The last update on Staff Connect in December explained that the launch date had shifted from January to February. Unfortunately, this too is no longer viable and we are currently tracking a March launch.

As explained in the previous update, the migration of data from the current to new system was not completely successful and required the supplier to undertake some additional work. This work is still ongoing as we have continued to find significant differences between the two systems, the majority of which relate to Pensions administration caused by the supplier’s failure to accurately migrate data.

Despite this setback, HR, Payroll and Pensions continue to make good progress as they operate both the current and new systems in parallel ahead of launch.

Please note that from February should you have any queries relating to Staff Connect please contact Katerina Flint-Nicol (Staff Connect Project Assistant) who will be taking over the communications and engagement work.

Su Westerman – Staff Connect Employee Communications & Engagement Manager

Over 90% of the email received by Kent is spam, which we block so you never see it.

Do you know any students who might want to start their own business?

Do you have any students interested in increasing their employability by learning entrepreneurial skills?

You have just two weeks to let them know about the opportunity to join this year’s Business Start-Up Journey.

Open to all Schools and Faculties across Medway and Canterbury, the Business Start-Up Journey offers practical help and support for any student interested in starting a business.

The Business Start-Up Journey accelerates ideas with one-to-one support from an entrepreneur in residence as well as mentors from a wide variety of business backgrounds.

There are practical sessions in essential areas of business know-how from finance to branding, intellectual property to search engine optimisation.

The deadline for joining this year’s programme is 30 January. Find out more by emailing ASPIRE@kent.ac.uk or go to the Aspire webpages.

We have launched our University of Kent Summer Schools for 2017 in Brussels, Canterbury and Paris and would like to ask University staff to please help us advertise our courses to your contacts/collaborators in other countries who may be able to pass information on to their own students.

These specialist Summer School courses are designed for students (or professionals) thinking about studying on a postgraduate degree programme in the UK or at our specialist postgraduate centres in Paris or Brussels on our European Summer Schools.

• Canterbury, European Security and Foreign Policy
• Canterbury, Skills in Molecular Biology
• Canterbury, Medieval Canterbury
• Canterbury, Investigating the Social Min
• Canterbury, Global Business in a Dynamic Environment
• Canterbury, Quantitative Methods
• Canterbury, Architecture Summer School
• Canterbury, Molecular Biology and IVF
• Paris, Law Critical Theory (PHD Level)
• Paris, European Summer School, Revolutions
• Brussels, European Summer School, Europe and the World

Our courses allow students to expand their professional, academic and social networks providing an opportunity to enhance their appeal to potential employers and for postgraduate study.

We have a range of discounts and scholarships available. Find out more on our Summer Schools webpages or email the Summer Schools team.

To support and coincide with the LFHE’s (Leadership Foundation for Higher Education) Aurora programme at Kent, there will be special discussions and events open to ALL members of staff at the University through the year.

The next University of Kent Aurora @Kent Event will be on Wednesday 25 January, 13:00 -14:00.

In this light-hearted talk, Professor Dame Julia Goodfellow will share insights on leadership from her own career, including her roles as VC at Kent and as President of Universities UK.
This is an open, informal session, with plenty of opportunity for Q&A, and ALL staff are welcome to attend!

To confirm your attendance at the event, please could you kindly email the Learning and Development team ldev@kent.ac.uk by Wednesday 18 January.

In the meantime, if you have any questions regarding this Aurora @Kent event or the Aurora Programme, please do not hesitate to contact Jena Dady, Learning and Development Adviser J.Dady@kent.ac.uk or a member of the Learning and Development team ldev@kent.ac.uk.

Calling all students… This is your last chance to enter this year’s business start-up journey!

What is it… The Business Start-Up Journey is a FREE six-month programme to accelerate start-up businesses. It offers mentoring and support from business leaders in a wide variety of fields, expert advice on business essentials such as financial planning, marketing and protecting your idea AND the chance to WIN CASH awards to set up your business and attend one of the world’s biggest tech start-up festivals.

When is it… There are monthly, one-hour sessions on Wednesday afternoons plus one-to-one mentoring advice slots to be arranged at mutually convenient times. A weekend Business Bootcamp takes place in March.

Why should I do it… This is an opportunity to get excellent support to start your own business for FREE. As well as providing essential support for budding founders, the programme will help develop your ENTREPRENEURIAL SKILLS – skills which potential employers rate highly when looking for new employees.

How do I apply… You must register your business idea by January 30. Go to https://www.kent.ac.uk/kbs/start-up/apply.html

Haven’t got a business idea? Why not look at co-founding with someone who does? Find out more by contacting ASPIRE@kent.ac.uk.

The webpages of the Office of the Vice-Chancellor have been updated to include two new features available to staff.

A new ‘Frequently Asked Questions’ section has been added to help answer commonly asked questions about the functions of the OVC and access to the Vice-Chancellor. This information is available to all and can be found here.

The second new feature is a new online hub for Policy Weekly briefings. The briefing includes key policy and political decisions that affect the University of Kent and the sector. It also provides information on reports and consultations which may be pertinent to our staff. Policy Weekly will continue to be circulated to Managers Forum, HOAs and SAMs on a weekly basis. Information about Policy Weekly can be found here.

General information about the OVC can be found here or, for more detailed enquiries, please contact vicechancellor@kent.ac.uk.

Student Services’ Bitesize Talks return this term and staff at Canterbury and Medway campuses are warmly invited to attend.

The talks will start at 13.10 and finish by 14.00. There will be a question and answer session at the end of each talk.

Monday 6 February 2017, Medway room M1-16 (Medway only)
Tuesday 7 February 2017, Canterbury room KS16 (Canterbury only)
An introduction to transcultural communication
This talk, presented by Patmarie Coleman (Senior Counsellor, Student Support), will introduce transcultural differences and explain how these might impact on communication.

Tuesday 14 February 2017, Canterbury room KS16 and video linked to Medway room M1-16
Safeguarding students and vulnerable adults
This talk, presented by Wayne Campbell (Director of Student Services) will help you to understand what safeguarding is, your responsibilities as a member of staff and provide you with valuable information should you ever need to report a safeguarding concern.

Tuesday 21 February 2017, Canterbury room KS16 (Canterbury only)
Monday 6 March 2017, Medway room M1-16 (Medway only)
Self-care in supporting students
Suzanne Balabil is a Senior Counsellor in Student Support and will present a talk that addresses how we balance caring for others with caring for ourselves. The talk will explore what sustains and what depletes our professional and personal self, especially in times of severe stress.

Tuesday 28 February 2017, Canterbury room KS16 and video linked to Medway room M1-16
Accessibility is good for you
This talk, presented by Ben Watson (Accessibility Project Information Adviser), will consider the benefits of making learning and teaching inclusive and will look at some of the tools and strategies available to you. The session will be both practical and theoretical and attendees are invited to bring mobile devices to actively experience these tools and techniques.

The Campus Shuttle will start running again from Monday 16 January.

The online booking system is available from 10.00 today (10 January) at www.kent.ac.uk/campus-shuttle. Booking guarantees you a seat on the service. If you do not book, you can still travel with your Kent One or Kent Union card if seats are available.

The Campus Shuttle is a free shuttle service between Medway and Canterbury campus that runs seven days a week during term time. See timetable online.

If you have booked a seat, the driver will scan the QR code in your booking (either printed out or on a mobile device). If you have not booked, you will be asked to show your Kent One or Kent Union card. More information can be found at www.kent.ac.uk/campus-shuttle.