The Bradford Employability Award
This Active Career Planner programme offers you the chance to earn university credit while participating in career planning activities.
This accreditation will be included in your Higher Education Achievement Report (HEAR), demonstrating your employability skills to potential employers.
Upon successfully completing the activities, students will be awarded a Certificate of Active Planning.
Reasons to complete the award
Enhanced employability
You will gain essential skills for the job market. Develop communication, negotiation, time management, and networking skills, boosting confidence.
As the award is recognised by employers and universities it will support your applications for work and postgraduate study.
Practical support
Get professional support with interviews, assessment centres, and refining CVs and cover letters.
Confidence and self-awareness
Gain professional support for job searches or postgraduate study applications, fostering self-awareness and improvement.
Networking opportunities
Engage in careers fairs, meet potential employers, and enhance online profiles on platforms like LinkedIn to tap into the hidden job market.
What you will do
During this award, you will:
- Engage in a series of career and professional development activities throughout one academic year.
- Learn to set career goals and implement actions to achieve them.
- Create high-quality documents such as CVs, portfolios, personal statements, and competency statements for application forms.
- Receive support and feedback on career planning activities, including one-to-one career guidance and coaching to refine career goals and improve CVs and other supporting materials.
How it works
You'll need 50 points to complete the award, and 25 points must be made up of core activities. You can do them in any order over the academic year.
- Attend an induction workshop/webinar (core activity - 5 points)
- Attend a guidance appointment (core activity - 5 points)
- CV and covering letter (core activity - 5 points)
- Attend employability workshops/webinars (10 points)
- Applying for graduate roles/schemes/internships (15 points)
- Applying for industrial placements, summer internships (15 points)
- Applying for part-time work (10 points)
- Attendance at a Careers Fair (10 points)
- Completing psychometric/online selection tests (10 points)
- Supporting statements for job applications (5 points)
- Interview and/or assessment centres preparation (5 points)
- Personal statement for PG studies (5 points)
- Writing / creating a blog (5 points)
- LinkedIn profile (5 points)
- Active participation in faculty extra-curricular activities (5 points)
- Company brand ambassador on-campus (5 points)
- Other career related activities (5 points)
How to sign up
Complete the Microsoft Form to sign up and find out further application information for 2025/2026.
DOTS and the Active Career Planner award
The Active Career Planner award is structured around the 'DOTS' model, comprising four stages:
- D: Decision Making / Learning
- Make informed decisions with the assistance of a Career Consultant, considering your options, resources, and preferences.
- O: Opportunity Awareness
- Research potential occupations or sectors aligning with your interests, knowledge, and skills.
- T: Transition Learning
- Develop materials like CVs and personal statements to transition from university to employment or postgraduate study.
- S: Self Awareness
- Reflect on and identify your values, beliefs, interests, aptitudes, strengths, and areas for development.
Frequently asked questions
How long will it take me to complete the Award?
You can choose to do the activities in any order but within one academic year.
This is a points-based system for activities completion, not focused on hours.
What if I get behind and cannot complete the programme in one academic year?
You will be able to submit extenuating circumstances for any issues for example illness that interrupts your participation in the Active Career Planning Award.
If you have to take a substantial amount of time out, you may be able to carry forward your points and complete the award in the following academic year (discussion will be based on individual circumstances).
I am already taking part in another award. How does it relate to other awards and HEAR activities?
Some of the skills and knowledge you learn on the Active Career Planner Award will be relevant to other awards and HEAR  activities. This is acceptable – the award should complement other types of HEAR activities.
The following are the other Careers-led HEAR-accredited awards you may wish to participate in:
- Careers and Skills Champions
- Summer Experience at Bradford (only for UG first and penultimate years)
- Overseas Placements (e.g. One year Study Abroad, short programmes/internships etc.)
How many webinars/workshops do I have to attend?
You will need to attend the introductory webinar/workshop of one hour and we would also expect you to attend other career webinars/workshops (a minimum of 3) and submitting a very short reflective questionnaire online for each webinar you attended.
Can I sign up and work with a friend completing activities together?
Collaboration is encouraged, i.e. meeting and networking with employers, having appointments with career and employability consultants and other advisers, but individual work will also be necessary.
Do I have a choice over which consultant/adviser I meet with to discuss my plans?
You can choose who you wish to see, subject to availability.
How many careers appointments will I need to have?
This Award is not about focusing or monitoring the number of appointments you have – it is about your active engagement to be successful in your career planning.
The meetings can be with different advisers, but it is normally recommended you see the same staff member (in order to check your progress).
Can I meet the Career and Employability Consultant on campus or remotely?
Currently we are offering both face-to-face appointments on campus as well as remote appointments.
What kind of part-time or voluntary work is acceptable? How many hours work experience do I need to undertake?
Any kind of part-time work or voluntary work will be acceptable. If you can obtain voluntary or part-time work that is relevant to your studies and your eventual career goal, that would be very helpful, but it’s not essential.
The award is more about your successful application for part-time or voluntary work and other internships and the hours required for application again varies with each student.
The University recommends that students work no more than 15 hours per week, and international students should check visa requirements.
Apart from time, are there any costs?
We do not expect you to have to make any additional expenditure to complete the Award.