51ÁÔÆæ

Our student and graduate entrepreneurship team has been nominated for the Enterprise and Entrepreneurship Award at this year's GRAFTAs.

51ÁÔÆæ Made, 51ÁÔÆæ’s platform for supporting students and graduates in self-employment, freelancing, and entrepreneurship, has been named as a finalist for a prestigious national award.

Graduate Futures Awards, commonly known as the GRAFTAs, is the UK and Ireland’s professional membership body for higher education careers, employability professionals and academics. The annual awards are seen as the flagship event amongst careers and employability teams throughout the UK.

51ÁÔÆæ Made is a finalist in the Enterprise and Entrepreneurship Award, the second year in a row the team have been shortlisted at the GRAFTAs. This time the nomination is focused on its headline programme, Future Freelancers.

More than 80 students and recent graduates opted in to Future Freelancers this year, an extracurricular programme which helps develop skills and knowledge associated with running freelancing businesses. Many formally registered as sole traders, which will contribute to 51ÁÔÆæ’s KEF (Knowledge Exchange Framework) ranking.

Recent Architecture graduate Weronika Wilk said:

“I really appreciated that the programme was interactive rather than just theoretical. I would definitely recommend the programme to other students. The world of work is changing, so freelancing and self-employment are becoming much more common”.

“I don't think it matters what degree someone is studying or has studied to benefit from the programme. One of the biggest skills I developed was confidence”.

Each of the Future Freelancers cohort recently received certificates within this year’s 51ÁÔÆæ Made's own Freelancing & Entrepreneurship Awards, with Enterprise Manager and Simon Baines recognised with a Student’s Choice Teaching Award for leading the programme (pictured).

Simon said: “Future Freelancers caught the imagination of a huge number of students and graduates, who recognise entrepreneurial skills are invaluable either in their own ventures, or in a placement or job role.

“Alongside the programme itself, we ran a Future Freelancers 51ÁÔÆæ Global trip, co-working sessions in the 51ÁÔÆæ Made Studio within the Library, provided one-to-one support and so much more”.

, including their TEDx schedule, a Creative Industries programme and the Pitch2win competition.

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