Accounting & Finance team wins prestigious national employability award

Media Relations Team, 01 May 2025

Seven people in a group smiling at the camera at an awards ceremony, with the word 'winner' displayed on a screen above their heads
Shaun Butcher, Head of Partnership Management at Virtual Internships (pictured left), with Celine Bray, Gareth Hughes, Joanna Hill, Alice Stocker and Clare Chapman (all from UWE Bristol) and Martin Edmondson, CEO of AGCAS (right)

UWE Bristol’s Accounting & Finance team were among the winners at the first Academic Employability Awards.

The awards celebrate outstanding contributions by academics across the UK and Ireland in embedding employability in their teaching.

The Accounting & Finance team won the Curriculum Design for Employability category at the ceremony, held in London and organised by The Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services (AGCAS).

Judges praised the team’s submission as “an excellent case study showing how a deep commitment to embedding employability can positively impact students”. They added: “This is a clear collaboration between staff and industry partners and the approach to supporting student development and reflection is clear.”

With over 240 submissions from 80 universities, the competition for awards highlighted a strong sector-wide commitment to preparing students for the evolving world of work.

The Accounting & Finance team – led by Clare Chapman, Joanna Hill and Celine Bray – said: “This national recognition is a significant honour and a reflection of the team’s longstanding dedication to employability focused education. We remain committed to making employability a cornerstone of the curriculum and to empowering the next generation of professionals.

“We would like to extend our sincere thanks to Gareth Hughes and the Careers and Enterprise team, William Liew and the Finance and Estates team, and industry partners including RSM, North Bristol NHS Trust, and BW Business Accountants & Advisers for their unconditional support.”

The team attended the ceremony, held at the Confetti Institute of Creative Technologies, with final year students Harry Bessant and Alice Stocker who are currently enrolled in modules for which the award was granted.

The awards were run by AGCAS in partnership with Universities UK, GuildHE and the Institute of Student Employers.

Martin Edmondson, chief executive officer of AGCAS, said: “The exceptional standard of submissions underscores the pioneering work being done to integrate employability into teaching, assessment, and curriculum design. These initiatives are not only transforming student futures but also addressing the skills needs of employers and the wider economy.”

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