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.’
It was my great honour to undertake a two-month internship at Bristol Braille Technology (BBT) under the SME Internship Scheme. My position at BBT was Braille and Employment Researcher Intern. My main duty was to conduct research on how braille promotes employment and improves the lives of the visually impaired. My work was mostly done remotely.
Working for BBT, I learned workplace etiquette and gained lots of new skills, including working to a high standard. As a non-native English speaker, my English has improved tremendously during this internship. My colleagues and supervisors are all native English speakers, and, frankly, it was a little difficult for me to keep up with them when I first started my internship. I quickly got over this problem with a lot of English practice.
Bristol Braille Technology logo.
At the same time, the research skills I learned at university came in handy and my time management skills have also been enhanced. This valuable experience has laid a solid foundation for my future career.
All in all, as a visually impaired person, I have benefited a lot from this internship, it really boosts my CV and I have become more confident. At work, I didn’t feel any discrimination and I wasn’t treated differently from anyone else. I sincerely hope that more of my peers will benefit from this scheme in the future.(more…)
It has almost been an entire year since Amber Probyn and Hazel McShane, the co-founders of PEEQUAL, won the New Enterprise Competition (NEC) – Growth Stage. We were keen to catch-up with them, to hear all about their success since winning £15,000 in last year’s NEC competition.
Can you summarise what PEEQUAL is?
PEEQUAL is the UK’s first free-standing women’s urinal, making it quick, safe, and sustainable for women to pee at events.
Why did you choose to apply for the NEC last year?
The Outstanding PLUS Awards launched this year, celebrating Bristol PLUS Award achievers in 8 different categories for going above and beyond and making outstanding contributions to their PLUS Award activity.
We received an outstanding 109 nominations across the 8 categories, and our judges were impressed by the breadth of activity and skills of the nominees. Whilst there can only be one winner per category, the judging panel awarded a number of Honourable Mentions to nominees who also submitted outstanding nominations! So, allow us to introduce you to this year’s Honourable Mentions…
Better World
Brief: Tackle global challenges in a local or global context, making a better world in a big or small way
Anthony Salandy, Year 3 Sociology BSc
Anthony Salandy
Anthony co-founded Fahmidan journal as well as Fahmidan Publishing & Co which publishes work by writers of colour and women exclusively, to address underrepresentation in literary publishing.(more…)
The Outstanding PLUS Awards give Bristol PLUS Award achievers the chance to nominate themselves for going above and beyond and making outstanding contributions to their PLUS Award activity.
In this launch year, we received 109 nominations across 8 categories and now, we’re thrilled to introduce you to this year’s winners!
These 8 students were selected by the judging panel for meeting the brief in their category, and showing a truly outstanding contribution to their role.
Better World
Brief: Tackle global challenges in a local or global context, making a better world in a big or small way
Antonia Voigt, Year 1 Education (PhD)
Antonia Voigt
Antonia worked on a research project tackling barriers to secondary education in the Asia Pacific region. She helped to bring together academics, international organisations and local practitioners across the Global North-South divide to foster partnerships and share knowledge!(more…)
The Growth stage of the New Enterprise Competition (NEC) is now open for applications. This stage offers up to £20,000 of funding and pro-bon support to help launch, advance, and grow your start-up to realise its full potential. The competition is open to final year students and recent graduates.
We had a catch-up with Young Goat, the 2021 People’s Choice Award winners, to see what they had been up to since winning £2,000 in last year’s competition. (more…)
Greetings from a second-year Electrical and Electronic Engineering student. My name is Alex and I completed a month-long SME internship for the company Senmag Robotics.
I was tasked with coding demos using the Unity game engine. The demos showcase the functionality and potential applications of the device that the company is developing.
In short, this device is meant to give you three-dimensional precise control and haptic feedback. This allows you to feel virtual objects and effects as if they are physically present.
I carried out my internship remotely, but I did receive a VR headset and one of their devices to play with (and by play, I of course mean responsibly troubleshoot newly written scripts and test added features!).(more…)
In 2021-22, 1111 students achieved the challenge of completing their Bristol PLUS Award, giving their CVs a boost and reflecting on the value of their extra-curricular experiences.
We caught up with Aamir Mehmood, 2nd Year Biology BSc, to find out how he built up his 70 hours experience and achieved his PLUS Award.
Aamir Mehmood, Bristol PLUS Award Achiever 2021-22
‘I have found out I am a lot more resourceful and resilient than I thought. I’m proud to have discovered this through my PLUS award experience’
Aamir achieved his 70 hours through working a part time job as a barista, and volunteering at Brandon Hill as a gardening volunteer.
‘I wanted to volunteer locally and find something where I could really make some difference, helping other members of my community keeping Brandon Hill pristine and looking its best was the most fun opportunity I found.’(more…)
Hi, I’m Samira. My summer internship was focused on marketing, design and behaviour change consultancy. I worked at Design & Tonic (a marketing and design company) to help with the build-up to the launch of their new website.(more…)
“Imagine a gender equal world. A world free of bias, stereotypes and discrimination. A world that’s diverse, equitable, and inclusive. A world where difference is valued and celebrated. Together we can forge women’s equality. Collectively we can all #BreakTheBias. Celebrate women’s achievement. Raise awareness against bias. Take action for equality.” – tagline for International Women’s Day 2022
Today, we are taking the opportunity to highlight and acknowledge a handful of brilliant female students and graduates who have helped to #breakthebias by exemplifying the missions of International Women’s Day through their various projects, start-ups, and volunteering activities. Prepare to be inspired!
IWD mission: To shine a spotlight on activity uplifting and inspiring women to pursue goals without bias or barrier
Arooba Hameed, Year 3 Cancer Biology and Immunology (BSc)
Arooba
Arooba completely embodies this mission and recently won £1000 of funding in the Development Stage of the New Enterprise Competition for the non-profit community group she founded, Higher Education for Asylum Seekers & Refugees (HEAR). HEAR aims to support refugees and asylum seekers in accessing educational opportunities through guidance, training, mentoring & advocacy.(more…)
