BCU Award
The BCU Award recognises the skills you gain outside the classroom. By completing activities, you can earn awards that demonstrate your development to future employers.
What is the BCU Award?
The BCU Award is an award framework that complements your degree. It is designed to capture and showcase your personal and professional development, helping you grow as a future graduate while preparing for your individual career aspirations.
Who can take part in the BCU Award?
As a BCU student, you are automatically part of the BCU Award community. We encourage all students to get involved in the wide range of activities, events, and opportunities available both inside and outside the University.
Why should I get involved in the BCU Award?
The BCU Award offers an amazing opportunity to develop and test your skills, step outside your comfort zone, and build your graduate capabilities. It helps you grow personally and professionally while preparing you for the graduate job market.
What types of activities count towards the BCU Award?
Activities that contribute to the BCU Award include:
- Volunteering
- Part-time work
- Studying abroad
- Placements
- Societies and sports teams
- Learning a language
- Career tools and workshops
What will I gain from taking part?
You’ll have the chance to:
- Experience and develop new ideas
- Build long-lasting networks and social contacts
- Reflect on your strengths and skills
- Discover more about yourself and your goals
- Enhance your employability and confidence
- Step out of your comfort zone
- Learn to reflect and articulate your achievements
Is the BCU Award recognised by employers?
The BCU Award is the first scheme to receive from . AdvanceHE commended the scheme for providing students with a clear, straightforward opportunity to engage with a broad range of skills, knowledge, and experiences that enhance their studies and career readiness.
How does the BCU Award work?
The award is designed to recognise your engagement and growth across four progressive levels.
Each level encourages reflection and development in different ways:
- Bronze Award – Attend, Explore, Discover: Get to know what you like, what you don’t, the support you need, and how to develop.
- Silver Award – Experience, Test, Build: Build on your earlier experiences by becoming more actively involved in opportunities.
- Gold Award – Extend, Challenge, Stretch: Gain in-depth experience through greater commitment, involvement, and professional practice.
- Platinum Award – Excel, Accomplish, Exceed: After achieving Gold, the Platinum level encourages deeper reflection and consolidation of your understanding and attributes.
How do I take part in the BCU Award?
To begin your BCU Award journey, visit the BCU Award website to explore the available resources and find out how to start.
If you want more information, contact the BCU Award team.
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Graduate+ is an award framework which complements your degree. It is designed to capture and provide evidence to help you grow as a future graduate while preparing you for your individual career aspirations.
As a BCU student you are an automatic member of the Graduate+ community and we want to encourage you to get involved in the range of activities, events and opportunities available to you both inside and outside the university.
This is an amazing opportunity for you to develop and test your skills and graduate capabilities while getting you to step outside your comfort zone.
BCU Graduate+ Award
Activities include:
- Volunteering
- Part-time work
- Studying abroad
- Placements
- Societies and sports teams
- Learning a language
- Career tools
You will have a chance to experience and develop new ideas while making long-lasting network and social contacts throughout your time at University and beyond.
Graduate+ is the first scheme to receive employability endorsed status from Advance HE commending as follows:
AdvanceHE
Graduate+ is the first scheme to receive employability endorsed status from AdvanceHE - which recognises our commitment to ensuring our students receive the best preparation for life beyond the University.
To get started on your award or to find out more about Graduate+ and the resources available,
visit their website.
Want to know more?
Find out more about employability and placements.
The award
Activities and events are designed to reflect all that you do as you look to enter the graduate job market whilst developing personally and professionally. These can take place either inside or outside the University community giving you a chance to reflect and understand how this fits with your future.
Bronze award
Attend, explore, discover
Get to know what you like, what you don't like, what support you need and how to develop.
Silver award
Experience, test, build
An opportunity to build on the exploration and discovery stage by getting more involved.
Gold award
Extend, challenge, stretch
More in-depth experience, commitment, involvement and Professional practice.
Platinum award
Excel, accomplish, exceed
On completion of Gold, the newly formed Platinum level will allow for deeper reflection of each individual attribute, thus further consolidating your understanding.
Why get involved?
We believe that by taking part in BCU Graduate+ you’ll:
| Get to know what you like and don't like |
| Network and build contacts |
| Step out of your comfort zone |
| Discover more about yourself |
| Develop a broad range of experiences |
| Reflect and articulate your skills and experiences |
Get started
To start your Graduate+ award today simply visit the website.