Completing the Bristol PLUS Award is a great way to reflect on the experiences you have whilst you’re a student and get confident in your career planning.
James Mwendwa, 2nd Year Geology MSci
James Mwendwa, second year Geology student, achieved his PLUS Award this year in recognition of a range of experiences gained during his first and second years, in term time and during the holidays.
‘The steps to achieve my PLUS Award opened up new opportunities and skills in employability and interview techniques.’
Here’s how James completed each of the PLUS requirements:
1 x Bristol Futures course:
‘I completed the Sustainable Futures course.The course inspired me to apply for an internship this summer with an Environmental Agency.’
4 x workshops and courses:
‘Finding work experience’ workshop (attended in his first year)
‘Interview Practice’ workshop, ‘Applications’ workshop, and ‘Teaching Careers Fair’ (attended in his second year)
‘The workshops delivered by the Careers Service made me more confident in communication, networking and liaising.’
70 hours of experience:
60 hours as a Bartender: completed in his hometown during first-year winter break
‘Working through football matches and music events made me more confident functioning in high pressure situations.’
20 hours as a Podcast volunteer: Since his first year, James has volunteered with the SU’s BURST radio
‘During my first term, I joined BURST radio with a friend and made a podcast show called “A Date with Bristol”. The premise of the show was to eat out and recommend independent restaurants.’
Our podcast gave us the opportunity to explore Bristol, a city that blends its green spaces with evolving, vibrant cultures. The opportunity to travel to these amazing places helped with understanding Bristol’s diverse community and learning the culture of the visited cuisines.’
Complete your PLUS
If you’re registered for PLUS, don’t forget you need to achieve your Award before Friday 10 June deadline, login to your account today!
Remember, you can submit evidence from any year of your studies, including during vacation periods and from anywhere in the world.
One last thing; we asked James for his best Bristol foodie recommendation:
‘In the third episode of “A Date with Bristol” we wandered through St Nicholas’s Market, a global food-festival positioned between three adjacent streets. This was my favourite episode as while visiting stalls filled with clothes, toys and trinkets there was an aromatic smell lingering from the food stands…’
