Learning & Teaching

The University of Glasgow has been shortlisted in three categories at the Academic Employability Awards 2026, led by the Graduate Futures Institute.

The awards celebrate excellence in embedding employability within the curriculum across the UK and Ireland, recognising innovative approaches that support students to develop the skills, knowledge and experiences needed for their future careers.

This recognition highlights the University’s continued commitment to embedding employability within learning, teaching and assessment.

The University of Glasgow has been shortlisted in the following categories:

• Authentic Assessment for Employability – Business in the Biosciences
• Co-created Employability Initiatives – The Complete Graduate
• Enterprise and Entrepreneurship – The New Venture Challenge course

Business in the Biosciences

(Dr Anna McGregor, Dr Laura McCaughey, Dr Nick Quinn & Marion Anderson)

Business in the Biosciences is a final-year, cross-college course that focuses on translational research and enterprise in the biosciences, embedding employability skills and entrepreneurial thinking. Designed to address a recognised gap in Life Sciences education, the course supports students to develop transferable skills alongside disciplinary knowledge.

Using 100% continuous assessment aligned to real-world outputs, students complete a Business Model Canvas, deliver a Sales Pitch, write an Intellectual Property article for the general public and produce a reflective journal their skills development. These assessments build communication, creativity, negotiation and reflective learning.

Dr Anna McGregor, Senior Lecturer in the College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences says:

“It's been so exciting to redefine the ways we deliver our courses here at Glasgow, building in interdisciplinary working and skills surfacing, so that our graduates have both the skills, knowledge and self-reflective practice that will enable them to take the next steps in their careers.  Alongside two fabulous teams, co-led with Laura, I'm so pleased to be recognised for these initiatives, because they do really make a difference for our students.”

The Complete Graduate

(Dr Anna McGregor, Dr Laura McCaughey, Fiona Stubbs & Lesley Hamilton)

The Complete Graduate is a staff–student partnership initiative embedding visible, equitable and assessable skills development across 14 Life Sciences programmes. Co-designed with student interns, it integrates knowledge, transferable, practical and wellbeing skills into core teaching through mapped curricula, reflective prompts and a private digital diary.

Dr Laura McCaughey, Senior Lecturer in the College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences says:

“The part of my job that I enjoy the most is my work on enhancing employability skills development across our Life Sciences portfolio. So, for Anna and I’s projects to have been shortlisted for two categories in the Academic Employability Awards is really rewarding.”

The New Venture Challenge course

(Professor Jillian Gordon, Dr Lauren Tuckerman)

The New Venture Challenge course provides students with the opportunity to learn about new venture creation and apply their learning in a realistic context while developing entrepreneurial skills. Students connect entrepreneurship theory to real-world practice, gaining insight from entrepreneurs and engaging with the wider entrepreneurial ecosystem through active learning workshops, entrepreneurship accelerators and field trips.

This learning through practice approach supports students to move beyond surface-level knowledge acquisition, developing a deeper understanding of key entrepreneurial concepts through the application of knowledge and the development of skills.

Professor Jillian Gordon, Professor of Entrepreneurship in the Adam Smith Business School says:

 “We are delighted that the New Venture Challenge course has been shortlisted for the national award in the Entrepreneurship and Enterprise Category. We have worked hard to develop and deliver an experiential course that supports students to develop an entrepreneurial mindset and to apply their learning.  We have experimented with different formats of this course, adapting assessment methods and developing a portfolio of curated learning opportunities that allow students to apply theory in practice.  We are delighted with the success of the course and to be shortlisted for this award is an achievement in itself.”

These shortlisted initiatives reflect the University’s broader approach to embedding employability, particularly in making skills development explicit, enhancing experiential learning and aligning assessment with real-world contexts.

Being shortlisted across multiple categories is a significant achievement and demonstrates the strength of collaboration between academic and professional services colleagues in supporting student success.

Winners of the Academic Employability Awards 2026 will be announced at the ceremony in April.

---

First published: 22 April 2026