The University of Derby is known to focus on students overall well-being while providing the much attributed skills and making its graduates work-ready despite their excellent education. This is proven in one instance where recently, the University of Derby in the UK has won the Guardian University Award 2020 for Social and Community Impact for its work on the #ThisIsDerby project, a partnership initiative with Derby Theatre, Derby County in the Community Trust and Derby’s Cultural Education Partnership.
The award-winning project brings cultural education and events to the city’s young people with the aim of developing their ‘Essential Life Skills’, including confidence, communication and teamwork.
The Social and Community Impact Award is given in recognition of a programme that has engaged with communities, at a local, national or global level, and implemented changes that have had a lasting impact.
In another instance, on Tuesday, 6 October 2020, The Duchess of Cambridge surprised students at the University of Derby as she visited the campus to hear how the coronavirus pandemic has impacted university life.
Kate spoke to first-year students, sports societies and nursing students about the effect that COVID-19 has had on them, and the ways in which the university is supporting their mental health and wellbeing. At the University of Derby, initiatives such as peer mentoring are provided as part of a whole university response to mental health.
For example, nursing students are ‘buddied’ up with fellow students in the year above to provide them with peer support during challenging clinical placements, and the university has given training to its sports societies that will enable students to support their teammates’ mental health.
The Duchess’ visit on that day came as Universities UK, which represents 139 institutions including the University of Derby, published a new checklist to help universities support student wellbeing during the autumn term.
Universities should ensure that students have access to basic necessities during self-isolation, including food, laundry services, cleaning materials, bin bags, tissues and toilet rolls, the guide says.
The University of Derby clearly focuses on its quality education, and the necessary skills for the students to be work-ready, and ensures that its students are well-taken care of while at the campus. Although the university is situated in the UK, there are many partner universities that joined hands with this premier university. Students who are interested to get a University of Derby degree in Malaysia can do so by joining the University of Derby (UoD) programmes at HELP Academy.
According to Tony Leong, the Head of Department at UoD HELP Academy, “Our UoD programmes at HELP Academy are designed to benefit the overall being of our students. The case studies in assignments are real case scenarios giving the students an idea of the real-world problems. At the same time, we also focus on the students’ soft skills and mental health”.
Alumni students of the University of Derby programmes at HELP Academy mentioned that one of the factors that contributed to their success was the willingness of the lecturers to give their guidance and support. According to Clarissa Ann Lum Wei Yien, one of the First Class Honours recipient in 2019 said that “lecturers at the University of Derby programme at HELP Academy are friendly, helpful, knowledgeable, and passionate in what they do. If you have a question, you can reach out via whatsapp, emails, or set appointments. Generally, there are no barriers.” Emily Yong, also another recipient agreed to this as she said that her lecturers were willing to spend time for their students especially if the students were willing to ask for help. She often scheduled one-hour weekly session with a particular lecturer that enabled her to score in the task.
Under the University of Derby programme at HELP Academy, many of the recipients claim that the programme stresses not only on impressive academic qualifications, but also instilling someone to possess the right confidence to function well at their jobs. Studies find that employers in the UK look for graduates who are work-ready and possess the much needed attributes and skills. The University of Derby programme is suited for this.
Moreover, the Business Management & International Business programme by UoD is accredited by the Chartered Management Institute (CMI). Students will be enrolled as Affiliate Members and receive an Advance Diploma in Management and Leadership. The benefits of this membership include gaining professional recognition, improving management skills, boosting career earnings and raising confidence and competency.
The University of Derby has risen three places in The Guardian University Guide from 29th to 26th place – its highest ever ranking. As well as being ranked in the Top 30, Derby has been placed joint third out of 121 institutions for the number of students satisfied with teaching quality – a jump of 18 places in the league table for the metric. Derby has also been placed in the Top 10 for student satisfaction with its courses and feedback. These include Top 10 rankings for Accounting and Finance as well as Business, Management & Marketing.
The UoD programme at HELP Academy is the only UK Business degree in Malaysia that does not have any final exam and is recognised by the government. The programme includes free 10-days study trip to University of Derby, UK with accommodation and a flight ticket.
Find out more about UoD programmes by emailing to [email protected] or call 03-20992937.
