Author Archives: Allie Burnett

Careers support for your final year of Uni

The Careers and Employability Service is here to support you now, and for three years after you leave Kent.

Whether its finding internships and work experience, volunteering, or your dream graduate job, we are here for you – we can even help you with selecting postgraduate study options.

Book an appointment with a Careers Adviser

You can access our help through online or face-to-face appointments using our booking system, where you will find 15-minute Quick Advice appointments, 45-minute Careers Guidance appointments, or even practice interview slots for when you have a job interview lined up.

If you aren’t sure what you want to do after Kent, a Careers Guidance appointment will help you in making decisions and future plans.

If you just have a quick question, or would like a CV or application reviewed, a Quick Advice appointment is best.

Online resources

We also have a wide range of online resources that can help with achieving your next career goal.

We have an online CV reviewing system that can check your CV and even match it against a job description, giving you a real edge over other applicants.

If you haven’t got a CV, or think it might need a lot of work, we have some handy guides to CVs and applications.

We also have a practice interview system that will help you improve your video interview performance.

If you find yourself being invited for an assessment centre, you might want to check out our practice tests which give feedback on how you are performing.

Getting your dream job

We are here to help you navigate the graduate labour market, and provide access to vacancies, we have some helpful guides on working in different roles and sectors, or alternatively, you can find out what people go on to do that have studied the same subject as you.

You can also chat to one of our qualified advisers – no career question is too simple or complex.

Events and workshops

We also run a large number of events and workshops at which hundreds of employers every year come onto campus to give insight into the world of work.

This includes our sector themed weeks where we soon have charities and NGOs, Inspiring Women, Creative Industries and Science and Data.

Earn Employability Points

Don’t forget, that any activities that you do, are likely to give you Employability Points, which can help you gain work experience and internships.

KentVision unavailable from 3-6 December

Due to planned major system upgrades and maintenance, KentVision will be unavailable between 17.00 on Friday 3 December and 16.00 on Monday 6 December.

If you need to access your timetable during this period, we recommend you check this webpage.

You shouldn’t encounter any issues once the work is completed, but if you do, or think something doesn’t look right, please contact us via helpdesk@kent.ac.uk

We apologise for any inconvenience caused while this essential work is carried out.

Canterbury Covid-19 vaccination site

Walk-ins for the Covid-19 vaccination are currently running every week day, between 9.00-16.00 at:

Sea Cadets building
Vauxhall Road,
Canterbury
CT1 1ZN

You can find more walk-in Covid-19 vaccination sites in Kent and Medway online.

Students and staff can also book online via: national booking service, or by phoning 119.

The vaccine clinic is available for anyone who needs their first, second or booster vaccine.

Now is a great time to get your vaccine before Christmas. Helping to protect your friends and family.

Our role as men in ending sexual violence

From Professor Richard Reece | Deputy Vice-Chancellor Education and Student Experience

Usually when we put together updates for students and staff, we are thinking of the broad community at Kent that we are all part of. However, with today being the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, I want to prompt discussion between one group in particular – the men who study, live and work across our campuses.

There is no doubting the extra poignance of today after a year which has seen such hurt, anger and public outcry following high profile and appalling events such as the murders of Sarah Everard and Sabina Nessa. More recently, the reported rise in drink spiking has brought into sharp focus a deep-seated culture of violence, and potential violence, towards women that plays out both nationally and on our university campuses.

If we are completely honest, the way these acts of violence are discussed all too often places the onus on women to protect themselves – don’t dress in a particular way; don’t drink too much; don’t leave your drink unattended; don’t accept a drink from someone you don’t know. It is especially painful to hear testimony from women about how systemic violence can force them to think along these lines when simply trying to enjoy a night out. Far from getting to the heart of the problem, these approaches detract from it and place the blame at the wrong door – putting expectations on the victims of crime rather than the perpetrators.

While some may find this challenging, the real message here is much more straightforward. Men need to stop being violent towards women. Harassment is a crime. This is our problem and we need to own it. It is a simple fact that the overwhelming majority of violent acts against women are perpetrated by men. Trying to brush past this as the behaviour of a minority of us misses the point – just because you are not personally violent does not give you the right to ignore, or worse tacitly condone, the experiences of so many women in our community.

As men, we all need to ask ourselves the hard questions. Am I prepared to challenge others when they are acting inappropriately? Do I call out supposed jokes or comments that over-step the mark? Am I clear that I do not have a right to women’s attention or their bodies? At times this may not be easy, or it may not make you popular – however, it is incumbent on us to both change and encourage change wherever we can.

