Yearly Archives: 2020

Careers and Employability Service: Supporting you in lockdown

As we begin a second lockdown, we understand this is a very uncertain time for everyone. The Careers and Employability Service is here to support you in exploring, finding and securing work opportunities. The pandemic has meant that there are now different approaches you can take when job hunting, as well as, a variety of ways to develop your skills from home, which in turn can support your mental health, which we want to share with you.

Below are a few positives that have come from the current situation, in relation to your career, which are important to highlight. We will also be sharing our advice over the coming weeks, for students looking to gain experience, prepare applications, apply and succeed in securing work opportunities.

Positives of lockdown and your career

While so many people are still working from home, it may mean that you can widen your search when looking for jobs/experience (in terms of ‘location’), as many are now remote. It gives you time to reflect on your career goals and research new job roles. If you are considering your options, book a Careers Guidance Appointment to talk to a Careers Adviser.
You can access a wider range of employer events and workshops. Many employers have moved their events online, opening them up to all students.
Job-hunting whilst in lockdown provides you with an opportunity to develop skills, such as, resilience and adaptability, which are key skills employers value.

Before considering ideas of what to do during lockdown, it’s important to remember

Self-Care is necessary. Do not feel pressured to ‘fill all of your time’. This has been a challenging year and adapting to a new normal can be hard. Of course there are things you can do to develop skills, which can also support mental health, but you need to do what’s right for you.
Include some non-negotiables into your day, for example, taking regular breaks or going for a daily walk. Make the most of getting outside and exploring your local area, something our Careers Adviser Amy does regularly (the above image is from her walk before work)
Stay in touch with friends / family, to maintain a good network. You can be creative to keep in touch, such as virtual dinner dates, virtual games and quizzes!
Make time to do something you enjoy, whether it’s blogging, reading, binging a box set, running etc!
Access support from Student Support and Wellbeing, whatever you’re going through, support is available at Kent, including appointments and wellbeing events.

Developing your employability during lockdown
Over the next few weeks we’ll be sharing our advice to help you gain experience, prepare applications, apply and succeed! Keep posted on our social media for our daily tips, and you can also access our ‘How to develop your skills at home’ guide on our Moodle page: DP4450, click on the tab Remote Working & Online Vacancies to access this.

This week! University of Kent at the Creative Coalition Festival 2020

The University’s new Institute of Cultural and Creative Industries features in a number of sessions at a leading Creative Industry event this week.

The Creative Coalition Festival (9-11 Nov) run by the Creative Industries Federation, has gone online for 2020 and is now free to attend.

So, sign up for free today and join us at one (or all) of the events below:

Multiple Towns, Maximum Impact – Tues 10 Nov at 15.10

Can cultural and creative placemaking be collaborative across our towns and cities? A panel discussion including Creative Estuary Project Director, Emma Wilcox.

Kickstarting the Arts – Wed 11 Nov, 12.10

How will the cultural and creative industries and academia work together in a post-COVID future? Above and beyond the training of practitioners and their work as research institutions, what roles does academia have in the future of the arts? ICCI brings together academics, artists, activists and arts leaders to discuss what possibilities the future might hold. A discussion panel led by ICCI Director, Catherine Richardson.

Uni of Kent Alumni Showcase – Wed 11 Nov, 14.20

Introducing the work of 5 Kent alumni, now successfully working in the creative industries. Presented by ICCI.

Also look out for this session by our partners at Pioneering Places:

Cultural Placemaking: The Urban Renewers – Tues 10 Nov at 16.00

How have creative and cultural institutions evolved from being the beating heart of a community to the engines of heritage and culture-led regeneration?

Find out more and book your free festival pass via the website.

Kent Professor Delivers Prestigious Oxford Lecture

Peter Taylor-Gooby, OBE, Professor of Social Policy at the University of Kent, will deliver the prestigious Sidney Ball Lecture in its Centenary year on Thursday 12 November from 16.00 – 17.30 online.

His theme will be:

COVID-19 and the UK Welfare State: where next for post-pandemic welfare provision?

Professor Taylor-Gooby will argue that in recent years state welfare in the UK has become increasingly divisive. Recent governments have directed a spending to pensions and health care for older people and imposed heavy cuts on the education, housing support and child care used by young people and families of working age. The gap between skilled workers and professionals and those on low-pay and on Universal Credit grows wider.

The early days of the first lockdown cut across these divisions, in a surge of generosity, goodwill and neighbourliness embracing low-paid insecure key workers, homeless people and those in need. The lecture will analyse use new material from Professor Taylor-Gooby’s research on food banks to chart shifts in public generosity and community resilience as the pandemic developed. It will examine whether we succeeded in grasping the opportunity to build greater social cohesion or squandered it.

