News Article - 28/05/2010
Business Students Awarded for Excellence in Employability Skills
The Ministry of Defence Education Outreach Programme acknowledges the UKs budding talent
Eleven bright and ambitious Business students from Sir George Monoux College have been recognised for demonstrating excellence in developing lifelong employability skills by the Ministry of Defence’s Education Outreach Programme.
The unique programme aims to enhance students' chances of finding employment through exclusive training sessions and mentoring. BTEC First, BTEC National and the Academy of Finance students joined other college students from across the country to take part in the prestigious annual celebratory event, held at Ministry of Defence (MOD) headquarters in Whitehall on Wednesday 26th May. Head of the MOD Education Outreach Programme, Andy Gillman MBE, was joined by Sir Bill Jeffrey KCB, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Defence as well as other key speakers to present the students with their excellence awards.
[The Business students show their certificates proudly at the end of the International Crisis Workshop. (Andy Gillman, MBE- left)]
During the celebratory event, students from Sir George Monoux College took turns on stage to share their experiences with the prominent audience. Students spoke of some of the initiatives recently supported by the MOD such as the Business in the Community Breakfast, the International Crisis role-play workshop and interview skills workshops.
Kim Clifford, Principal of Sir George Monoux College, said "Congratulations to all our students who have received awards from the MOD today. We are keen to reach out to employers who can help provide our students with opportunities that foster their employability and enterprise skills. The success of the Ministry of Defence’s Education Outreach Programme demonstrates how useful and valuable our students find employers’ input into their learning."
Speaking on the platform at Whitehall, Sir George Monoux College student Murtaza Syed said "The job application session run by the MOD really helped me develop my skills and think about how to prepare for an interview. I now know how best to represent myself to employers and feel much more confident applying for jobs."
Student, O’Brien Newell, said "I would like to express my thanks to the MOD for letting us participate in these opportunities. At the Crisis Management role-play we had to team build quickly to assess how to organise support in a humanitarian crisis and prepare a plan of action, which developed my communication and strategy skills. The press conference was an excellent experience of the high pressure environment government ministers face as we had to think on our feet to answer challenges from our classmates."
Andy Gillman MBE, Head of the MOD Education Outreach Programme, who is also a member of the Sir George Monoux College Employers’ Advisory Board said, "The Education Outreach Programme has been running for nine years across many colleges across the UK and supports in excess of over two thousand students every year. The students at Sir George Monoux College show real enthusiasm and passion to learn and it is a pleasure to be part of driving their ambition for success; they are inspirational."
[Business students in the role of “Prime Minister” and “Secretary of State” handle questions at a “Press conference” in the International Crisis Management role-play workshop.]
