As internationalisation assistants, Christine, Lauren and Alexandra worked closely with the Vice Chancellor’s office and various other parties such as the International Recruitment Team to coordinate and organise the 2020 Think Kent Global Showcases for various regions and countries.

The Global Showcase events exhibit global engagements typically carried out abroad by the University of Kent for its students, staff, alumni and international partners. It includes highlights from Kent’s academic schools, as well as information and discussion panels for applicants, alumni, and more. A novel aspect to the event this year was that it was organised and carried out virtually, enabling more accessibility amongst participants

Placement Role

We had an initial briefing on how our role would support the Kent Global Showcase (KGS) and Open Day events. We attended various Microsoft Teams meetings with the Dean of Internationalisation’s office, International Recruitment, Development Office and Corporate Communications departments. The staff gave us insights into how their roles contribute to Kent’s Internationalisation efforts and how they liaise to plan various aspects of KGS, for example entertainment and virtual tours.

During briefings by the KGS leads for Africa, Hong Kong and Pan-Asia, we were guided on how we would be involved during July Open Day, held on 4 July. We designed the participants feedback form and attended as student panellists via Zoom, where prospective students asked us questions relating to various aspects of the Kent student experience. Due to the unprecedented times we are in, the work placement was carried out virtually and we are grateful to the Employability Poibnts Scheme for the opportunity to be involved with the inaugural online events for the KGS and Open Day.

Employability Points Scheme

This valuable opportunity was solely available through the Employability Points Scheme. As is alluded to, this scheme grants students points based on the co-curricular activities they get involved in which heighten their desirability to potential employers. Examples of such activities range from seminars based around writing CVs to any part time job held alongside their studies. Upon collecting a set number of these points we were eligible to apply for this placement. All skills and knowledge regarding the world of work that we gained through collecting these points were able to be put to practice during this placement. Despite the added challenges of the virtual nature of the programme, we were still able to network with members from different university departments, allowing an exclusive insight into the collaborative nature of the running of University events. This also heightened our confidence and communication skills, especially when participating in live events such as University Open Days and on a larger scale, the Hong Kong and Africa Global Showcases.

From left to right- Christine Bishop, Lauren Lopez, Alexandra Tan