The Sidney Ball Memorial Lectures were established after the First World War in memory of Sidney Ball who was a philosophy fellow at St John’s College, Oxford. Sidney Ball was both a political radical and ‘an energetic university reformer’ concerned that contemporary social and economic problems should be studied at Oxford.

The lecture will be available online and you can register via the Eventbrite website.

Training Sessions available for staff

The Talent and Organisational Development team would like to inform staff of two upcoming sessions:

1. Mid-Career Workshop

This short workshop covers a range of issues relevant to planning your financial affairs, both now and for the future. It will take place on Wednesday 25 November between 14.00 – 16.00.

2. Pre-Retirement Workshop

A two day workshop aiming to give participants knowledgeable advice in regards to all aspects of planning for retirement, looking at areas such as finance, health and lifestyle. It will take place on Wednesday 25 and Thursday 26 November between 10.00 – 1300.

Both sessions are bookable via Staff Connect, where further information can also be found.

Please contact the team at Ldev@kent.ac.uk if you would like to understand more about the sessions.

How Diverse are our Reading Lists? – Diversity Mark Launch Event

Are you a teaching academic? Are you interested in Decolonising Your Reading Lists? Have you thought about the need to Diversify the Academy but not sure where to start? Then this is the event for you!

The University of Kent will Launch Diversity Mark Award via Zoom Live on Tuesday 24 November 2020 Tuesday 14.30 – 17.00.

The award-winning work of Diversity Mark involves a team of cross-departmental colleagues from the Library, Student Success, Academic colleagues, Kent Union and collaboration of Student Ambassadors working to encourage reflection on the demographic makeup of reading lists, and stimulate conversations on how you can diversify reading lists that represent a more universal collection of knowledge. Having run various pilots across the university we would now like to formally launch the award and invite colleagues from across the campus to hear about the work so far.

We are delighted to announce that we will be joined by guest speaker Fope Olaleye, former Black Student Officer for National Union of Students. Fope is an anti-oppression educator, who has worked extensively on centring diverse voices/experiences in HE curriculum. We are also extremely lucky to be hearing from Dr Karen Schucan Bird and Lesley Pitman from UCL about their research “How diverse is your reading list? Exploring issues of representation and decolonisation in the UK”

Attendees can register for free on Eventbrite, and the online event link will then be sent by email. If you are a member of staff with a keen interest in dismantling inequalities, then come along! Better yet, forward the invitation to a colleague who you know has not considered this yet.

Care first webinars w/c 9 November 2020

Our official Employee Assistance Programme provider, Care first offers a numbers of services and provide useful advice and support, including weekly webinars.

This week’s (Monday 9 November – Friday 13 November) webinars are as follows:

Monday 9 November 2020 – ‘How Care first can support you’
Time: 12.00-12.30 – to register please click on this Go to webinar link.

Tuesday 10 November 2020 – ‘Finding positives during Lockdown’
Time: 12.00-12.30 – to register please click on this Go to webinar link

Wednesday 11 November 2020 – ‘Changes for travelling to Europe from 1st January 2021’
Time: 12.00-12.30 – to register please click on this Go to webinar link

Thursday 12 November 2020 – ‘How counselling can have a positive impact on
your mental wellbeing’
Time: 12.00-12.30 – to register please click on this Go to webinar link

Friday 13 November 2020 – Cyberbulling’
Time: 12.00-12.30 – to register please click on this Go to webinar link

How to keep physically active during Lockdown

Lockdown can be tough – along with studying, eating well and catching up with your friends and family, you need to make sure you are getting enough exercise.

With the sports hall closed and public gyms closed for the unforeseeable future, getting your regular exercise can be tricky. Also staying at home for a long period of time can make you lose the motivation to keep fit.

However, it is imperative that you take up physical exercise because not only does it keep you calm and will also boost your health during this unprecedented time.

Here are some tips on how to stay physically active when self isolating.

Take short active breaks during the day

Short bouts of physical activity add up to the weekly recommendations. Dancing and performing domestic chores such as cleaning and gardening are other ways to stay active at home.

Follow an online exercise class

If you can’t get up in time to join Joe Wicks, why not take advantage of the amount of online exercise classes available on YouTube? They are free and there are lots to choose from.

Walk

Even in small spaces, walking around or walking on the spot, can help you remain active. If you are on a call with classmates, stand or walk around your home while you speak, instead of sitting down. If you decide to go outside to walk or exercise, be sure to maintain at least a two-meter distance from other people.

