Social science placements win prestigious employability award

Our Faculty of Social Sciences’ Employability team has won recognition at this year’s National Undergraduate Employability (NUE) Awards after securing a record score from judges.

Essex won the Best University Placement Service (Under 100 Placements) Award which celebrates a team which has “gone above and beyond to help students apply for and maximise their work experience opportunities”.

Antony Cotterill, Senior Employability Manager in the Faculty of Social Sciences, said: “We are thrilled to receive this award. It acknowledges the effort, commitment and innovation we have demonstrated in order to achieve substantial growth in placement numbers and to inspire many student success stories. 

“We have a diverse mix of students and we were able to demonstrate to the judging panel that our programme was about enhancing the placement experience for our students and giving them the chance to make a real difference in their placement. 

Our Challenge project is just one example of how we try to innovate – where we ask students to use their political and economic expertise to develop innovative and cost effective recommendations for Essex County Council on economic growth, civic engagement and community resilience. Alongside these projects our Successful Futures Conference brings together over 300 students every year to inspire them.”

“The enthusiasm, passion and dedication of our team was praised by the judges and our presentation to them around the themes of ‘Aspire, Inspire, Believe’ was awarded a record score of 41 out of 45. This is a success we look forward to building on in the future.”

The NUE Awards are now in their ninth year and are supported by the Institute of Student Employers. The team received their award at a ceremony in London.