A point for reflection

To enable our students to achieve their full potential, at the University of Portsmouth we have created both the Student Charter and the Hallmarks of a Portsmouth Graduate.

The Hallmarks have been designed to empower students to develop a set of characteristics to enable them to successfully contribute to their future career.

We know that our students from across the Faculties engage in a range of opportunities throughout their time at Portsmouth: from part-time work to regular volunteering; from taking a year-long industrial placement to becoming involved with clubs and societies through the University of Portsmouth Students’ Union (UPSU). 

Our students leave Portsmouth, not only with an academic qualification, but also with a wealth of experience and skills to offer prospective employers.

One of the challenges that we face as part of the Careers and Employability Service, however, is encouraging our students and graduates to reflect on their achievements and to articulate these in a way that is both relevant and appropriate as part of future applications.

The 7 Steps to Success programme

The 7 Steps to Success programme has been developed by the UPSU in collaboration with the Careers and Employability Service, and has been delivered as a pilot with five Schools during the 2022-23 academic year. The programme offers current students the opportunity to consider and participate in a range of extracurricular activities to help develop the Hallmarks. 

Reflecting on her engagement with the programme, Karina Homanko, a final-year Law student, discusses how she has specifically developed the ability to “think independently, analytically, and creatively” (Hallmark 2) through her extracurricular role as a Campus Ambassador for Blake Morgan LLP.
 

Overall, Karina identifies that her participation in the 7 Steps programme allowed her to reflect on her time at university and to determine what skills she needs to further develop to pursue her chosen career path as a Solicitor.

Charlie Gould, a final-year Forensic Psychology student, also highlights the valuable opportunity to reflect on her achievements during her time at Portsmouth, and feels that she has met all of the Hallmarks of a Portsmouth Graduate by combining her academic study with practical experience.
 

Through her varied extracurricular activities, including as a Clinical Intern, and supporting research projects, Charlie concludes that she feels more confident in her career decisions and that she has a greater awareness of her strengths and weaknesses.

These reflections are positive examples of where our students are developing expertise, characteristics and skills relating to the key aspects of the Hallmarks, including subject and discipline, society and citizenship, personal competencies and personal development. 

Providing a life-changing experience

Overall, it has been valuable to offer students a dedicated opportunity – regardless of what stage they are at with their career planning – to reflect on their activities and achievements and to identify further action to address both personal and professional goals. 

Creating space for our students to find out about the wide range of work and extracurricular activities they can take part in will help achieve the University’s ambition to provide all our students with a life changing experience.

Looking forward, our approach needs to be collaborative and engaging, taking into consideration both academic and extracurricular experience and supporting our students to confidently articulate what they can offer to prospective employers.

Author: Julie Bush is Information Manager, and Clare Pitkin is Information and Employment Adviser, as part of the Careers and Employability Service at the University of Portsmouth.