{"id":1106,"date":"2023-10-04T09:16:54","date_gmt":"2023-10-04T08:16:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/?p=1106"},"modified":"2023-12-06T09:56:29","modified_gmt":"2023-12-06T09:56:29","slug":"five-great-reasons-to-attend-a-skills-enrichment-workshop-this-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/2023\/10\/04\/five-great-reasons-to-attend-a-skills-enrichment-workshop-this-year\/","title":{"rendered":"Five great reasons to attend a skills enrichment workshop this year"},"content":{"rendered":"

A common <\/span>phrase <\/span>we hear from students in the Skills Centre is: \u201cYour support has been so useful \u2013 I <\/span>wish I\u2019d <\/span>known about<\/span> it sooner!\u201d <\/span>Malcolm Skene, Digital & Academic Skills Course Leader, introduces the skills enrichment programme<\/span> and how the workshops help students at all levels to get the most out of their studies and <\/span>build their employability skills<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/em>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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We know students are incredibly busy people and appreciate that \u2018skills development\u2019 might not be high on your list of priorities. But it\u2019s important to regularly devote some time in your schedule to focus on developing your academic and employability skills. You\u2019ll be expected to do this in your future workplace, where it\u2019s called \u2018Continuing Professional Development\u2019 (CPD), so it\u2019s a good idea to get into good habits now!<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What is skills enrichment?<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

We run a programme of \u2018skills enrichment\u2019 workshops each Semester designed to help you get the best possible grades for the work you submit at Bath, and build your transferable skills, so you\u2019re well prepared for your future career when you leave.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Here are five great reasons to attend the workshops:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

1. They\u2019re highly relevant<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

Having worked with academic departments over many years, the sessions are based on the most common areas for development identified in students' work. We aim to give you all the \u2018tricks of the trade\u2019 so your assignments are high quality. Sessions are carefully planned to help you at different stages of your academic journey, whether you\u2019re tackling your very first essay, preparing for exams, or writing your dissertation.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

2. The sessions cover a wide range of topics<\/h3>\n

This year, we\u2019re running sessions on over 20 different skills topics, such as improving your academic style, making the most of feedback, preparing for exams, and editing and proofreading. There\u2019s also a big emphasis on employability, for example communication skills, presentation skills, and taking part in meetings \u2013 the key \u2018soft\u2019 skills that employers want their employees to possess. Whatever your development needs, you should find a session to help! You can <\/span>check out the session summaries here<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

3. They\u2019re very interactive \u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

Sure,<\/span> you may be able to find a YouTube tutorial on some of these topics, but our workshops are student-focused and provide a dynamic learning environment where you can explore ideas with the teachers and your peers from different disciplines and backgrounds and ask questions in a more much personal way. This will make your learning more fun, rewarding and memorable in the long run.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

4. Our teaching staff are experts in their field<\/h3>\n

Our friendly team of five teachers, two of whom have PhDs themselves, are experienced academic skills practitioners, dedicated to sharing their expertise and knowledge to enrich your academic journey. They\u2019ve worked in higher education settings for many years and between them have a wealth of experience in helping students at all levels to reach their full potential. You can meet the skills enrichment team<\/a> in this blog.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

5. They\u2019re very short!<\/h3>\n

Most of the workshops are just 50 minutes and run at different times, in-person on campus or online, so there\u2019s lots of flexibility to fit them in around your busy timetable, giving you plenty of time to get down to The Pug & Tub still!\u00a0 <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Building confidence<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

In Academic Year 2022\/23, feedback from our skills enrichment workshops showed that 80% of students said they felt more confident about their academic work after attending the session and 90% said they would recommend the sessions to a friend.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"These sessions helped to build my confidence and allowed me to explore new skills that I wouldn\u2019t have known about. I had a lot of feedback on how to structure my essay. By working on this issue, I was able to improve my essay and reach higher grades.\"<\/em> (Sophie Benton, BSc Biomedical Sciences with Professional Placement)<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

You can learn more about two of our skills enrichment sessions in the following student blogs:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n