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The ncl+ Award

Take part in the ncl+ Award to have your extra-curricular experience recognised and learn how to discuss the skills you've gained.

What is the ncl+ Award?

Registrations for the 26/27 ncl+ Award are now open! 

Register any time before 31st January 2027 via this link NCL+ Award Registration Form 26-27 – Fill in form 

If you have registered and looking for support, please either see the Canvas page or email careers@ncl.ac.uk

 

What is the ncl+ Award?

The ncl+ Award is a programme to allow Newcastle University students to gain recognition for extra-curricular activities.

To get involved, you need to complete 40 hours of extra-curricular activity, such as part-time jobs, society roles and volunteering, between 21st September 2026 until 26th March 2027.

Then complete some short activities to reflect on the skills gained and learn how to demonstrate these skills to employers. You can sign up anytime from 21st September until 31st January 2027.

When you complete the Award you'll receive an e-certificate and an electronic ‘badge’ to display on your LinkedIn Profile.

Why should I do the ncl+ Award?

Why should I take part in the NCL+ Award?

Employers are increasingly looking for candidates who stand out from the crowd. They value skills such as:

  • personal enterprise
  • communication
  • teamwork
  • self-awareness and reflection
  • planning and organising

You may already be developing these as part of your extra-curricular activities. Through the ncl+ Award you will reflect on the skills you are developing, and learn how to market these skills to employers. 

The ncl+ Award team will provide support throughout the year to help you make the most of your achievements and skills beyond university.

When you complete the Award you'll receive the ncl+ Award e-certificate and an electronic ‘badge’ to display on your LinkedIn Profile.

My participation in the award has been very valuable for my future applications. I feel increasingly confident in my ability to attribute importance to my extra-curricular activities, and the guidance provided by the award has undoubtedly advanced this

BA English Literature Student 2026

What activities can I use for the Award?

The list of activities that go towards your ncl+ Award is quite extensive. It can include almost everything you do outside of your degree:

  • Part-time work, at the Student's Union, University, or externally
  • Volunteering, at the University, Student's Union, or externally
  • Club & society committee work
  • Peer mentoring
  • Student rep work (course reps, school reps, liberation officers, chairs, etc)
  • Entrepreneurial activities
  • Learning a language through the University wide language programme 
  • Playing organised sport, either in the University or externally

Your activities must be completed by 26th March 2027. 

You can also combine activities - this is recommended, as it allows you to show a wider range of skills.

If you're undertaking the Career Development Module, any hours you do above the required 50 for the module can be used towards the ncl+ Award. 

Register for a Careers Service workshop

What's involved?

Step 1 - Register

To start your ncl+ Award journey you can register using this link NCL+ Registration Form  -  then follow the instructions to Canvas where you can begin your award.  

As you can see from the choices below, you have the option to learn in-person (with discussion & interaction) or achieve the award independently online (solo in your own time). If you have questions about the ncl+ Award before registering, please get in touch with careers@ncl.ac.uk.

Step 2 - Complete Part One 

Information about part one of the ncl+ Award will be listed on Canvas once you register. 

You can complete part one online by watching the videos or come along to an in-person workshop. 

Workshops dates can be found on Canvas once you register. If you cannot attend in-person, you can work your way through the video and tasks in your own time.

Step 3 - Complete & Log 40 Hours of Activity

To complete the ncl+ Award, you will need to complete 40 hours of activity. This may be logging activities you’re already doing through part-time work, voluntary hours as part of a committee, or time spent as a Student Rep.

You must complete 40+ hours of extra-curricular activity between 21st September 2026 - 26th March 2027, and make a note of them in your Activity Log.

You can download an Activity Log from Canvas and keep track of your hours throughout the year. 

Step 4 - Complete Part Two 

The next stage of the process is to complete Part Two of the ncl+ Award.

Again, you can attend one of the in-person workshops, or work through the videos on Canvas. 

Step 5 - Final Submission & Assessment

Once you've completed your 40 hours of activity and attended the workshops OR completed the work on Canvas, you submit your Activity Log and have the option to either write down your answers to three competency-based questions, OR record yourself answering them.

These need to be completed by 26th March 2027.

The ncl+ Award team will let you know whether you have achieved the Award. If you’ve passed, you’ll be sent an ncl+ Award e-certificate. You will also receive an electronic badge to display on your LinkedIn profile.

Undergraduate and PGT students will also have the Award recorded on your HEAR/degree transcript.   

