GSM London Horizon brochure

Gain a real competitive edge With the Horizon Award Programme

Distinctive higher education

A degree alone is not enough.

Employers are looking for more than just technical skills and knowledge of a degree discipline.

Lord Digby Jones, Former Director-General, CBI

THE HORIZON AWARD | horizon.award@gsmlondon.ac.uk | Distinctive higher education

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The Horizon Award The purpose of the Award is simple; in short it brings an extra dimension to your qualifications when you graduate, enriching your personal development and demonstrating the breadth of your learning and experience whilst at GSM London.

By taking part in valuable and sometimes challenging activities in areas including Employability and Enterprise, Supporting the GSM London Community, Personal Skills Development and Cultural and Social Awareness you confirm that not only are you academically able, but also a graduate whose strengths, competencies, skills and positive outlook will be a real asset to any organisation.

Every student should understand that a university degree should involve a robust experience challenging them not only with theory, but true to life practical situations.

Why is this important? Employers are looking for applicants who stand out from the crowd and who recognise their own strengths, abilities and ambitions.

The Global Employment market has shown that employers all over the world are looking for graduates with a distinct personality, a strong academic background as well as a well-rounded dossier of extracurricular experiences. The aim of the Award programme is to assist our GSM London students to acquire additional skills that

Chloe Johnstone Employability Award Coordinator Horizon Award Coordinator, Greenwich & Greenford Chloe.Johnstone@gsmlondon.ac.ukÂ

will help them enhance their employability, adding value to their career and empowering them to achieve their career ambitions.

The Horizon Award can be undertaken throughout your studies and upon completion participants will be invited to an annual award event to celebrate their success. The successful student will not only walk away with a unique award, but also hold a portfolio to support their job search.

We hope students will find it a rewarding experience, but to succeed will require personal dedication to the programme.

It is my hope that every student attending GSM London will consider very carefully the opportunity that the Horizon Award represents, and upon completion look back on an enriching experience that enabled them to make a difference.

Enjoy the Award and may it help you achieve your career dreams.

John Liberty Horizon Award Programme Manager Deputy Director of Careers and Employability

Sandra Rhule Faculty Employability Consultant Horizon Award Greenwich Lead Sandra.Rhule@gsmlondon.ac.uk

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THE HORIZON AWARD | horizon.award@gsmlondon.ac.uk | Distinctive higher education

The Award categories To be eligible for the GSM London Award you will be required to complete activities across four categories:

PERSONAL SKILLS DEVELOPMENT

EMPLOYABILITY AND ENTERPRISE

SUPPORTING THE GSM LONDON COMMUNITY

CULTURAL AND SOCIAL AWARENESS For each Award activity you will earn points. To achieve the full Award you will be required to earn a total of 100 points.

A minimum of 50 points must be obtained from the Employability and Enterprise category. The remainder can be accrued from any combination of activities from the remaining three categories. You can choose which activities to complete, some examples are listed in this brochure, but students are encouraged to submit their own ideas for additional activities.

Students are eligible to start the Award on commencing their studies at GSM London. The Award must be completed prior to graduating.

Verifying activities undertaken is an important part of the Award. The process can vary according to the activity undertaken.

In some instances verification is achieved by approval from the category leader via the My Future system. For other activities students may be asked to provide documentation to support claims.

Don’t forget an activity can apply to more than one category

THE HORIZON AWARD | horizon.award@gsmlondon.ac.uk | Distinctive higher education

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Category one

Employability and Enterprise This category lies at the very heart of the Award; it focuses on current employment and entrepreneurial experiences.

It also recognises the employability skills that every successful graduate jobseeker must have.

Many students balance the demands of part time employment or running their own enterprise whilst at GSM London. You can give yourself a great start in achieving the Award simply by providing the necessary documentation to support this. Typically we ask that these are provided by an independent source and documented on headed note paper.

If you are one of our ever growing group of budding entrepreneurs at GSM London then your evidence might include company documentation and evidence of what stage of development your business idea has reached. The more advanced the idea the more points you will be awarded.

My Future All students can engage with the GSM London careers team via our cutting edge My Future portal. It provides access to wide range of seminars, workshops and employer led events.

The list is endless!

For instance you can understand the importance of a high quality CV, and learn what it takes to develop the skills to successfully negotiate interviews and psychometric tests. Best of all the Careers and Employability team have a wealth of Higher Education and industry experience at your disposal to support you all the way.

