June University of Galway’s Career Development Centre scoops prestigious international award

The Career Development Centre at University of Galway has been named Employability Team of The Year at the Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services (ACGAS) Awards for Excellence 2025.

The annual awards celebrate success and innovation in the higher education sector.

The Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services (AGCAS) is the expert membership organisation for higher education student career development and graduate employment professionals for universities in Ireland and the UK. This year their awards programme reflected on the themes that matter to the higher education sector and celebrated fresh thinking and innovation at a time of increasing challenges.

Commenting on the University of Galway’s award the judges said: “The team at University of Galway has made an inspiring contribution to employability at the University of Galway this year, transforming outcomes to a degree that encapsulates what this sector is all about.” 

The Career Development Centre at University of Galway offers a student-centred service and supports more than 19,000 students and 5,500 graduates every year.

Marie Laffey, Head of the Career Development Centre, University of Galway, said: "Winning the AGCAS Employability Team of the Year Award 2025 is a very proud moment for the team. This international recognition reflects the dedication, innovation, and collaborative spirit of the entire Career Development Centre team, who go above and beyond every day to support our students’ career development and future success. I'm very honoured to lead such a wonderful team. We are very grateful to our students, academic and student service colleagues, and our employer partners for their continued trust and partnership. Together, we are building meaningful, inclusive, and future-focused career pathways for all of our students."

Martin Edmondson, chief executive of AGCAS, said: “The winners and nominees of these awards are a true testament to the exceptional work that is going on in higher education careers and employability. We all know the challenges that the sector is facing right now, yet our members are rising to the challenge with panache, demonstrating success across a range of areas from research to technology, to sustainability and EDI. These innovative and collaborative projects, and high professional standards, lead to careers success for student and graduates and employability for all.”

The prestigious Awards ceremony took place in the UK and is part of the Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services ‘Employability for all’ conference, which took place at Newcastle University, with the support of Practera.  

For a full list of shortlisted entries and more details about the awards, please visit: AGCAS Awards for Excellence

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