New Awards Celebrate Academics Who Champion Employability in Their Teaching

Launching today, the Academic Employability Awards will celebrate outstanding employability initiatives in the curriculum in higher education.

Open to universities in the UK and Ireland to enter, the Academic Employability Awards will celebrate academics who provide excellent employability support to students through their teaching practice and provide a platform for sharing good practice. 

These prestigious new awards are organised by the Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services (AGCAS) in partnership with Universities UK, GuildHE and the Institute of Student Employers, along with corporate sponsors Virtual Internships.

Entry to the ten awards is free of charge and nominations are now being accepted for the following award categories:

1. Trailblazing Innovation in the Curriculum

• Technology for Employability: Recognising innovative use of technology to enhance employability. Universities may apply on their own or in partnership with a technology supplier. 

• Authentic Assessment for Employability: For incorporating employability and real-world scenarios into assessment practices, demonstrating meaningful learning and skill/attribute development. 

• Curriculum Design for Employability (sponsored by Virtual Internships): Highlighting active and experiential learning approaches, such as work-based learning or placements, that embed employability to deliver added value to students. 

• Postgraduate Employability: Dedicated to initiatives supporting the employability of PGT and/or PGR students in the curriculum. 

2. Partnership and Co-Creation

• Employer and Community Partnerships: For collaborations with external partners that bring significant employability value to students and benefits to the wider community and/or economy. We welcome joint award submissions in partnership with employers or civic/community groups. 

• Co-created Employability Initiatives: Celebrating programmes co-designed in partnership with students to foster their career confidence and collaboration. 

• Enterprise and Entrepreneurship: Focusing on skills for freelancers and self-employed graduates, supporting entrepreneurial ventures and developing an enterprising mindset. 

3. Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI)

• Inclusive Employability Practices: For initiatives aimed at reducing employment gaps and increasing career opportunities for disadvantaged or minoritised groups. 

• International Employability and Global Skills (sponsored by Virtual Internships): Recognising programmes to support international students or prepare all students to develop skills for global careers. 

4. Special Recognition

• University of the Year: A prestigious award celebrating the university which demonstrates outstanding support for employability through their academic-led teaching and learning practice across the institution and at a system level. 

More information on each of these categories and the judging criteria can be found on the awards webpage. To enter the awards, applicants must submit a 1,000-word written entry via the online form clearly stating how they meet the judging criteria. 

Applicants may also submit a supporting document and video alongside their main entry.

Award entries should be submitted before the deadline on Friday 7 February 2025. The winners will be announced at a prestigious award ceremony in central London in April 2025.

All winning entries will be published after the awards ceremony to share good practice across the higher education sector and inspire more academics to embed employability in their teaching practice.

The judging panel includes:

• Professor Malcolm Press CBE DL, Vice-Chancellor of Manchester Metropolitan University
• Stephen Isherwood, Joint CEO of the Institute of Student Employers
• Professor Karen Burland Clark, Lead for Employability, Opportunity and Ambition in the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Cultures, University of Leeds
• Gemma Kenyon, Director of Careers and Employability at City St George’s, University of London
• Dr Maisha Islam, Doctoral College Research Lead (Equality, Diversity and Inclusion), University of Southampton
• Dr Brooke Storer-Church, Chief Executive, GuildHE
• Dr Colm Cunniffe, Cooperative Education Manager – Science & Engineering, University of Limerick

Martin Edmondson, CEO of AGCAS, said: “We are delighted to announce the launch of the Academic Employability Awards, which are the very first awards in the world – that we know of – that are solely focused on academic employability activity. With the increased focus on graduate prospects and meeting local skills needs, supporting employability is an increasingly important consideration in all job roles in higher education. We want to celebrate academics who are already working hard to provide better outcomes for their students and inspire even more academics to embed employability in their teaching practice.”

Professor Malcolm Press CBE, Vice-President of UUK and award judge said: “Universities UK is proud to be supporting the Academic Employability Awards, celebrating excellence in preparing students for successful careers. The ‘Blueprint for Change’ published earlier this year calls on universities to provide graduates with a minimum of five years career support. This commitment reflects our ambition as a sector to embed employability into curricula, helping support the evolving skill needs of the UK. These awards highlight the innovative and impactful approaches that academics use to open doors for students, fostering growth and opportunity across the country”.

