51Âþ»­

51Âþ»­ Leicester (51Âþ»­) has been named the best university in the UK when it comes to helping students build their careers.

51Âþ»­’s careers and employability service, known as 51Âþ»­ Works, was named the Best University Careers/Employability Service at the National Undergraduate Employability (NUE) Awards, which celebrates the very best work being done in the UK’s universities.



Adele Browne, Head of Graduate Success, said: “We are extremely proud to win this national award. It is so vital that students have opportunities to experience the working world and uncover their personal strengths and interests. The team has worked with great creativity to continue making this possible throughout the pandemic.

"Congratulations go not least to the students who have stayed energised and taken the chance to meet employers virtually and participate in many digital activities.”

Judges praised the way that 51Âþ»­ Works offered different lengths of work experience to be accessible as possible for students, and the fact that students and graduates are a growing part of the careers and employability team.  

51Âþ»­’s team has worked hard to make placements as flexible as possible to ensure that no student misses out on professional opportunities.

And during the pandemic, 51Âþ»­ Works has helped to transform internships by connecting students with businesses to provide virtual digital support. Other adaptations, including the launch of careers live chat, increased e-guidance and new CV-checking tool CV360, were also highlighted.

The annual careers and placements fair – normally held on campus – was moved online and during the autumn term, more than 2,500 students met graduate employers through virtual fairs, employer talks and 1-2-1 appointments.

Last term, students completed more than 34,000 career development activities on the digital 51Âþ»­ Works Skills Hub.

The NUE awards are run by the organisation Rate My Placement. They celebrate the outstanding achievements of employers, students and universities in undergraduate work experience across the UK.

The awards celebrate achievements in creating original, innovative career-focused initiatives, and going the extra mile to support students in finding work experience during the pandemic.   

The university was also shortlisted in the Best University Placement Service category for helping students to maximise access to work placements.