University nominated in trio of awards

The University of Suffolk has secured nominations for three exciting awards this month.

The Legal Advice Centre has been named as a finalist in the Team/Community Group of the Year category at the East Anglian Daily Times Stars of Suffolk awards.

Meanwhile, the Careers, Employability and Enterprise (CEE) team have been shortlisted for an award in the Career Development Institute (CDI) Career Development Awards.

The CDI is the professional body for careers specialists in the UK, with the University being shortlisted in the Innovative Employer Engagement Activity category.

In addition, the University’s new Centre for Dental Development has been nominated for the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) regional Public Sector Project award.

That is in recognition of the collaboration between Concertus and the University in delivering the new facilities.

Professor Mohammad Dastbaz, Deputy Vice-Chancellor for the University of Suffolk, said: “It is great to see such a broad range of the University’s activities being recognised in local, regional and national award shortlists, and is testament to the hard work of staff who strive to make the student experience and work in our communities the best it can be.”

The Legal Advice Centre, which launched in November 2021, provides free legal advice in the community in two areas of law – family law, and new businesses and start-ups. It gives students real-world opportunities to apply their learning, as well as vital support to communities in those areas.

The Stars of Suffolk winners will be announced at the end of the month.

The CDI nomination comes for the partnership work the Careers team has done with Hays Recruitment which started in June 2023. It works to bridge the gap between campus learning and real-world applications that have helped ensure students are well prepared for employment upon graduation.

The collaboration equips students with an awareness of how employers use platforms such as LinkedIn to hire new candidates, and understand the professional job market. It has also furnished the CEE team with labour market trends and insights to help tailor career sessions.

Winners are set to be announced in June.

The RICS awards recognise inspirational developments in land, real estate, construction and infrastructure, with the new Dental Development Centre up for a gong in the Public Sector Project category for the region.

The regional winners will be announced throughout May and June, with winners progressing on to the national awards held in October.