The School of Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research at the University of Kent has been awarded the Skillsmark ‘seal of approval’ for its BA in Criminal Justice and Criminology. The programme based at Kent’s Medway campus has been officially recognised by Skills for Justice, the sector skills council and standards setting body for the justice sector, as providing education of outstanding quality and relevance. Lecturer in Criminal Justice and Director of Studies, Dr Simon Shaw comments: “The Skillsmark accreditation is recognition of the value of the relationships and opportunities we have developed with employers to give our students every opportunity to develop practical, workplace-based skills and knowledge relevant to the sector.”
Deputy Head of School, Professor Alex Stevens adds: “Kent is a top 20 University and our graduates report high levels of employment upon graduation, our accreditation is affirmation of the quality of the Criminal Justice and Criminology programme and our graduates.”
The degree programme is multidisciplinary in focus containing elements of criminology, law, sociology, social policy, social history and psychology. Designed to give students an awareness of the complexities of the criminal justice system of England and Wales, students can take a placement year to between their second and final year.
Dr Shaw says: “We know that employers increasingly prefer graduates to have some tangible and relevant work experience and at Kent we believe it is vital to provide our students with the best start to their careers. Throughout the programme we ensure that students gain analytical and knowledge-based skills relevant to criminal justice and social policy professions in both the private and public sector. The Skillsmark accreditation confirms that our Criminal Justice and Criminology BA has been planned and developed to meet the needs of employers and learners and we are delighted with this award.”
Notes: Trusted and highly regarded, Skillsmark is a recognised quality mark for learning and development programmes in the justice, community safety and legal services sectors. Employers throughout the country know that when they see that a programme has been awarded Skillsmark, it is relevant, up to date and designed to meet their needs. The Skillsmark accreditation scheme has been developed in consultation with employers to help employers identify education and training that meets their needs. It is awarded to learning providers who have gone through a rigorous assessment process to be recognised as providing high quality learning programmers relevant to the needs of employers.