31 August 2021
Aayushi Agarwal explains how the Edinburgh Award in Professional Development helps increase self-confidence and improve employability.
The Edinburgh Award for Professional Development is the perfect opportunity to make a positive behavioural change with the help of a structured program. I joined the Award because I believe personal development and self-reflection is important. The Award’s progress check-ins and group coaching sessions encouraged me to stay focused and achieve the goals I had laid out for myself at the start of my journey.
How have you benefited from the support of your peers throughout the Award and during the sessions?
Attending group input sessions with like-minded peers and supportive coaching leaders has been a huge part of my Award journey. The environment was very motivational and helped me identify the areas I should prioritise and work on. This, in turn, also helped with reflecting and reassessing my action plan.
The support was not only limited to the coaching sessions; we were constantly helping each other by sharing ideas and resources to hone and evolve our skills. Watching my peers be so attentive to my goals and plans pushed me to succeed even more. All of us continued to stay involved in each other’s journeys with the common aim of wanting to celebrate our victories together.
How has the Award allowed you to feel closer to the Business School and keep you motivated during a year of online teaching?
With online learning limiting communication, it began hindering personal growth, falling into a cycle of repetitiveness felt almost inevitable. The Award has enabled me to stay in touch with the Business School staff — all of whom are very warm and courteous.
It also allowed me to interact with peers, which is what I miss the most from the pre-Covid era. We realised that we were all equally part of this journey and stuck together like a unit. In addition to this, the Award also gave me access to many workshops, which made me appreciate the individuals involved and the faculty even more.
How has the Award helped to increase your employability and skill development?
One of the focuses of the Edinburgh Award is CV and LinkedIn building. I am very grateful for the seminars and the feedback I have received on my resume. I am even more grateful for the soft skills I have subconsciously picked on the way.
Technical skills are very important, but it is important to keep in mind that soft skills like flexibility, teamwork, and communication are crucial for the professional world. Also, these attributes cannot just be acquired in one go and are improved over time.
Peer-to-peer coaching has also played a large part in my skill development. Knowing you have someone who has been in your place to guide you is very helpful and encouraging.
To sum up my experience, working on my chosen skills with a brilliant team has not only increased my self-confidence and improved my employability but also brought me closer to the Business School. My journey has been fruitful, and I am looking forward to being a coaching leader to my peers in the near future!
Aayushi is an Undergraduate Accounting and Finance student at the University of Edinburgh Business School.