With the first term underway at the University of Bristol, hopefully you are finding a good balance between time to connect with your peers, finding a rhythm with your academic study, and becoming part of the wider Bristol community. Making time to think about extra-curricular experience and your career prospects can feel daunting, but with the Bristol PLUS Award there is an opportunity to integrate this into your daily life.
We hear from Elise Johnstone from the School of Policy Studies, who was a PLUS Award achiever in 2024, on the wide ranging benefits of completing the award.
What is the Bristol PLUS Award?
The Bristol PLUS Award is the University of Bristol’s employability award. Achieved by just 3% of students in 2024, the award is recognised by local and regional employers and rewards students for going above and beyond whilst undertaking academic study. The Award supports students in engaging with work experience, voluntary hours, and careers service workshops and courses which further your employability skills. You are also given a chance to reflect on your experiences to understand how best to articulate those skills you have gained.
“Achieving my Bristol PLUS Award helped me to realise the wealth of opportunities available to me. Thinking about my place in the world, my role as a citizen, and what issues and topics interest me opened my eyes to the types of careers I might be interested in going into.”
Can I use part-time work for the PLUS Award?
Students at university are often hard pressed for time and in acknowledgement of that, the PLUS Award recognises any experience that contributes to your understanding of the working world of work and that helps students develop the skills needed to succeed when they graduate. Elise benefitted from this where she had “often felt limited in participation with extra-curricular activities on offer at the University due to being someone who works part-time outside of studies out of necessity.” She went on to tell us that “Having my part-time work recognised as an achievement that counts towards my award has given me a sense of pride and accomplishment, and I feel that I have been able to make the most of the opportunities available to me.”
How does the PLUS Award engage me with my skill development?
This year, the Bristol PLUS Award includes a skills check using the University’s MySkills platform. This helps students gauge where their skill levels are at the start of their award so that they can tailor their experiences and opportunities to help develop and strengthen certain skills. Elise had the opportunity to develop her research and team-working skills through being encouraged to participate in the Social Innovation Programme with Bristol Hub.
“I was tasked with conducting market research with a team of my peers from all different disciplines and backgrounds. I hadn’t had a lot of experience with conducting research prior to this so I feel like I’ve added a notch to my belt.” Students’ experience throughout the PLUS Award can also compliment academic study, as Elise goes onto explain that she “feels better prepared for the research I will have to carry out for my dissertation this year.”
How can the PLUS Award prepare me to succeed at interview?
“I am now equipped with knowledge on the application processes and interviews”. This is just one of many benefits to completing the Careers and Employability workshops component of the Award. Elise elaborated on how these helped her feel more prepared for applying to graduate roles.
“I feel like there is quite a lot of mystery around what applying for jobs is like and the different interview styles there are, so it really helps that I have been able to attend webinars to give me more information on how I can succeed.”
Why should I complete the PLUS Award?
Elise’s lasting memory of the Award will be of those who she worked with in completing the award, “I always felt that my opinion was listened to and important, and this is something which I will carry forward with me in my life.”
If you want the opportunity to be emersed in extra-curricular activity, new communities and strengthen your employability skills, then the Bristol PLUS Award is for you.
What next?
- Use the Bristol PLUS Award guide to find out more
- Register for the Award on the registration pathway
- Book onto an Introdutory talk