The Edinburgh Award for Effective and Responsible Leadership represents a great opportunity to work with other students and an alumni mentor as you develop your skills and abilities needed to succeed in your final years at the Business School and after graduation.

Open to all 3rd and 4th year students in the Business School. Register your interest to receive an invitation to our first Edinburgh Award session in October 2024.

Register your interest

The Edinburgh Award for Effective and Responsible Leadership is open to 3rd and 4th year students, however, there is an opportunity for 4th year students to tailor the Award sessions and activities in order to develop the requisite skills to support you throughout the dissertation period and prepare you for the transition out of university and into the workplace. Furthermore, students who choose to complete the Award in both years can benefit from the opportunity to continue to work with their mentor in their 4th year.

Employers want self-aware graduates, who capitalise on their strengths, will have an impact wherever they work, and who are committed to their personal development and the way it impacts other people.

Effective and responsible leaders are driven by self-awareness, and accountability for the impact they have on themselves and others. Whether you're already involved in a leadership activity, or just starting your leadership journey, the Edinburgh Award for Effective Responsible Leadership will provide you with a framework to develop and reflect on your self-leadership.

Self-leadership is about taking ownership of your professional development and becoming the sort of person you would like to be. It involves knowing where you are and where you want to go so that your thoughts and actions can support your goals.

Participants are offered access to:

  • Mentoring with alumni of the Business School
  • Peer support networks
  • Masterclasses on topics such as:
    • Writing effective CVs
    • Preparing for interviews
    • Developing resilience and wellbeing
    • Time management

What's involved?

Throughout your engagement with the Award, you will be encouraged to explore your aspirations, identify priority objectives, and articulate how you have improved in your chosen areas.

Select 3 skills you want to work on

Choose three areas based on the Business School graduate attributes where you would like to make a positive behavioural change. Provide a self-rating of your ability in each area at three points during the year.

  • Interpersonal Communication
  • Verbal Communication and Presentation
  • Written Communications
  • Influencing
  • Cross-cultural Communication
  • Ethics and Social Responsibility
  • Creativity
  • Decision Making
  • Self-awareness and Reflection
  • Independent Learning and Development
  • Numeracy and Big Data
  • Problem Solving
  • Knowledge Integration and Application
  • Independent Research
  • Critical Thinking
  • Analytical Thinking
  • Leadership
  • Effective Teamworking
  • Planning and Organising
  • Assertiveness
  • Enterprising Behaviours
  • Commercial Awareness
  • Flexibility
  • Resilience

Attend 5 skills sessions and masterclasses

Throughout the year, the Student Development Team will deliver, host, and signpost you to workshops tailored to an honours audience, but you can also participate in a University or even external event if they relate to your action plan.

Participate in a minimum of 4 one-to-one in-person or online mentoring sessions

You will be matched with an alumni of the Business School who will provide a safe and supportive environment, empowering you to lead yourself through your honours years and succeed in your future.

Mentoring conversations will be driven by what you want to get out of them, but don't worry if you are unsure as you will be supported with this. A mentor may support and encourage you as you:

  • Navigate your university year
  • Explore, develop, and work towards your career aspirations and job opportunities
  • Develop your self-leadership, personal, professional, and career skills
  • Prepare to transition to your next steps

Complete 24 hours of leadership activities in a supportive and relaxed environment

Actively engage in at least 24 hours of activity which allows you to apply and practise the skills you have chosen.

Attend 3 group sessions with other Edinburgh Award participants

Group Session 1 is about goal setting. Session 2 provides the opportunity to reflect on what you have been practising, check-in on progress, and reassess your action plan. Finally, Session 3 brings everything together, providing an opportunity to celebrate your progress with others.

Reflect on your journey

Reflection is a process of exploring and examining yourself, your perspectives, attributes, experiences, and actions. It is a key element of the Award, and you are asked to write a short piece after each group session and deliver a final presentation to share what you have learnt by working to achieve the Award.

The Award will look great on your CV and help you to promote yourself to employers, demonstrating self-awareness and your commitment to your professional development.

As well as receiving an official certificate from the University, the achievement will be recognised on your Higher Education Achievement Report (HEAR).

How to sign up

Register your interest to receive an invitation to our first Edinburgh Award session.

Register your interest

Testimonials from students and mentors

In 2023, 105 UG students completed the Edinburgh Award in Effective and Responsible Leadership.

Being able to take time to dedicate towards your skills, connect with like-minded people, and have a safe space for personal growth is so beneficial, and I know it certainly improved my outlook by the end of my degree looking forward to my career.
Keira Forster, 4th Year International Business student
Read Keira's story
As a result, mentoring, to me, involves supporting those at the start of their journey, by allowing them to see that a career is rarely linear, with success coming in many guises, while acknowledging that we all suffer missteps, slip-ups, and clangers along the way. Showing those who are approaching graduation that we are all human hopefully helps to demystify the professional world and creates a bridge between education and their next moves.
Dr Heather Ross, Business School Alumna & Keira's mentor
Read Heather's story
It was very important that we created a personal and safe environment where the mentees could share their thoughts, experiences, and feelings. They met fellow students who felt the same way, they found common ground, but they could also learn from each other.
Anna-Lena Behringer, Business School Alumna & Jennifer’s mentor
Read Anna-Lena's story

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