Floella Career Award for Sport Sciences Student

Louise will use the Floella Award to further her employability in the healthcare sector. Next year she begins a two year Paediatric Nursing Diploma in London, and will use part of the funding to support her living costs while studying, in order for her to concentrate on her studies.

Louise also plans to use some of the Award to fund a British Sign Language course. 'This would benefit my ability to communicate with people with hearing or speaking difficulties' explains Louise. This will help Louise maximise her potential as a nurse.

'Having always wanted to be a nurse, I was delighted to discover I had been offered a place to study Paediatric Nursing at Kings College London, starting September 2010. The Floella Benjamin Award of £1000 will allow me to concentrate more fully on the intense two year training course, lessening the worry of having to financially support my living costs. I also intend to fund British Sign Language Qualifications which will increase my ability to communicate with children with speech or hearing difficulties. I cannot wait to start training in world renowned hospitals, and look forward to an exciting and rewarding career in nursing in the future. I am very grateful to the Employability service and Floella for making these dreams financially viable.'

All applicants had to write and submit a costed proposal explaining what it was they needed and how it would help their future employability. These proposals were judged by staff at the Careers and Employment Service and by Floella. The Floella Benjamin Career Development awards were devised by the University of Exeter’s Careers and Employment Service as part of a range of opportunities available to students to develop their personal skills and employability.

Dr Floella Benjamin, OBE DL Chancellor of the University of Exeter says: “These awards enable students to turn good ideas into a plan of action. When judging we are looking for students who are driven, focused and willing to go the extra mile to ensure career success. It is great that these awards are being used for such a variety of projects, to show that Exeter students are having an impact around the world.”

Find out more about the The Floella Benjamin Career Development awards