If you are looking to gain some work experience, don’t let lockdown deter you! We have put together a few ways in which you can gain experience and develop your employability skills, many of which can be done remotely.
Volunteer
Volunteering is a rewarding way to gain experience and develop your employability skills. There are numerous charities and organisations looking for help, including remotely. A few of these include:
- NHS Responder Volunteers
- Canterbury and Herne Bay Volunteer Centre
- United Nations Volunteers
- Translators without Borders
- Zooniverse – research projects
- Be My Eyes
- TechSoup
You can also log your volunteering hours with the Kent Volunteering Scheme!
Virtual Internships
Virtual internships are flexible, online opportunities, where you can undertake remote experience. Many virtual internships exist in areas such as tech, marketing and social media roles. Some employers will give you project work to complete over a period of time, and you may have regular catch-ups with the employer.
Others are more flexible, allowing you to complete them in your own time, such as The Forage, which offers free open-access virtual internships. Great for building your commercial awareness! Opportunities include those in Law, Design, Tech, Investment Management, Banking and more!
Courses
There are lots of online courses you can explore, many of which are free. Whether that be something to complement your degree, or you want to learn something completely new, such as coding, a language or digital marketing. Find these on sites such as Coursera, The Open University and Future Learn.
We also offer free courses through Study Plus. We have a variety of online workshops, bookable online, covering a range of topics including: meditation, resilience, project management and photography!
You are not only learning something new, but having this on your CV will show your professional development outside of your degree.
View more resources for gaining experience, on our How to develop your skills at home guide.
You can also access the guide, plus all of our other resources and slides on our Moodle page: DP4450.