Umair Khan, Engineering

What made you sign up for the Warwick Award? What was the appeal?

Being someone who loves exploring new opportunities, my motivation extends beyond enhancing employability skills to seeking unique and enjoyable experiences. The Warwick Award presents itself as the ideal tool to consolidate my skills, experiences, and strengths, and effectively demonstrate them to employers in a simple and impactful manner.

How have you managed to balance developing your skills through the Award with your studies?

I made sure that I participated in a variety of skills development opportunities that interested me and were fun to engage with. This made sure that I had a variety of roles so I never got bored, developed a variety of important skills, and always enjoyed whatever I was doing!

Have you found the Award platform easy to use and manage your progress?

The Warwick Award platform on GradIntelligence is really simple to use. I was easily able to search for the activities that I had completed and fill out a form to earn points for them. I was even able to explore new opportunities that contributed towards the Award and discovered many interesting activities that I was previously unaware of! With the help of the Award progress tracker, I could see my total points and how many I needed to get to the next award which motivated me even further to try new skills development opportunities.

What are some activities you’ve completed that have contributed towards your Award progress? What sort of skills did they help you develop?

I participated in a range of activities that each contributed to developing a variety of skills. Some of the activities I participated in were: Undergraduate Research Support Scheme (URSS), Warwick Welcome Service Student Ambassador, Exec member of the Warwick Engineering Society, Student Blogger, SSLC Course Rep, Summer Internships and Work Experiences. This variety of opportunities helped me develop many of the 12 Core Skills such as critical thinking, teamwork, communication, professionalism, organisational awareness, self-awareness, and problem solving.

Which of the 12 core skills at the heart of the Award do you think are the most important ones for students to develop?

Of the 12 core skills I think the most important skill that every student and in fact everyone should develop is self awareness. I believe knowing what your strengths and weaknesses are is the foundation to increasing self-confidence and the first step in skill development. Knowing what you’re good at helps you understand what makes you unique and knowing where you need to improve helps you plan the steps you need to take to grow. One of the best ways to improve self-awareness is by reflecting on your experiences, and the Warwick Award helps facilitate that.

How did it feel when you achieved the Gold Award?

Achieving the Gold Award was a great feeling. It made me sit back and reflect on all my accomplishments and development that I had achieved since I started University. The Award recognised, highlighted, and celebrated the 300 hours of hard work, unwavering commitment, personal growth, cherished memories, and sheer enjoyment that I gained in the process.

How useful do you think your achievements in the Warwick Award will be when you think about life after graduation?

The skills acquired through my accomplishments in the Warwick Award will prove to be invaluable, not only during my job search but also in my professional journey thereafter. These skills and experiences will greatly assist me in navigating the transition into the work environment, as I am now better prepared to handle unexpected situations and effectively adapt to new circumstances by drawing upon my previous experiences.

What would you say to any new students who are thinking about signing up for the Award?

The Warwick Award is an amazing tool to highlight the amazing skills you learnt through activities you love, foster self-awareness and personal growth, recognize the value of your experiences and helps you articulate and showcase your achievements to employers! It’s a great tool built to develop, recognize, and empower you! So make sure you use it!

The Award in 3 words - Development, Recognition, Empowerment.