There are twelve awards up for grabs to celebrate your skills. Communication. Problem Solving. Emotional intelligence. Professionalism. Financial and Digital Skills. Achieve bronze by completing online courses. Achieve silver by applying your knowledge in your volunteering. Impress your tutors, future employers, and your Grandma in your holiday zoom call.  

Becoming a more skilled volunteer means you can have a greater positive impact in your own life, your Students’ Union and your local community. These awards are based on the graduate attributes - the skills that the University believes all Salford students should have when they graduate.

How to Get a Bronze Award

1. Be a registered volunteer with USSU
2. Sign up to LinkedIn Learning with your institutional link 
3. Complete the relevant LinkedIn Learning Path (When you've registered, follow the links on the badges above)
   • Each learning path is made up of four hours of specially selected online courses in the relevant skills area.
4. Email ussu-volunteering@salford.ac.uk to say which bronze award you have completed, and we will issue your digital certificate at the end of the semester 

[Course reps can also achieve the USSU Bronze Communicator Award by registering on our volunteering portal as a course rep and attending USSU workshops 'Managing Difficult Conversations' and 'Presenting with Confidence'] 

[Rafiki volunteers can also achieve the USSU Bronze Emotionally Intelligent Award by registering on our volunteering portal as a Rafiki volunteer and attending their Rafiki training.] 

How to Get a Silver Award

1. Have completed the bronze award for that skill area e.g. to be a USSU Silver Communicator, you must first be a USSU Bronze Communicator 
2. Complete two SSTARR reflections on our volunteering platform about two occasions when you have developed two separate skills within the relevant skillset. 
   •  E.g. for the USSU Silver Communicator award, you could do one reflection about a time when you developed your listening skills, and another reflection about a time when you developed your skill of influencing others. 
3. Email ussu-volunteering@ac.uk to say which silver award you have completed and we will issue your digital certificate at the end of the semester 

 

Which Skills fall within each skillset? 

 

Communicator	Emotionally Intelligent	Professional	Financially Skilled	Problem Solver	Problem Solver
Verbal Communication Confidence Listening Literacy and copywriting Marketing Negotiation and influencing Public Speaking Teaching and training Other skill, please state             ***	Interpersonal  Conflict resolution  Counselling Non-judgemental Positive attitude Giving and Receiving Feedback Other skill, please state                 ***	Administration and clerical Driving Event Planning Initiative Being Adaptable Planning and organising Practicality Team Work Networking Self Management Time Management Other skill, please state     ***	Financial planning Numeracy Fundraising  Money Management  Other skill, please state                               ***	Creative Problem solver Strategizing Decision Making Project Management Critical Thinking and evaluation  Other skill, please state                        ***	IT, Computers and web skills  Office IT (Word, Excel, etc.)  Creative and design Other skill, please state                             ***

Get Certificates from LinkedIn Learning, and from USSU!

• For the Bronze Awards, you can download digital certificates directly from LinkedIn Learning when you complete each course within a Learning Path.
• When you complete all the criteria for a silver or bronze award, email email ussu-volunteering@salford.ac.uk, and we will check your details and issue your digital certificates for our skills awards at the end of each semester.

Put 'Open Badges' on your LinkedIn profile

• An 'Open Badge' is a way to credential online education. It's an icon that contains a link to a course and the date that you completed it.They look great on your LinkedIn profile! 
• For the Bronze awards, each course within the LinkedIn Learning Path has the option to put an 'open badge' on your LinkedIn profile.
• When you complete the course, click 'Add to Profile' 

LinkedIn Learning is free!

• Yes. LinkedIn Learning is free for all students and staff at the University of Salford.  

You don't need a LinkedIn account to achieve the awards

• When you sign up to LinkedIn Learning, it will ask whether or not you want to link your account to a LinkedIn profile.