Edinburgh Award

Source: https://careers.ed.ac.uk/build-experience/edinburgh-award Parent: https://careers.ed.ac.uk/

Take part in the Edinburgh Award to gain recognition from the University for the skills you have developed.

There are several versions of the Edinburgh Award available, and which one is right for you depends on the activity you are doing. This page is for those who wish to complete the Award alongside work experience activities. For more information about the Award and the versions available please see the Edinburgh Award website.

The Edinburgh Award (Work Experience)

The Edinburgh Award (Work Experience) is a self-led Learn course created by Careers professionals and administered by the Careers Service.

Over semester from October and May, we are piloting a completely self-led course with no live sessions, where you can take part whenever suits you during this period.

We will then run the Award again over the summer from June to August which will be leader-led and will have live sessions at the beginning and end. You must be available June to August to take part.

During the Award, you will set three development goals relating to your work experience, reflect on your progress throughout and, finally, produce a written piece which summarises your progress.

Please note:

As the more flexible Award from October and May is a pilot, we will limit numbers this year, and will close applications when this limit is reached.
The Edinburgh Award only recognises work experience that takes place outside of your degree, so, credit-bearing internships are not included.

What's in it for you?

Receive formal recognition for your commitment to gaining work experience during your studies – the award will appear on your Higher Education Achievement Report (HEAR).
Develop self-awareness, and learn how to understand, reflect on and talk confidently about the skills you have gained.
Complete a self-led course filled with tailored career planning, personal development resources and support from the Careers Service team.

Thank you for the wonderful programme and for providing support and stimulus to people so that they can improve themselves. The programme supplements and compliments work experience while studying really well.

Edinburgh Award (Work Experience) participant

I have increasingly seen the value in reflection. I recognise how helpful it will be, when I come to apply for jobs in the future, to have a log of the things I have achieved, the skills I have developed and the experiences I have had.

Employ.ed for PhDs Intern

Is this Award right for you?

The Award is a University-wide opportunity and there are lots of versions to choose from:

Versions of the Award

You are eligible to register for this Award if you are a current University of Edinburgh student for the duration of the Award, and you have secured (or are in the process of securing) work experience. Your work experience must be at least 12 weeks long for the semester Award, and for the summer Award it needs to take place over the whole length of the Award (i.e. at least mid-June to mid-August. If it starts before or ends after the Award that's fine). You must also be able to commit 50 hoursover the duration of the Award.

You also cannot have completed this version of the Edinburgh Award before or be completing another version of the Edinburgh Award or SLICCs for the same work experience.

You must complete a minimum of 35 hours in your role/s during during the Award, e.g.:
Part-time job
Freelance/self-employment (where you have a commitment to an employer, voluntary organisation or client)
Summer internship (not including Employ.ed on Campus internships which have their own Award)
Employ.ed for PhDs (part-time internships all year round for PhD students). See below for more information on our Employ.ed Internship programmes.
Volunteering that is not through Edinburgh University Student's Association (EUSA) or its Volunteering Hub:

The Edinburgh Award - Edinburgh University Student's Association

2. If you are completingless than 35 hours of work experience, you must also complete 10 hours of research and personal development, e.g. networking with professionals, completing career assessments.

3.All participants willcomplete a minimum of 5 hours of Input sessions and assignments. The time to put aside for each Input is approximately 1.5 - 2 hours.

Please note:

This Award cannot count previous work experience completed before you have started the Award.
If you are in your final year of study and are graduating within a couple of months of finishing the Award, it may not be added to your HEAR record.You will still receive a certificate by email though. The same applies for visitingstudents. To ensure your award is formally recognised on your HEAR record, you must complete the award by 30th April 2026 ahead of graduation ceremonies taking place.
PhD students are welcome to participate in this award but please note it is not added to your HEAR.

Schedule and registration

The Award will run twice in the academic year 2025/26. You can take part at any point between October and May (as long as you complete at least 12 weeks of work experience before the end of May) or for the whole of June to August.

Sign ups to take part between October 2025 – May 2026 will open Monday 06 October 2025.

