Nottingham Advantage Award
Develop work-related skills through The Nottingham Advantage Award (NAA) by completing extracurricular modules. You will reflect on your experiences and skills and understand how to demonstrate these to employers in the recruitment process.
The NAA is open to all registered undergraduates and postgraduate students and researchers. You can complete one or two modules per academic year, and as they are separate from your degree, you can tailor your NAA experience to suit you!
Each module is unique and will provide different learning experiences such as:
There are many benefits of taking part in the award including:
For each module you complete, you will receive:
Most modules run during autumn or spring term, but some are available year-round or in the summer. Make sure to check individual information module pages, as some open and close a bit earlier or later than these general dates:
Autumn: First day of term - October 31
Spring: December 1 - January 31
Summer: May 1 - May 31
- Browse the modules and carefully read the module detail pages. Please ensure you can attend all the mandatory sessions if there are any before you apply.
- Click 'How to get involved' which will take you to the application form or provide joining instructions.
- View Your Advantage Award to see the application progress. Keep an eye on your emails! Your module convenor will be in touch with further details.
If you have any questions about a specific module, you can find the module convenors contact details at the bottom of the module page.
Go to the Choosing your modules page for further support. You can also find answers to all the common frequently asked questions in the FAQ tab.
What do students say about the NAA?
Each module I took allowed me to develop transferable skills – organisation, time management and self-reflection to name a few – that will benefit me when I begin looking for work after my degree. I would highly recommend the NAA for students looking for something to make them a more employable candidate for graduate jobs.
It was one of the highlights of my time at the University of Nottingham.
The Placement and Internships Scheme module was instrumental in helping me shape my career aspirations by reflecting on my experiences and critically evaluating my strengths and weaknesses and how these skills apply in real-world settings.
What are the modules and how do they work?
Choose modules that suit you! There’s a wide variety of module types, so you can find something that suits your schedule, learning style, and career interests. Some modules are open to all students, while others may be tailored to your specific school or faculty - perfect if you’re looking for something more closely linked to your degree.
Choose from:
- Work experience - get hand-on in a real workplace
- Work-like experience - simulated professional tasks to build practical skills
- Accredit existing activities - like your part time job, peer mentoring or volunteering
- Fixed sessions - attend scheduled workshops and activities
- Work at your own pace - take control with self-directed learning modules
What's involved?
All modules will contain at least one assessment, which is designed to help you grow and develop your skills. You’ll find full details on what’s involved on each module’s info page.
Each module is designed to help you:
- Identify and develop new and existing skills
- Build self-awareness through reflection
- Learn how to showcase skills to employers
When you join a module, you’ll complete tasks and learning activities (these could include workshops, online modules, or project work). Once everything’s done, you’ll submit your assessment and receive your result through MyCareer under Your Advantage Award.
Ready to explore your options? Take a look at the Choosing your modules page to find the modules right for you!
Examples of modules open to all
Some modules are open to all, and you will also find modules specific to your school or faculty. Go to the NAA homepage on MyCareer to browse the full list of modules.
What experience do I need?
The Nottingham Advantage Award is open to all registered undergraduates, postgraduate students and researchers, regardless of how much experience you have. For most of the modules, you don’t need any specific experience to apply.
There are a few specific modules that have pre-requisites to applying. You can find this information on the module details pages when you browse the modules.
Postgraduate presentation
As a postgraduate, we understand that you are often trying to fit a lot into a short period of time and it can go by in a flash! That's why we give you the opportunity to bring all your learning together at the end of the year in this optional presentation. This helps you to reflect on your whole experience and understand how to articulate the value of your postgraduate degree and NAA module(s) to employers.
When you pass, you will receive your digital badge and your results will be printed on your degree transcript to recognise your achievements, along with the NAA modules you have passed.
To prepare for the presentation, you have the option to attend two online workshops:
The sessions are designed to help you create an academic poster and understand different ways to engage your audience and make an impact during your presentation. These skills will be invaluable after graduation, both for interviews and presentations in the workplace. In addition, if you plan to progress into research, it is likely you will be required to create academic posters and present your research, so this gives you a great foundation and head start!
Next steps:
To be eligible for the presentation, you must have completed at least one Nottingham Advantage Award module and be a postgraduate, either completing a one-year master’s or PhD.
Keep an eye on your emails! You'll be sent information about the postgraduate presentations in July, and you'll be given a link to register your interest.
The workshops are usually held online in August, and the presentations are generally held in September.
For more information, visit the Postgraduate Presentation Moodle page.
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