Information Technology student nominated for First Year of the Year Award

School of Computing student David Fletcher was this month shortlisted for the 'First Year of the Year Award' at the TARGETjobs Undergraduate of the Year Awards.

David, who is studying Information Technology at the University was selected from hundreds of applicants around the country to a shortlist of just 10 students, an absolutley fantastic achievement.

There are 12 awards at the Undergraduate of the Year ceremony, each of which is sponsored by a different company. David's ‘First Year of the Year’ award was sponsored by Ernst & Young. The award was created to find students who had performed outstandingly in their first year of university. Students entering the category were put through their paces with a number of assessments including psychometric tests, presentations and interviews, and following a tough application process, Ernst & Young whittled the extensive list down to the final 10.

David, along with the other finalists, then attended the Undergraduate of the Year Award Ceremony on 19th April at Canary Wharf, London in which shortlisted candidates and professionals were given time to network and discuss the companies that gave out the awards. Sir Trevor McDonald was present at the event to give a speech, before presenting all 12 awards to the winners.

After the award ceremony, David commented: "Overall, despite the disappointment of not winning my award, I found the ceremony very enjoyable, and I had the chance to meet some interesting people along the way. Ernst & Young were also kind enough to offer finalists the opportunity to reapply with the firm, informing us that we would be progressed straight through to a partner stage interview, without having to do any preliminary application process."

Simon Rogers, director at TARGETjobs commented: “This year’s awards have attracted applications from some incredibly talented and forward-thinking students who have shown just how capable they are. The competition for those internship places was extremley tough.

Other categories in the TARGETjobs Undergraduate of the Year Awards include:
- Construction Engineering and Design Undergraduate of the Year
- Engineering Undergraduate of the Year
- Female Undergraduate of the Year
- IT and Computer Science Undergraduate of the Year

If you are interested in taking part in next year's competition, register your interested on the TARGETjobs Undergraduate of the Year webpage.

David is now in his second year of Information Technology at the University and had this to say about the course:" Information technology is a good mix of technological material, mathematical problem solving and business related modules. It is taught largely through lectures and practical lab sessions. I feel the course offers me more than other similar Computer Science courses, mainly as I prefer the business side of the course. Working as part of a team is likely to be a strong part of my future and I believe that my course affords me this opportunity on a regular basis. In addition to expanding my business knowledge, I also enjoy some of the larger coding projects that we are assigned. I find it very satisfying when hours of hard work spent writing a computer programme results in something tangible as a result.