Schedule and Registration

Employ.ed

Employ.ed on Campus

If you have been successful in your application to the University’s summer internship programme – Employ.ed on Campus (recruitment begins in February each year) – there is a bespoke version of the Award that you will be told about at your induction session.

Employ.ed on Campus

Employ.ed for PhDs

The University also runs a part-time internship programme specifically for PhD students all year round. If you are successful in applying for one of these internships and you will complete 30-40 hours of work experience, you will be eligible to take part in the Award.

The Edinburgh Award is not a compulsory part of completing an Employ.ed internship.

Employ.ed for PhDs

Frequently Asked Questions

How does the Semester Award work?

You can sign up to the award any time from 6th October 2025 to 1st March 2026.
The minimum length of time to complete an award is 12 weeks and the maximum time is 8 months.
You must complete the award by 31st May 2026.
There needs to be a minimum of 4 weeks between each Input session where you can actively develop your skills through your work experience.
There are no live sessions, the course in completely self-led so it’s up to you to manage your time and complete all the tasks. We are here if you need any support or have queries.

The earlier you sign up to take part, means the more time you have to complete the award.

Where can I find the session dates for the Summer Award?

Our summer dates for 2026 are not available yet. Key dates will be listed in the Schedule and Registration section of our website, and then all dates for sessions and submissions are available in the Learn course after registration.

Schedule and Registration

How long do the assignments, online sessions and peer review parts of the Award take?

The time to put aside for each Input is approximately 1.5 - 2 hours.

When does my work experience have to take place?

For the semester version (from October – May), as long as your work experience is at least 12 weeks long and you start the Award before March, it can take place at any time.

For example, you might have an ongoing part-time job that you start in September and plan to have until the end of the academic year, or a part-time internship that you start in October and finish at the end of February.

For the summer Award, your work experience needs to take place over the whole length of the Award (if it starts before or ends after the Award that's fine). This means at least mid-June to mid-August.

For example, you might start a full-time role around the beginning of the summer that finishes at the end of summer.

If your role doesn’t fit in with the Award however, we have lots of reflection resources you can use instead which will help you to get the most out of your work experience:

Reflection Toolkit

Can I participate in two Awards at the same time?

Yes, but you cannot complete this Work Experience Award twice, and you can't use the same work experience for two different awards. There are several versions of the Award and you should select the Award that is most relevant to your work experience:

Versions of the Award

Can I participate in two different work experiences?

Yes, you will be asked to select three skills to work on for this Award for the duration of your Award, so you should keep this in mind if you plan to count several experiences towards your Award. Consider whether you will have opportunities to develop the skills in each setting.

My internship is credit-bearing for my degree - would I be eligible for the Edinburgh Award?

No, the Edinburgh Award only recognises work experience that takes place outside of your university degree.

Does the Edinburgh Award recognise work experience completed in the past?

No, previous work experience is not recognised on the Edinburgh Award. The Award supports you to set personal goals and work towards them while reflecting on your progress while you work. You can log any work experience hours completed after you have set your development goals.

What counts as a ‘top up’ activity if I can only complete 35 hours of work experience?

You must be able to explain how the activity has contributed to your professional development so it should include learning, either experiential or theoretical. Examples include a webinar delivered by an employer or an IAD workshop. The Edinburgh Award does not accredit School-based activities completed as part of your degree.

How do I log my hours?

In your Learn course, you will use a logbook to keep track of your hours and the activities you have completed. You can submit this at the end, saving a copy as you go along to keep on track.

How do I submit my assignments?

Each assignment becomes available in your Learn course once you have met the criteria to move on to the next stage. Please check the overviews for each Input and ensure they have been expanded. Subsequent Inputs will not be available until 4 weeks after the previous input has been completed.

I find reflecting on my progress difficult, are there any resources that can support me with this?

Reflection helps you to identify areas of strength and areas for improvement in both your work and the work of others. The process of reflection supports you to explore and understand your personal values, motivations and interests. You will also reflect on the impact you make.

You can find resources to help with reflection here:

Are there examples of other students’ reflections I can look at?

Yes, you can find examples of reflection on the Edinburgh Award website.

Visit the Edinburgh Award website

This article was published on 2024-05-14