Pictured (from left) are Olympian Hannah Mills, who presented the award to SEA Employability Specialist Helyn Taylor, Head of SEA Lucy Griffiths and SEA Graduate Support Programme Assistant Rob Yarr with award sponsor Stuart McLaren.
Swansea University and Aspire2Be have been recognised as highly commended at the National Undergraduate Employability Awards for their collaborative project, iBroadcast.
iBroadcast is a work-based learning programme developed by Swansea University Employability Academy (SEA) in partnership with learning technology company Aspire2Be, utilising the media skills of renowned sports broadcaster Sean Holley.
The project aims to help students develop skills and gain experience in the competitive media and broadcasting sector.
Having successfully run the project for five years, the iBroadcast and SEA teams set out to adapt the project for the 2021 cohort of students to continue benefitting from the experience throughout the pandemic.
The project evolved to become fully remote, emphasising accessibility and widening participation, with online collaborative working tools used to train students.
Students created exceptional resources and experienced a variety of opportunities, such as featuring in Sean Holley's 'The Tuesday Club' podcast and producing content for National Conferences on behalf of Swansea University.
During an unprecedented time, this successful digital adaption earned the team a nomination in the 'Best Collaboration Universities and Employers' category of the National Undergraduate Employability Awards, organised by RateMyPlacement.co.uk.
Lucy Griffiths, Head of Swansea University Employability Academy (SEA), said: "These awards are prestigious within the sector, and to be recognised amidst such worthy competition once again proves Swansea University's commitment to, and innovation around, employability development, leading to excellent Graduate Outcomes for those who study here.
"In particular, it was a special moment to be recognised for our collaboration with Swansea-based Aspire2Be and Sean Holley Sport & Media's iBroadcast offering.
"Swansea University's Employability Academy developed this collaboration to level the playing field for Swansea University students looking to break into the competitive fields of Media and Sports Media, and we have seen some outstanding results."
iBroadcast Alumni from previous projects have progressed to work in media and non-media roles internationally and, for some participants, has informed their postgraduate course choices.
Nick Evans, Partner Technologist at Aspire 2Be, said: “Working with the University has widened our perspective on future talent and opportunities in the digital sector for students.
"The iBroadcast programme itself has enabled us access to some of the University's best up-and-coming talent, and we have benefited hugely from the plethora of students who have participated and subsequently fed into the iBroadcast programme development cycle.
"Such is the talent of the students on the iBroadcast programme, we often look to identify opportunities for us to utilise their skills to develop our offerings, allowing us to reflect as a business on our own processes and programmes.
"The iBroadcast Programme has also led to developing a mentorship programme within the University. This has allowed students to forge new connections in their education journey, and as a business, allows us to empower students to become experts themselves."