Careers Awards Evening
2 June 2011
Winners and members of the CDC team at the CDC Awards Evening
Following a two-day assessment the Career Development Centre (CDC) has again successfully met the Matrix Standard. The Matrix is the national quality standard for any organisation that delivers information, advice and guidance. The assessment process involved interviews with students, staff, internal and external stakeholders, including academic colleagues, local employers and voluntary organisations.
The Matrix assessor was very impressed with the CDC's commitment to continuous quality improvement which he felt was absolutely fundamental to every aspect of the work undertaken by the Centre.
Many areas of excellent practice were identified. He recognised that the work the CDC does to develop student employability is a key strength and that the opportunities provided by the Student Employment Agency, the Derby Award, the Employer Mentoring Scheme and the Volunteering Team are highly valued by students, staff and employers.
The assessor was also impressed with the very strong strategic partnerships that CDC staff have developed, both internally and externally. He commented on CDC's willingness to use new technology and the collection and use of feedback to inform and drive all aspects of the service.
The assessor also praised the commitment, competency and capability of CDC staff and that students felt that staff, "really understood their needs".
During the two day matrix assessment, we also celebrated the achievements of our students at the Career Development Centre Awards Evening.
The evening is an opportunity to recognise the achievements of students who have participated in volunteering, the University of Derby Award, the Employer Mentoring scheme, Flux 2011 or working through the Student Employment Agency. Certificates were presented to all participants and special prizes were also given to those who had shown huge commitment including:
Student Employment Agency
- Student Employee of the Year - Emma Boswell, MSc Management
- Employer of the Year - Birchover Hotel Apartments
- Recognition Award - Cameron Haywood, AceCad Software
Employer Mentoring Scheme
- Mentee of the Year - Keisha Harriette, BA (Hons) in Human Resources Management with Criminology
- Mentor of the Year - Nigel Knapp, Headway B2B Ltd
- Special Recognition Award - Bill Cort, LinQlaw Commercial Solutions Limited
University of Derby Award
- Project Provider of the Year - Catherine Clearly, First Steps Derbyshire
- Student of the Year - Victoria Shouler, BA (Hons) in Complementary Studies
Volunteering
- Volunteer of the Year - Graham Macaulay, B.Ed Primary Education
Nearly 150 people attended the event including students, their guests, staff, tutors, voluntary sector organisations and employers. The certificates were presented by Liz Barnes, Pro Vice-Chancellor and Kate Wigglesworth, Group Training Manager in East Midlands Region at Enterprise Rent-A-Car.
Celia Beizsley, Assistant Registrar said: "It was a pleasure to host the evening and see the students, their families and our partner organisations receive due recognition for the extra effort they all make to achieve these awards."
Article by Becki Jones.