Stand up while studying

Mix up your study habits by standing up whenever possible. Consider setting up a standing desk by using a high table or stacking a pile of books or other materials, to continue working while standing.

Try something new

Why not try yoga, dog walks, running, taekwondo, hula hooping, online exercises classes (e.g. from Kent Dance) and even turning your housemate’s empty bedroom into a home gym!

Web Cafe event

We are hosting a Web Cafe on Thursday 12 November between 13:00 and 13:30. This is a friendly drop in event, where students can discuss anything they wish.

Students will be able to discuss a variety of topics such as their studies, wellbeing, concerns, current news items and events as well as enabling us to update you on current topics.

Please come along and join us – whether or not you have a subject to raise. All matters can be discussed and all students are welcome.

You can sign up for the event on the link below:

Web Cafe on Thursday 12 November

Students will be sent the Zoom link a couple of days before.

Are these the same as Web Chats?

No, Web Chats are slightly more formal events lead by University staff on a specific topic to share important information with you, often followed by student Q&A. See the next Web Chat.

Vice-Chancellor’s update – 5 November 2020

The news at the weekend that we were entering into a second period of lockdown meant most of us have spent the week preparing for how we are going to manage it both at work and at home. Many of you have, once again, gone the extra mile to enable the University to respond to the current situation. My greatest thanks go to you for this continuing effort.

I also wanted to thank all those who have worked hard to support the delivery of O4S during this time. We have now reached a major milestone in this significant change programme with new structures in place across the organisation and a new leadership team now in place.

I know, at times, this has been challenging and it has taken a huge amount of effort to get to this point. However, I am confident that the changes we have made are the right ones and the Divisions will play a major part of our future success.

Our focus will now turn to supporting Divisions and wider teams as they come together, ensuring that they have what they need to work well together. This will take time and I know there is still a lot more we need to do – both to manage this ongoing transition period and continue to simplify how we work together.

Staff in the professional services still have a considerable amount of work to do as teams come together, and I would ask that colleagues are mindful of this, particularly over the next few weeks.

Finally, I would like to pay tribute to those colleagues who have left us under KVSS, and I know there are others who are due to leave shortly. Thank you for everything you have done to support the University, it is hugely appreciated and you will be greatly missed.

My very best wishes go to you and your families,

Karen

Professor Karen Cox | Vice-Chancellor and President

What do the new lockdown rules mean for me?

From Thursday 5 November until Wednesday 2 December 2020, there will be a national lockdown across England.

That means you need to stay at home unless for specific reasons such as on-campus teaching, outdoor exercise or going to get food.

Can I leave my student accommodation?

Yes, but only for specific reasons such as attending teaching on-campus, going to the supermarket, and attending a medical appointment. You can also use the library or one of our study spaces.

You can leave your home for exercise outdoors as often as you like.

You can also go out with your household for ‘recreation’ time or on your own with one person from another household (one plus one rule).

Examples of ‘recreation’ include meeting a friend in a park for a walk or picnic. You cannot meet in homes or gardens.

Can I still attend on-campus teaching?

Yes, you can leave your home to attend university.

We will continue to offer a mix of online and on-campus teaching/supervision in a Covid-safe environment.

What changes will there be to campus facilities?

The majority of our campus services and facilities will remain open as they were before the lockdown. Our on-campus accommodation will remain open, as will the libraries and study spaces.

With only a small number of exceptions, our catering outlets will also remain open offering a take-away service with eat-in service still available to those students on catered packages only. Some facilities may need to adjust their hours of operation. The Medical Centre on the Canterbury campus will also remain open.

Please check our Student life information on the student coronavirus pages for more details.

What will close off campus?

Non-essential shops, hairdressers/beauty salons, leisure and entertainment venues will all be closed.

Bars, restaurants, and pubs will also be closed but can offer takeaway services.

What support is available?

We are here for you in these uncertain times!

We offer a wide range of support services for students, including wellbeing and support, finance, online learning, IT, housing, accommodation, and immigration.

Please check out our support pages for more information.

Can I return to my family home?

If you are currently living away from your family home, a recent letter from the Minister of State for Universities is urging you stay where you are. This will help stop the spread of Covid and save lives.

I am a commuting student. Can I still travel to university?

Yes, you can still travel from home for education. Plan your journey in advance and make sure you follow the Government and travel operator’s guidelines.

If you need support during this difficult time, please get in touch by emailing CovidSupport@kent.ac.uk

We are here for you and we will get through this together!