Edinburgh Award

• Receive formal recognition for your commitment to gaining work experience during your studies – appears on your Higher Education Achievement Report (HEAR).
• Develop self-awareness, and learn how to understand, reflect on and talk confidently about the skills you have gained.
• Complete a self-led course filled with tailored career planning, personal development resources and support from the Careers Service team.

Thank you for the wonderful programme and for providing support and stimulus to people so that they can improve themselves. The programme supplements and compliments work experience while studying really well. 

Edinburgh Award (Work Experience) participant

I have increasingly seen the value in reflection. I recognise how helpful it will be, when I come to apply for jobs in the future, to have a log of the things I have achieved, the skills I have developed and the experiences I have had. 

Employ.ed for PhDs Intern

The Award is a University-wide opportunity and there are lots of versions to choose from:

Versions of the Award

You are eligible to register for this Award if you are a current University of Edinburgh student for the duration of the Award, and you have secured (or are in the process of securing) work experience. Your work experience must be at least 12 weeks long for the semester Award, and for the summer Award it needs to take place over the whole length of the Award (i.e. at least mid-June to mid-August. If it starts before or ends after the Award that's fine). You must also be able to commit 50 hours over the duration of the Award.

You also cannot have completed this version of the Edinburgh Award before or be completing another version of the Edinburgh Award or SLICCs for the same work experience.

1. You must complete a minimum of 30 hours in your role/s during during the Award, e.g.: ​​​​​​

• Part-time job
• Freelance/self-employment (where you have a commitment to an employer, voluntary organisation or client)
• Summer internship (not including Employ.ed on Campus internships which have their own Award)
• Employ.ed for PhDs (part-time internships all year round for PhD students). See below for more information on our Employ.ed Internship programmes.
• Volunteering that is not through Edinburgh University Student's Association (EUSA) or it's Volunteering Hub:

The Edinburgh Award - Edinburgh University Student's Association

2.  If you are completing less than 40 hours of work experience, you must complete 10 hours of research and personal development, e.g. networking with professionals, completing career assessments. 

3. All participants will complete 10 hours of sessions and assignments: 1-hour of self-led learning per month via Learn, complete 2-3 interactive sessions, submit assignments at each stage, and offer peer support to other participants

Please note:

• This Award cannot count previous work experience completed before you have started the Award.
• If you are in your final year of study and are graduating within a couple of months of finishing the Award, it may not be added to your HEAR certificate. You will still receive a certificate by email though. The same applies for visiting students.

The Award will run twice in the academic year 2025/26. You can  take part at any point between October and May (as long as you complete at least 12 weeks of work experience before the end of May) or for the whole of June to August.

Sign ups to take part between October 2025 – May 2026 will open Monday 06 October 2025. 

Schedule and Registration

Employ.ed on Campus

If you have been successful in your application to the University’s summer internship programme – Employ.ed on Campus (recruitment begins in February each year) – there is a bespoke version of the Award that you will be told about at your induction session.

Employ.ed on Campus

Employ.ed for PhDs

The University also runs a part-time internship programme specifically for PhD students all year round. If you are successful in applying for one of these internships and you will complete 30-40 hours of work experience, you will be eligible to take part in the Award.

The Edinburgh Award is not a compulsory part of completing an Employ.ed internship.    

Employ.ed for PhDs

How does the Semester Award work?

You can join the Award at any point October – end of May. Your work experience must be at least 12 weeks long to get the developmental benefits of the Award, so you must sign up by the beginning of March. 

As long as you are engaged in work experience, you can complete the Award in 12 weeks or 7 months – it’s up to you! 

There are no live sessions, the course in completely self-led so it’s up to you to manage your time and complete all the tasks. We are here if you need any support or have queries.

Where can I find the session dates for the Summer Award?

Key dates are listed in the Schedule and Registration, and all dates for sessions and submissions are available in the Learn course after registration.

Schedule and Registration

How long do the assignments, online sessions and peer review parts of the Award take?

The time to put aside for each Input is approximately 2-3 hours.

When does my work experience have to take place?

From October – May, as long as your work experience is at least 12 weeks long and you start the Award before March, it can take place at any time. 

For the summer Award, your work experience needs to take place over the whole length of the Award (if it starts before or ends after the Award that's fine).  This means at least mid-June to mid-August.

For example, you might have an ongoing part-time job that you start in September and plan to have until the end of the academic year, or a part-time internship that you start in October and finish at the end of February. Alternatively, you might start a full-time role around the beginning of the summer that finishes at the end of summer.

If your role doesn’t fit in with the Award however, we have lots of reflection resources you can use instead which will help you to get the most out of your work experience: 

Reflection Toolkit

Can I participate in two Awards at the same time?

Yes, but you cannot complete this Work Experience Award twice, and you can't use the same work experience for two different awards. There are several versions of the Award and you should select the Award that is most relevant to your work experience:

Versions of the Award

Can I participate in two different work experiences?

Yes, you will be asked to select three skills to work on for this Award for the duration of your Award, so you should keep this in mind if you plan to count several experiences towards your Award. Consider whether you will have opportunities to develop the skills in each setting.

My internship is credit-bearing for my degree - would I be eligible for the Edinburgh Award?

No, the Edinburgh Award only recognises work experience that takes place outside of your university degree.

Does the Edinburgh Award recognise work experience completed in the past?

No, previous work experience is not recognised on the Edinburgh Award. The Award supports you to set personal goals and work towards them while reflecting on your progress while you work. You can log any work experience hours completed after you have set your development goals.

What counts as a ‘top up’ activity if I can only complete 30 hours of work experience?

You must be able to explain how the activity has contributed to your professional development so it should include learning, either experiential or theoretical. Examples include a webinar delivered by an employer or an IAD workshop. The Edinburgh Award does not accredit School-based activities completed as part of your degree.

How do I log my hours?

In your Learn course, you will use a logbook to keep track of your hours and the activities you have completed. You can submit this at the end, saving a copy as you go along to keep on track.

How do I submit my assignments?

Each assignment becomes available in your Learn course once you have met the criteria to move on to the next stage. For example, you will complete a self-rating and goal setting assignment, which becomes available after you attend webinar 1, then Input 2 content will appear once you have completed the Input 1 assignments.

Why is reflection important?

Reflection helps you to identify areas of strength and areas for improvement in both your work and the work of others. The process of reflection supports you to explore and understand your personal values, motivations and interests. You will also reflect on the impact you make.

I find reflecting on my progress difficult, are there any resources that can support me with this?

You can find resources to help with reflection here:

• Reflection Toolkit
• Reflection Resources
• MyDevelopmentHub

Are there examples of other students’ reflections I can look at?

Yes, you can find examples of reflection on the Edinburgh Award website.

Visit the Edinburgh Award website​​