Dr Brooke Storer-Church, CEO of GuildHE, said: “We are delighted to support the establishment of a national awards programme recognising outstanding employability initiatives in higher education. GuildHE represents a large number of the UK’s most mission-driven institutions, focusing on vocational and technical higher education, and including major providers of professional study in education and community service; healthcare; agriculture, food and the built environment; business and law; and the creative arts. The new awards will not only celebrate innovation and best practice but also drive a focus on equipping graduates with the essential skills and knowledge they need to succeed in a rapidly changing work landscape, ultimately benefiting graduates and employers alike.”

Stephen Isherwood, Joint CEO of the Institute of Student Employers, said: “With skills of ever-increasing importance in graduate careers, employability strategies and activities become even more vital. We hope these awards will inspire more academics to work with employers to help students' successfully transition into working life."

Daniel Nivern, CEO and Co-Founder of Virtual Internships, said: “At Virtual Internships, we're committed to bridging the gap between education and the workforce. Investing in employability isn’t just about better job outcomes—it’s about building resilient, future-ready graduates. The Academic Employability Awards give a platform to the educators who lead the way in preparing students for real-world success, and we're thrilled to support this inspiring initiative.”

Entry criteria and guidelines

• Entries must relate to activities led by academic staff rather than professional services staff.
• While the awards are designed to recognise initiatives led by academics, evidence of effective partnership working with professional services teams or interdisciplinary collaboration will be welcomed and taken into account by judges
• Entries may be submitted on behalf of individual subject disciplines, departments, faculties or the whole institution.
• Successful entries will have delivered high levels of impact and this should be clearly evidenced in your award entry. Evidence can be provided in either quantitative or qualitative form. We welcome entries that can cite forms of measurable employability data, examples could include but not be limited to demonstrable learning gain, skills development and career readiness.
• One way of demonstrating impact could be citing improved graduate outcomes at course or faculty level, showing measured improvements for all or specific groups of students as a result of the work.
• The judges are particularly interested in entries that demonstrate support for closing the gap for under-represented or minoritised students. In this context, outstanding impact might take place at a smaller scale than more widespread interventions, but this will be taken into account during the judging process.
• The judges would like to see evidence of deeper engagement with skills development, going beyond surface-level interventions to produce long-lasting positive effects for students. 
• We recognise that some programmes are easier to embed employability into than others. Special consideration will be given to entries that demonstrate clear added value to students on programmes that are not focused on a particular vocation.

Award FAQs

What are the key dates and deadlines?

• Award entry deadline: Friday 7 February 2025
• Shortlist announced end of February 2025
• Award ceremony date April 2025 tbc

Do you have to be an AGCAS member university to apply for the awards?

Yes. However, almost all universities in the UK and Ireland are members of AGCAS. To check if your institution is eligible, visit our member directory. Non-members may still book tickets to attend the awards ceremony.

Are the awards free to enter?

Yes.

How do I upload my 1,000-word entry?

Entries can be submitted via our online form. Once you have selected the category you’d like to enter, you can add your written entry into the text box.

How do I submit supporting documents?

You can attach one supporting document per award entry. If you have a supporting video, you may also provide a URL in the online form.

Can we enter the awards if one of the judges is from our institution?

Yes, but the judge will not take part in assessing your entry to avoid conflicts of interest. 

Do you offer feedback on entries?

If your entry isn’t shortlisted, we can provide numerical scores as feedback upon request.

When will the shortlists be announced?

End of February 2025.

When is the awards ceremony?

The awards ceremony will be held at a central London venue in April 2025. The final details will be announced in due course.

How much will tickets for the awards ceremony cost?

Tickets to the award ceremony will be priced at £50 per person. Bookings for the ceremony will open in due course.

Notes for editors

For media enquiries contact Lucy Begley, Communications Manager: communications@agcas.org.uk  

AGCAS is the expert membership organisation for higher education student career development and graduate employment professionals. Through our members, we support the best possible career outcomes from higher education for individuals, institutions, society and the economy.