Employability Award Overview
Source: https://employability.uq.edu.au/award/overview Parent: https://employability.uq.edu.au/award
How the Award works
1. Register to participate
There are no minimum GPA requirements and you can register to participate at any time during your degree at UQ.
The program is designed to complement your degree and will not extend it.
Once registered, you will gain access to the Employability Award StudentHub Workflow which will guide your progress, plus you will receive regular email updates and invitations to key events.
2. Plan your activities
You must complete all three of the activity categories listed below, whilst enrolled at UQ. Activities must be extra-curricular (not for course credit)
- Work Experience Category (complete 75 hours)\ Activities you perform in a work environment that support the day-to-day running of the organisation to meet their business objectives. The experience can be paid or unpaid.
- Volunteering Category (complete 75 hours)\ An activity that is undertaken for the main purpose of benefitting others, such as a church, sporting club, government school, charity, or non-for-profit community organisation, for which you do not receive payment.
- Supplementary Category (complete five different activity types)\ An activity that is purely for your own development. Involvement can lead to the development of either personal and professional capabilities or attributes.
Important Reminders
An Activities Guide is available to help you start planning and completing activities that are eligible towards the Award.
Supplementary Activity Update: The MCA will continue as an optional supplementary activity until 16 April 2024. As of Semester 2, 2024, to achieve the Employability Award, all students will be required to complete the My Career Adviser (MCA) as a compulsory supplementary activity, alongside their four remaining activities.
3. Record and reflect in StudentHub
After you complete an activity you need to record and reflect on what you experienced.
This process is necessary as it serves as a record of activity completion and provides an opportunity for you to unpack the experience and recognise what capabilities and mindsets you developed.
Taking the time to reflect and understand what you learnt from your experiences is an integral part of this program and will make it easier for you to effectively communicate your potential in the Award application stage and subsequently to future employers.
To complete this step, you will need to access your Employability Award workflow in StudentHub and record and reflect on your experience using the form link located under each Category in the workflow.
A short instructional video is available to help you navigate the workflow as well as more information on how to use the SEAL Reflection Tool.
How to access your StudentHub workflow Using the SEAL Reflection Tool
Tip
We suggest you bookmark your Employability Award workflow in StudentHub so it is easy to locate when it’s time to record and reflect.
4. Application Stage 1 - Submit a written task
Once you have completed all the program activity requirements and recorded and reflected on them, you will receive an email inviting you to submit a written application for the Award, and the Application stage will become available in the Award workflow.
The application stage includes a written application submitted via StudentHubfollowed by an Award interview.
The written application guide is subject to change so we highly recommend you follow the online instructions that are in place during your final semester at UQ when preparing your application.
Your written application must be submitted by the corresponding due date your particular application round.
Tip
A guide is available and outlines what needs to be addressed in the written application.
5. Application Stage 2 - Attend your Award interview
Your interview is the final step in completing the Employability Award program and will be conducted approximately three weeks after the written application was due.
During this stage of the program, you will communicate your employability in an interview situation to a carefully selected interview panel.
Tip
An Interview Guide is available and outlines what to expect and how to prepare.
6. Receive your Award
Upon successful completion of the Award interview, you will receive an email to confirm your completion of the program.
In recognition of your achievement, we will make the necessary arrangements to have your digital Employability Award certificate available for download in My eQuals.
Award recipients will also be sent information to help promote the Employability Award on their LinkedIn profiles and will receive information about joining the UQ Alumni Network.
7. Program evaluation
Student Enrichment and Success would appreciate any feedback or recommendations you have to enhance the program. We will send you an (optional) evaluation following your completion of the program.