By attending one of our regular industry focused weeks you can accumulate useful points that work towards your ultimate goal of achieving the Horizon Award. Remember to achieve the Award at least 50% of your points must come from this section.

Our cutting edge My Future portal provides access to wide range of seminars, workshops and employer led events

The portal gives you the opportunity to develop the job search strategy which works for you. Enhance your professionalism and learn how to get the best out of the latest social media tools so that you are able to develop an all-important online brand.

By learning how to develop and then manage your personal branding, you will learn the correct way to conduct yourself in the workplace. Appreciate the importance of first impressions and understand the importance of ethics and business conduct in the world of work.

John Liberty Deputy Director of Careers & Employability Category Leader for Employability & Enterprise If you have any queries regarding this category please feel free to get in touch with me.

John.Liberty@gsmlondon.ac.uk

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THE HORIZON AWARD | horizon.award@gsmlondon.ac.uk | Distinctive higher education

Category two

Personal skills development Self-development is part of the journey for every student whilst attending higher education, this category recognises the additional skills that you can develop during your time at GSM London.

Every GSM London student is encouraged to embrace learning in as many ways as possible. This means doing more than just that specified in your curriculum. The Horizon Award recognises the additional commitment and dedication this requires.

It maybe that you are already investing in yourself in this way as part of the interests you already have, or it may be a completely new area which you have always wanted to explore. Employers are interested in these skills too, and the Horizon Award allows you to bring these very personal aspects of your life to their attention.

Listed below are some of the areas you might be considering. All of these activities and much more are eligible for points as part of the Award; • Understanding your strengths • Learning a new language • Communication skills • Time management • Learning to cook, play a musical instrument and dance.

Mansoor Hussain Senior Personal Tutor Category Leader for Personal Skills Development If you have any queries regarding this category please feel free to get in touch with me.

Mansoor.Hussain@gsmlondon.ac.uk

The Horizon Award recognises your additional commitment and dedication Available Support Whilst you may undertake these activities independently, this does not mean you are alone. There are many GSM London resources to support your success in this category, including your Personal tutor, on-line courses, GSM London workshops as well as the Students Union and academic staff.

Whatever skill you are seeking to develop, we will show you how you can demonstrate your progress and evidence of your improvement during your time at GSM London.

Supporting Evidence Naturally to gain the proper level of recognition in Horizon points, you will be expected to demonstrate the progress you have made whilst at GSM London. How this can be achieved should be discussed with the careers team or your category leader.

THE HORIZON AWARD | horizon.award@gsmlondon.ac.uk | Distinctive higher education

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Category three

Cultural and social awareness This category gives recognition for increasing your own cultural and social awareness and for enriching the lives of others, through a variety of creative projects. These activities allow the opportunity for personal creativity and innovation.

The range covered by this category is both wide and diverse; through the range of eligible activities students can: • Develop innovative events, seminars and workshops that inform and educate others, allowing scope for creativity and areas of personal interest.

• Fundraise for charitable organisations, socially enterprising organisations, places of worship.

• Form new and interesting student societies within the Students Union.

• Organise social or culturally enhancing events and trips for other students to participate in and enjoy.

Unity Unity is a GSM London society designed to bring people together and celebrate cultural diversity, through music and the arts. Whatever your passion, Unity invites you to enhance your skills and educate other people on your own cultures, religions customs and beliefs.

By participating in Unity seminars and workshops, students will be coming together with like-minded individuals to produce creative projects, including; uplifting new music, art pieces, cultural events, fashion shows, fundraising and social work in the local community.

Organising an Event Maybe you would like to be responsible for organising and running your own event to share with others. You would control the whole project, from starting with a creative, fun, and feasible idea. You would be required to draw up a plan of how the event will run, and to promote the activity to your target audience and of course run the event on the day.

Unity is about celebrating your heritage and teaching others about your customs. Whether it’s a religious holiday, Independence Day, cultural celebration or festival, Unity gives an opportunity to come together and rejoice, whilst informing others of your practices and inviting them to join in the festivities.

Fundraising Raising money for a worthwhile cause is a wonderful way to give something back to society and get points for the Horizon Award. You are encouraged to develop your own creative, unique fundraising activity to raise funds for a charity or not-for-profit organisation. Choose a worthwhile cause that’s close to your own heart, get inspired to raise funds and have some fun along the way.

Choose a worthwhile cause that’s close to your own heart

Natasha Capal Student Event Manager Category Leader for Cultural & Social Awareness If you have any queries regarding this category please feel free to get in touch with me.