Both the University and Kent Union will continue to do all we can to keep the women of our community safe, including launching our new Consent. Get it. Full Stop campaign this week. We will continue to promote specialist support for those who are victims/survivors of violence, and we’ve more work to do with our partners to ensure all of our venues both are and feel as secure as possible. But that alone is not enough. Men must own violence against women as our issue to address, not theirs. It is only when we do this that things will genuinely improve to the benefit of all.

If you have been affected by sexual misconduct, assault or harassment, through our Report + Support tool we hope to empower you to record details of any incidents and to ensure you can gain access to support from a specialist adviser when you need it. You can also discuss your options for reporting an incident formally or you can choose to remain anonymous – you are in control and we are here to support you.

Staff can report sexual misconduct, assault or harassment using the staff online reporting tool and attend Active Bystanders training. Staff can also choose to remain anonymous when making a report.

#ConsentGetIt

Medway students: Take a Covid test on campus, and have a tea/coffee on us

It’s important that we all continue to get regular Covid tests – until 17 December, every time you get a Covid test on campus, you can claim a free tea/coffee on us.

Getting regular Covid tests on campus is quick and easy to do, and it’s a way of helping to keep everyone on campus and your friends and family safe.

Through our work with Medway Council and the universities at Medway we’re encouraging you to get regular Covid tests on campus, and we’ll offer you a free tea/coffee in exchange.

Simply take the registration card provided at the test centre on campus to the Deep End and have a tea/coffee on us. Thank you for helping to keep us all safe.

FAQs

When is the test site open? You can find opening times on the Medway Council website.

How do I claim my free drink? Simply take the registration card provided by the test site to the Deep End, and order your drink. The card will be stamped and it can only be used once.

Can I claim a free drink for collecting home test kits? No, this is only for tests carried out on campus. The home test kit collection service remains available.

Can I claim my free drink after 17 December? No this closes on 17 December 2021 and all free drinks must be claimed by that date.

Study support for remote learners

As your first assignments and deadlines start to approach, we want to highlight the study support on offer to you if you have opted to study remotely this year.

Remote study is when ALL teaching and learning is delivered online, and you won’t be on campus.

Study support on offer to remote learners includes:

Access the library resources on your reading list either as e-versions (see all the online resources in Your Digital Library) or use the Templeman or Drill Hall Library to borrow books. Find out more by viewing the Digital Library and IT e-induction on Moodle.

And, if you haven’t already, make sure you check out our online learning guide for students, which has a section on assessments.

Need a break from studying or want to meet other remote learners?

Studying in your bedroom can be hard, and it is important you give yourself a break every now and again.

Here’s some things you can try to meet other students and take time to relax:

Join the Facebook group for Remote Learners
Check out our events calendar full of virtual social and wellbeing events
Join the Remote Study College Committee

For all support on offer to remote learners read the full blog.

Photo by LinkedIn Sales Solutions on Unsplash

Covid-19: Working together to keep each other safe

As I am sure you are aware, recent weeks have seen a national rise in the number of Covid cases in the UK. While we do not currently have any major concerns locally, this is an important reminder to all of us that, unfortunately, Covid has not gone away, and we all need to continue to keep safety at the front of our minds, especially while on our campuses.

Face coverings and indoor spaces

We strongly encourage and recommend that you wear face coverings in crowded indoor spaces, including teaching and study spaces or while standing in queues. Face coverings are available free of charge at all student reception desks – wearing one can really help keep each other safe.

All of our rooms on campus have been assessed and adapted where necessary to meet Government ventilation guidelines. If you are meeting up with friends, then try to do this outside if you can – avoiding busy indoor spaces is a big part of stopping the spread.

Testing, reporting and vaccinations

Everyone coming onto campus should continue to take a Covid lateral flow test twice a week. You can get walk-in tests or pick up take-home kits from the Old Bank on our Canterbury campus or the Old Sports Hall at Medway, or order them online.

It also really helps us if you report the results of your tests to the NHS whenever you take them, whether they are positive or negative – instructions on how to do this should come with the testing kit itself. If you do have symptoms or test positive, you must self-isolate and get a PCR test as quickly as possible. Let us know that you are isolating so we can make sure you get the support you need – if your PCR test is positive, you will need to self-isolate for 10 days from when your symptoms started.

Lastly, vaccinations continue to be key to minimising the impact of Covid – if you haven’t already, we strongly recommend getting two jabs if you can. Watch out for the Government’s Grab a Jab campaign for local walk-in centres.

Keeping going

I have been hugely impressed by the way all of you have worked together to keep each other safe as you have come back onto campus, and am really pleased that we have managed to keep infection numbers low to date. All of us have a part to play in continuing to keep our campuses safely open, so let’s continue to be careful in crowded indoor spaces, taking regular tests and getting vaccinated if you can.

