Plymouth University students who excel in part-time work and full-time study have been celebrated by the National Association of Student Employment Services (NASES).
For the first time this year, the University entered the Student Employee of the Year Awards (SEOTY) – one of the largest national student awards in the country.
Local employers, including areas within the University, put forward names of students who they think have excelled in their work, and institution winners were chosen in categories Above and Beyond; Commercial Impact; Step up to Leadership; and Student Temp Excellence.
Now Molly Humphreys, who won the Student Temp Excellence award, will be heading to the National competition on 7 July after going on to win the regional round.
From Student Ambassadors and Halls Co-Ordinators to Resident Assistants and IT Support, dozens of nominations were received. Plymouth in fact finished in the top 10 institutions with the most nominations to its name.
Mark Beresford, Careers Consultant and Manager of Student Jobs, was thoroughly impressed by everyone put forward.
“It has been very inspiring to read all of the nominations, especially as they came from employers,” he said. “The judging panel was really impressed with the hard work, commercial awareness, dedication and proactive outlook that the students give to their part time works. It was our first year of entering the competition and we came within the top 10 universities in the country for the number of nominations received from employers, which was an achievement in itself. What really impressed though was the quality of nominations and the contributions the students made.”
Shirley Walker, Head of Careers & Employability, said:
“As an employer of our own students we were aware of the enthusiasm and high quality contribution our students make to our own workforce. Naturally the main motivator for our students combining work and study is to improve their employability skills, but it’s important to recognise that they also make a really positive impact on our local economy.
“We are very pleased with our first year of being involved in the competition and hope to continue to raise the profile of the competition and our students’ contributions in the future. We would like to wish all our students all the best with all their future achievements and huge congratulations to all nominees.”
List of winners
Above and Beyond award: recognising an outstanding student making a huge impact working in your organisation going above and beyond on a regular basis.
Lauren Tapscott – “In her role as Student Ambassador, her upbeat attitude is infections and this can really have an impact in our events and how the prospective students view us as a university.”
Morwenna Dobson – “In her role as a partnerships fundraising intern ‘Morwenna demonstrated tremendous dedication to the Westcountry Hawks Wheelchair Rugby fundraising project and has written some complex bids in order to secure up to £10,000 for the club, which really will make a huge difference.”
Commercial Impact award: recognising a student who has made a big commercial impact to a business or service.
Aneta Nastaj –‘”In her role as an Information Administrator, Aneta has demonstrated superior knowledge of library policies and procedures and is always well prepared and organised and is always able to spontaneously answer even the most difficult questions in a calm and friendly manner. She has received many verbal and written recommendations of her outstanding work within the Library and IT Gateway.”
Step up to Leadership award: recognising students who have demonstrated leadership skills by taking responsibility for projects or departments.
Timotej Velkarh Blazevic – “In his role as a Hall Co-Ordinator Tim has exhibited dedication, care for students, respect and friendliness – his team of Resident Assistants feel supported and empowered to build a community within their hall and he makes himself available for advice and support when necessary.”
Student Temp Excellence award: recognising students working within an agency or job shop making an outstanding contribution to the work that they are employed.
Molly Humphreys – “In her role with Student Jobs she has continually proceeded to exceed all expectations, is very dedicated to her role and in a short space of time has become an extremely valuable member of our team, and she has provided us with an excellent, professional social media outlet.”