Natasha.Capal@gsmlondon.ac.uk

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THE HORIZON AWARD | horizon.award@gsmlondon.ac.uk | Distinctive higher education

Category four

Supporting the GSM London community These activities recognise those who have been prepared to undertake positions of responsibility within the wider GSM London community. Students who undertake these roles will play an important part in shaping the educational future.

Through the range of activities available students can; • Enjoy new opportunities.

• Increase self-awareness of current skills.

• Encourage positive change within GSM London.

• Develop new and existing skills, particularly in management and leadership.

The following example activities will allow you to develop skills that are relevant to your working life.

Student Ambassador The role of the student ambassador includes being a part of our student-staff team, undertaking paid work for GSM London. The job requirements vary from one engagement to another. They may incorporate event promotion, data administration and signposting. In order to be eligible for Horizon recognition students must be employed as a student ambassador on three separate occasions. Best of all you also get paid for the hours you work.

Student Representative The role of the student representative is a vital part of the student engagement agenda within the organisation. Student representatives are democratically elected through an annual election cycle. Your typical activities might include; attending training sessions on a range of topics, hosting student drop-in sessions, participating in inductions or matriculation ceremonies. Student representative committee meetings will give you a great foundation for meetings in the work place, conveying transferrable skills.

GSM London Projects During the year students are regularly invited to take part in projects that are designed to improve the student experience at GSM London. Invitations to join these projects are issued by the student engagement teams and other departments. These projects are varied and consist of both paid and unpaid roles. An example of one such project is the student “shadow cabinet” which has contributed to curriculum revision and events like graduation.

Sylvia Osafo Student Engagement Officer Category Leader for Supporting the GSM London Community If you have any queries regarding this category please feel free to get in touch with me.

Sylvia.Osafo@gsmlondon.ac.uk

All of these opportunities require significant commitment, and the points for the Horizon Award are individually assessed and awarded on conclusion of your period of service.

Committee meetings provide a foundation for meetings in the work place, conveying transferrable skills

THE HORIZON AWARD | horizon.award@gsmlondon.ac.uk | Distinctive higher education

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Thinking about what you have achieved and what you have learnt as a result

Reflecting on your experience To complete the next stage you will have to take a step back and reflect on your experience of participating in the Award.

Reflective learning doesn’t mean reading a book in front of a mirror, rather it is all about looking back on what you have done, and thinking about what you have achieved and what you have learnt as a result. To complete the Horizon Award, you are therefore required to write a reflective report.

Preparation - Reflection Logs To help you write the report it is recommended that you keep a regular reflection log. This log should contain your jottings and thoughts that relate to the activities you are doing towards the Horizon Award. They do not need to be very formal; they just need to be recorded in a format that means something to you.

You should ask yourself a number of questions about each of the event(s) or experience(s) that you have had over that time period: • What was the experience?

• What were your reactions to it?

• What you actually did.

• What you have learnt.

Reflection Report By the time you have come to write your report, you should already have a collection of reflection logs that you can look back over. Here are some of the general things you may want to consider when it comes to writing the report: • What has changed? Compare yourself to when you started the Award to yourself now. What has changed? What events/experiences have caused these changes?

• What have you learnt? What new skills have you acquired?

• What did you expect? Has completing the Horizon Award lived up to your expectations?

Did anything surprise you?

• What would you do differently? If you had to do the Horizon Award again, how would you approach it the next time? Would you prepare yourself differently with the hindsight you now have?

Finally how has the Horizon Award benefited you? The big question! What positive impacts have completing this Award had for you?

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THE HORIZON AWARD | horizon.award@gsmlondon.ac.uk | Distinctive higher education

Getting started So now you are ready to start. If you have not already done so you should attend a Horizon Award induction meeting. These are held at both the Greenwich and Greenford campuses at the beginning of each semester.

Notes

If you have already completed this stage, then arrange a personal planning review with a member of the careers team at your local campus. horizon.award@gsmlondon.ac.uk

THE HORIZON AWARD | horizon.award@gsmlondon.ac.uk | Distinctive higher education

Notes

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Contact The Horizon Award is open to all GSM students. Induction events will be held at Greenwich and Greenford campuses at the start of each semester. If you are interested in enrolling on to the Award or have questions please contact

horizon.award@gsmlondon.ac.uk

The Horizon Award has opened my eyes to where I can best use my skills to achieve more at GSM London. It’s also helped me to realise that I have achieved a lot more than I realise and still have many opportunities out there I can work towards.

Sherene Doughty GSM London student