If you haven't passed the Award, you will receive feedback and will be encouraged to resubmit once, with some guidance to help you pass.  

How to register for the ncl+ award

Registrations for the 26/27 ncl+ Award are now open! 

Register any time before 31st January 2027 via this link NCL+ Award Registration Form 26-27 – Fill in form 

If you have registered and looking for support, please either see the Canvas page or email careers@ncl.ac.uk

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the NCL+ Award?

Undertake 40 hours of extra-curricular activity, including part-time jobs, society roles and volunteering, between 21st September 2026 until 26th March 2027.

Then complete some short activities to reflect on the skills gained and learn how to demonstrate these skills to employers. You can sign up anytime from 21st September until 31st January 2027.

When you complete the Award you'll receive the ncl+ Award e-certificate and an electronic ‘badge’ to display on your LinkedIn Profile.

Register by filling in this form NCL+ Award Registration Form 26-27 – Fill in form and following the steps to receive the Canvas link.

Who can participate in the NCL+ Award?

Any registered student for the year 26/27 can complete the NCL+ award. Activities must be completed whilst doing the award and cannot be previous activities.

How do I register for the NCL+ Award?

Register any time before 31st January 2027 by filling in this form NCL+ Award Registration Form 26-27 – Fill in form and following the steps to receive the Canvas link.

I’m doing the Career Development module, can I still join?

Yes, you can, any hours completed above the 50 hours will count. So, you would need a total of 90 hours – 50 for the Careers Development module and 40 for the ncl+ award.

What activities can count towards my 40 hours?

The list of activities that go towards your ncl+ Award is quite extensive. It can include almost everything you do outside of your degree:

  • Part-time work (at the Student's Union, University, or externally)
  • Volunteering (at the University, Student's Union, or beyond)
  • Club & society committee work
  • Student rep work (course reps, school reps, liberation officers, chairs, etc)
  • Entrepreneurial activities
  • Learning a language through the University wide language programme 
  • Playing organised sport, either in the University or externally
  • Peer mentoring

If you are unsure whether an activity counts, please email careers@ncl.ac.uk, or attend an in-person workshop to ask.

Can I use more than one activity?

Yes definitely, as taking part in different activities will help you reflect on skills gained from a range of experiences and will help you to complete the competency-based questions used to assess the Award. 

Do the hours have to be in term time?

No, the hours can be completed at any time between 21st September 2026-27th March 2027, for example two weeks of work experience totalling over 40 hours over the winter break would be enough for the award.

Do the activities need to be within the University?

No, you can use external activities, such as external part time work, volunteering, sport or courses such as FutureLearn or Forage.

You can also combine external activities with activities within the University, such as society roles, University sport or peer mentoring.

Do I have to be in person?

No, you can complete the whole award online by watching some short videos on Canvas, and completing the tasks.

There are in person workshops if you would rather attend in person, but it is the exact same content as online.

How do I keep track of my activities and hours?

This is done through the activity log. You can find this on Canvas, with instructions on how to complete.

Just fill in the form, recording the type of activity, a brief description of the skills you learnt and how many hours it took.

You will find a template of this in the Part 1 Activities section of the ncl+ Award page on Canvas.  

What evidence do I need to provide for my activities?

We ask that you give one name who can verify your activities, for one of your logged activities.

If you do any NUSU activities (eg. Clubs, societies, Rep work), simply give the name of a staff member or sabb officer in that area.  

For supervisor verification, we only get in touch with a small, randomly selected sample. If your supervisor was chosen to provide verification for your hours, we would get in touch with them via email once all ncl+ Award deadlines have passed. This will most likely be throughout the summer term in May/June.  

Your named supervisor will be sent a copy of your submitted activity log and asked to verify that you completed the activities with them. We just need a simple email stating that the activity log is correct as verification.  

You do not need to get your hours signed off. 

Can I use hours that happened last year?

No, the 40 hours of activities must come from the period of 21st September 2026 to 26th March 2027

I can no longer complete the award, what do I need to do?

You don’t need to do anything – you can just not submit and it will not affect your academic credit or be marked against you in any way.

If you would like to stop receiving the Canvas notifications, please contact careers@ncl.ac.uk and we can remove you from the Canvas page.

Contact us

We're always happy to answer your questions. 

All general enquiries regarding the Award should be sent to careers@ncl.ac.uk. You can expect a response within a maximum of 5 working days.