Awards
There are many organisations offering awards schemes you can work on independently. These can be a great way to explore an interest that you have and to show other people just how much work you've done. They can also be a great way to showcase your employability skills such as:
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time management
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problem solving
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critical thinking
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teamwork
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creativity
Awards that students I know have enjoyed are included below:
General Skills Awards
www.dofe.org (Duke of Edinburgh Award - 3 levels, each requiring different amounts of time and effort to achieve)
www.scouts.org.uk (Scouting offers the chance to earn staged awards with the Queens Scout Award being the top award)
www.girlguiding.org.uk (Gilrguiding runs a similar staged programme with the Queen's Guide Award being the highest accolade you can earn)
www.sja.org.uk (St John Ambulance run a cadet scheme for young people helping you develop first aid and people skills)
https://vpc.police.uk/ (the Volunteer Police Cadet scheme is run by each local police force so you'll need to get in touch with your local group to find out more)
https://combinedcadetforce.org.uk/ (Army, Navy and RAF Cadets run in over 500 schools across the UK, supporting young people to develop personal responsibility, leadership and self-discipline)
STEM Skills Awards
https://crestawards.squarespace.com/ (the CREST awards are run by the British Science Association; there are different levels suitable for primary school up to sixth form projects; the Gold level requires you to complete an independent STEM project of your choice over 70 hours, working alongside an industry mentor)
Digital Skills Awards
https://idea.org.uk/ (digital skills award scheme aimed at 10-16 year olds and exploring a really wide range of skills - there are 70 modules to choose from at Bronze level and they are a great way to supplement school computing lessons)