With all good wishes,

Richard

Professor Richard Reece | Deputy Vice-Chancellor – Education and Student Experience

Supporting the mental health of Black and racially minoritised students

Warning: Contents contain references to racism and may have a triggering effect for some individuals

Racism can happen anywhere; at work, at home, at University, online or in the physical world. Racism is still a very real and damaging facet of modern day society and can have a long term and lasting impact on anyone who has experienced it either directly or indirectly. This includes the mental and emotional strain created by microaggressions. Here at Kent we want to support all students who have been affected or continue to be affected by racism and work together to create a culture where racism is not just challenged, but eradicated completely.

Have you been affected by racism? Young minds have some great resources and signpost organisations and helpline services to support you:

Advice on racism and mental health #BHMKent2021

Speak to someone you can trust. It might be difficult to talk about how you are feeling or to revisit personal experiences of racism. Take your time and only share what you are comfortable sharing. Student Support and Wellbeing have a free confidential counselling service for all students at Kent.

Learn your rights and how to report abuse. This can help empower you and remind you that what you are experiencing is not okay and no one should express that it is. Use our online reporting tool ‘Report and Support’ to be part of a culture shift and get the support you need. Allies should acquaint themselves with the support tools available as well so that they can be advocates for their friends and classmates.

Find supportive groups and communities who understand what you are going through. It can be very hard to explain how you feel to a person that has not experienced racism, whether directly or indirectly. Communities can be a way to find like-minded people with similar experiences and shared interests that you can talk to, have a safe space to be heard and remember that you are not alone. One of the online platforms you have free access to as a Kent student is Togetherall.

Join a movement to create change. There are many anti-racist movements and organisations who are fighting for change in society. Being part of a larger movement can help you feel empowered, valued and give you a sense of hope that change is possible. Make sure to take time out to rest and look after yourself if you are regularly involved in activism. Kent Union supports a number of student networks. These are student-led spaces where students who share an interest of identity can discuss issues relating to their group and help build a community.

Remember it is not your responsibility to fix racism. Do not put pressure on yourself – this is a problem you cannot solve on your own. The people around you all have a responsibility to make changes to their behaviour and to uphold the rights of Black and racially minoritised individuals.

Enough is Enough! Clean your social media feed. What we see online can have a negative impact on our mental health, but remember you can have control over what you see on your social media. Try unfollowing or blocking accounts and muting words that upset you. All social media channels have ways you can report abusive behaviour. At Kent we expect certain standards of behaviour both online and in the ‘real’ world. If you are concerned about anything you see you can report it to us in a safe and confidential manner using our online Report and Support tool.

The University of Kent and Kent Union are working together to celebrate Black History Month 2021 #BHMKent2021. Take a look at the Kent Union BHM website for events and resources at Kent. This includes a free mental health support workshop by Diverse Cymru, an organisation that specialises in Black mental health. Please check the website for further information and to register your attendance.

Photo by Mubarak Showole on Unsplash

Have you completed or are you facing issues with Financial Registration?

New and returning Kent students need to complete Financial Registration on KentVision by 18 October 2021.

In receipt of a scholarship or fee waiver?

Scholarships, fee waivers and discounts are not currently appearing in student accounts. This may result in you receiving an invoice for your full programme fees for the academic year 2021/22.

You are only required to pay for any outstanding fees minus the value of any scholarship you have. Find out more on our FAQs page.

We are sorry for this inconvenience and working to get this fixed as soon as possible.

If you haven’t completed Financial Registration because your scholarship or discount isn’t appearing in the system, please follow the steps on our FAQ webpage.

Issues viewing your timetable?

We are aware of some technical issues which are stopping some of you from viewing your timetable.

We are sorry for this inconvenience and working hard to fix any issues and respond to your queries.

Here are a few things you can try yourself to fix the issue, as well as where you can go for help:

Log out and in again

Try logging out of KentVision and log back in again.

Are you fully registered?

You must be fully registered on your modules for your personal timetable to show. Please check you have enough module credits in KentVision. If you think module registrations are missing please speak with your Division.

8am slots

Classes which appear on the timetable at 8am are recorded and can be viewed at any time in Moodle. You are not expected to do this at any particular time of day and so do not represent a clash on your timetable. They are conveniently placed on your timetable to help you pace your studies through the week with other taught content.

Timetable clashes

See above about 8am slots. For clashes at other times please consult with your Division.

If you are missing classes, studying remotely or have a question about group allocations, please speak to your Division.

Issues with Ical feed

Information Services are looking into problems some students are having with the ical feed. Please use the KentVision timetable while they fix this.

Spring term queries

The timetable for spring is yet to be completed and is subject to change. It will be released later in the autumn term.