As part of its ongoing commitment to employability, the University of Winchester has honoured students who have completed a series of modules which equip them with essential skills for the modern world of work.
Prominent people from the world of business and management presented the awards to outstanding students from the Faculty of Business and Design Technology’s (BDT) Discovery programme at a ceremony held in the University’s West Downs Auditorium.
Launched in the 2024/25 academic year, Discovery is made up of six parts or ‘badges’ for first year students – covering AI, Creative Design Thinking, Professional Documentation, Excel Express, Coaching and Mentoring.
Topics were selected as they not only developed essential skills for academic success but were also prerequisites for a successful career.
Welcoming guests, staff and students to the event, Vice-Chancellor Professor Sarah Greer said: “At Winchester we recognise the importance of preparing students for the world of work and I’m proud to say that we are consistently in the top 10 universities in the UK for employability.”
Professor Greer added that the Discovery awards not only recognised the achievement of students but their potential as they took the next steps on their academic and professional journeys.
Dr Julia Osgerby, Associate Dean of BDT, told the audience: “Applied learning and employability are the core of our curriculum. Our programmes are designed to embed real world skills.”
In addition to those singled out for Highly Commended awards, every student completing the programme received their Discovery badge.
Highly Commended Awards:
Craft Your Prompts (AI) presented by Jay Hasse, founder and director at Branded by Aquila: Aidan Razzell , John Whale and Jake Nicholson.
Creative Design Thinking presented by Jonah Luckett, DevOps Engineer and Tech Lead at IBM to: Abbi McCormick Amber Richards and Lily Gosden.
Style Your Docs (Professional Documentation) presented by Mag Lepkowska, founder and director at Mag’s Media, to : Izzy Faircloth and Katie-Grace Yaglikci. Not pictured: Thea Shepherd.
Skills to Succeed (Academic Skills) presented by Kate Sassi, Careers Consultant at the University of Winchester and former BBC News producer, to: Issy Wilkinson and Charlotte Lush. Not pictured: Olivia Downey.
Coaching & Mentoring presented by Becky Webber, founder at executive coach at Reimagine Work, to: Amelia Row and Kieran Baker. Not Pictured: Jess Lacey.
Excel Express presented by Mark Hayter, Associate Director of Data and Insights at Hampshire Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, to: Jakub Romanowski and Eve Bailey. Not pictured: Alan Walendzik.
This year The Consulting Award and Employability Award were also presented to second year BDT students.
The Consulting Award presented by Andy Hickman, Director of the Association of Business Mentors, to Sujan Thapa, Lucy Watson and Isabelle Withuhn.
The Employability Award presented by Hebe Bamburg, Marketing Operations and Product Specialist at Maserati North Europe: Thomas Bwambale Muhiwa, Joseph Norman and Adil Saad.
Staff Awards
As at the first awards in 2025 there were also prizes for staff members, voted for by students.
The winners were:
Most Inspiring member of staff - Aimee Robinson, Lecturer in Computer Science
Favourite Activity – Pumpkin Carving, Steve Northam, Senior Lecturer in Business Management.
Most Insightful – Steve Northam and Kamila Miller, Lecturer in Marketing.
Alumni in action:
Two of the guests presenting awards were Winchester alumni who had started their own businesses.
Jade Haase, the founder and director of Bracknell-based marketing agency Branded by Aquila, took her MBA at Winchester.
She told her audience that many businesses were using AI but were not getting the best out of it because employees did not know how to use it properly.
“If you can use AI, you are one step ahead of many of the people in the workforce,” said Jade.
Mag Lepowska, founder and director of AI Atelier by Mag,a specialist training provider dedicated to helping businesses harness the power of artificial intelligence in marketing and social media, stressed the importance of being able to present documents in a professional manner.
Mag, who is also a member of the University’s Employer Advisory Board, said: “Confident and creative use of tools such as Word and PowerPoint enables students to communicate ideas with clarity and impact, present information effectively, and demonstrate a high level of professionalism—qualities that are highly valued by employers and fundamental to success in their future careers.”
A third alumna was Hebe Bamburg, Marketing Operations and Product Specialist at Maserati North Europe, who encouraged students to show commitment in the job market: “The individuals that commit are the ones that are successful - it is about mindset, resilience and work ethic.”
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