assisted Study Skills 1 PPD037•Peer Assisted Study Skills 2 PPD051

Open to Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences studentsNational Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE) Student Champion PHA001

Open to Criminology, Politics and Social Policy•Student Global Village PPD196

Open to Nursing Students•Reflect on Me PPD131

Open to Creative Arts studentsDesign Portfolio and CV Production PPD240

P/T job•Work Experience Skills Builder Module PPD 184

Year long Placement – DPP(I)/DIASYear Long PlacementStudy USAStudy AbroadInternational Student Exchange Programme (ISEP)Language Assistant Ulster Sports Outreach Educational Placement ProgrammeErasmus

Short-term placements (listed below)- only if you complete module 'Employability through work experience' PPD100Washington Ireland ProgramIAESTE Placement

Short-term placement (open to Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences students)Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Science Spanish Summer Placement Project PHA506

Preparation Module (only open to computing students)Placement Preparation PPD120

•Open to all•Sports/Students Union Club or Committee Member•Student Union Rag Volunteer•Volunteering with External OrganisationsOpen to Social Work students•Social Work Individual Practice Development DaysOpen to Sports students•Ulster Sports Outreach Education Induction Training Programme•Ulster Sports Outreach Sport for LIFE programmeOpen to UBS students•Entrepreneurship Competitions•CIMA Accredited SAGE certificateOpen to Nursing students•Disaster Risk Reduction•Immediate Life SupportOpen to Computing & Engineering•Stem AmbassadorOpen to Media, Film & JournalismStudent Innovation Competition (with EDGE)Open to Sports and Creative Dance•Dance for Life Programme•Open to Biomedical Sciences StudentsDeveloping job application and interview skillsOpen to Law StudentsStreet Law ProgrammeOpen to Engineering students Formula Student

•Tutoring in schools

•Students Union Enterprise Competition Team Member

•Sciences and Ethics: Debates and Dilemmas

•Developing Digital literacy

External opportunities•Business Enterprise Academy•Business Bootcamp•Leaderhsip Development Programme Module 1 &2

FAQ’s

• Do you have to complete a certain amount of activities in a year?– No the amount each year is up to you, as long as you have four activities

completed before you graduate.

• Can activities I completed last year count?– No, Only CPPD modules from last year can be counted as this will

already be recorded onto the universities database.

• How much time do I need to volunteer for it to be included as an activity?

– You must volunteer for at least 30 hours.

FAQ’s

What steps do I need to take if I volunteer for an organisation outside of the University?

• You need to check that the organisation you are volunteering has signed up with the SU (check SU website). You need to fill out a log book from the Students Union to record the hours and the activities you took part, has to be signed off by your volunteering supervisor and verified by the SU

What if the voluntary organisation is not registered with the SU?• You need to encourage the organisation to register with the SU

otherwise if you are doing 40 hours over a year with the organisation you can engage with ‘work experience skills builder module’ CPPD module

Students Union Activity Logbook

Targeting Your CV

Can activities I have completed during vacation periods throughout my degree be used?• Yes, any activity that is completed during your degree can be counted towards

the award provided that it has been approved by the EDGE award team.

How do I get my activity credited towards the award?• Once you have completed the activity it will be your responsibility to hand in

your log book so that staff can go online and confirm successful completion within that academic year.

Can part time/short term employment count towards this award?• No, unless you engage in the CPPD module ‘work experience skills builder’

allowing you to reflect on the skills which you have developed

FAQ’sHow do I check my progress on EDGE?

Email the Ulster EDGE Team:

Jordanstown: edgeJN@ulster.ac.uk

Belfast: edgeBT@ulster.ac.uk

Magee: edgeMG@ulster.ac.uk

Coleraine: edgeCE@ulster.ac.uk

I have completed all four/six activities… now what?

Once all four/six activities have been completed you must then apply for the award. You will receive an email prompting you to do this when the time comes.

What happens if I withdraw my application?

If you decide you no longer wish to participate in the award, contact a member of the Ulster Edge Award team.

Drop into the Career Development Centre for more information