Boost your CV and become more attractive to potential employers. Complete the award to explore your career options and gain the skills and experience you need to get job-ready.
What is the Westminster Employability Award?
Westminster Employability Award is an employability achievement award supporting your career and personal development by formally recognising the extracurricular activities you complete during your time at the University of Westminster.
There are over 150+ activities to choose from, allowing you to tailor your journey during your time as a student. It is designed to help you gain experience and develop key skills that employers want you to have. Find out more about yourself, explore different options and get job-ready by completing the award.
How to sign up
If you are new to the award and an undergraduate student, you can register by clicking Bronze level on Engage. For Postgraduate taught students (MA, MBA, MsC, MRes), you can join the dedicated Postgraduate Gold level on Engage.
Already completed a level(s) of the WEA in previous years? Don’t worry, you can simply join the next relevant level when you log into Engage and select ‘pathways’.
Please feel free to email the Westminster Employability Award team if you have any further questions at [email protected].
When to complete the award
You can complete the award during your time at the University of Westminster. There is no sign up deadline, and you have until 1 May of your graduation year.
2024/25 prizes
Our undergraduate and postgraduate prizes are awarded to students who can demonstrate evidence of personal development and commitment with attending sessions, being an active member of the community and seeking support to help develop their employability. A breakdown of the prizes offered in 2023-24 can be seen, below. Please check back later in the term for our 2024-25 list.
Undergraduate prizes:
- Bronze level: 6 x £50 (2 per college)
- Silver level: 12 x £100 (4 per college)
- Gold level: 15 x £200 (5 per college)
Postgraduate prizes:
- PG Gold level: 12 x £200 (4 per college)
Special category prizes:
- Platinum level: 15 x £250 (5 per college, split between undergraduate and postgraduate)
- WEA Outstanding Contribution: 6 x £500
- WEA Personal Development Award: 40 x £200
Terms and conditions apply to prize draws and we reserve the right to cancel or amend criteria for prizes without prior notice. For further information about prizes please email [email protected].
Why you should get involved
Employers want much more than just graduates with a degree. They value individuals who have invested in their personal and professional development and have gained skills through various activities.
You will get recognition for the extracurricular activities you do on and off campus and will be able to identify and evidence the skills you have developed to potential employers.
Upon successful completion of the award, you will:
- Receive a digital badge within 7 working days of completing a level
- Add something different to your CV and stand out from the crowd
- Gain confidence and be able to articulate your skills and experience to employers
- Attend the Vice Chancellor’s University of Westminster Employability Awards Celebration event in June
How it works
We understand that life can get in the way, so the award is achievable and supportive in recognising students for trying out new things that they may not always have the time to complete fully.
To access the Westminster Employability Award, you will need to access the Pathways option via Engage. There are four pathways in total for Undergraduates: Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum. For Postgraduate Taught students, we have two: Postgraduate Gold and Platinum.
If you are completely new to the Westminster Employability Award, you will have to start at the first Pathway available to you and have the option to work your way through the levels during your time as a student. Each pathway is divided into ‘development areas,’ which aim to improve your confidence, expand your knowledge, and gain work experience, so you become highly employable when your course finishes.
To complete a Westminster Employability Award Pathway, you must register, then pick and choose from a list of activities, read what is required, and in most cases upload evidence (could be a screenshot of an event, an email confirming participation in an activity, or digital certificate as some examples). Once the evidence has been accepted, you will receive points for that activity, which will contribute to an overall score.
Each Pathway has a target score to fulfil before you can complete it. Once you have gained enough points required within a Pathway, you can either keep continuing gaining points on the same Pathway or make your final submission to claim your digital badge.
To move up through the different Pathways, you must complete them in sequence. For example, an Undergraduate wanting to gain the Gold Pathway would need to complete Bronze, then Silver and then finally Gold.
For any questions about the Westminster Employability Award , feel free to contact the team via email [email protected].