News:
SSPSSR Employability Month is here!
Events:
Upcoming Event at the Ministry of Justice:
Elevation Networks are delighted to invite you to an exclusive event hosted by the Youth Justice Board. This event will explore careers in the justice/youth justice world and engage with some of the dilemmas of policy and practice.
This interactive event will be of interest to anyone who:
- Is interested in pursuing a career in justice/youth justice and would like to find out more about the roles available
- Is interested in exploring the moral , policy and practice issues in justice
There will be a range of speakers on the day who work within the justice world and attendees will have the opportunity to network and ask questions.
When: Friday 11th March 2016
Where: Offices of the Ministry of Justice, London.
Time: 1:00 PM – 5:00 PM
If you would like to attend you can register your interest here!
Hurry – There are only 25 places for this event.
Applications close on Friday 19th February.
Competitions:
Chancellor’s Employability Points Award:
We are currently accepting nominations for the prestigious Chancellor’s Employability Points Award, part of the Kent Student Awards.
If you know a student, currently studying at Kent, who has made an outstanding contribution to University life, can I please ask that you spare a few minutes to nominate them for this prize by emailing R.Gwynne@kent.ac.uk with the following information:
- The initiative the nominee was involved in*
- Please describe this initiative*
- What role did the nominee undertake in the outlined initiative?*
- What was the nominee’s impact on the outlined initiative? (Please consider why this quantifies as an ‘outstanding contribution to a University initiative’)*
- How has the nominee improved their employability prospects by undertaking the outlined initiative?*
- Any further information
The winning student is selected by the University’s Chancellor, Gavin Esler, and will be awarded £400 at the Kent Student Awards Gala Dinner. All nominees will receive a certificate, which is a great confidence booster and addition to a student’s portfolio.
The Careers and Employability Service CV Competition
Win work experience opportunities with 13 local organisations. Competition entry is open to all students. Details of the competition are available on the webpage
The competition is now open and will close on the 29th March 2016.
To be in with a chance of winning all students have to do is send their CV and fill in a short application form. The organisations will then be sent the CV’s and asked to choose a winner.
GradsKent:
Do you know about the competition to name their new, fun colleague?
Check out their new team mates profile on the website and give him a name to win £50 Love2shop vouchers.
#Gradskentmascot
Suggest your name on Facebook GradsKent, Twitter @gradskent or email gradskent@kent.gov.uk
Winner to be announced on 17th March 2016 at Kent Choices Live
Paid Work:
Research Data Assistant – NCVO
This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced researcher with an interest in the voluntary sector. With excellent quantitative research skills, you will:
- focus on quantitative data collection, cleaning and analysis, with opportunities to engage in the reporting phase (writing, data visualisation)
- work with charities’ financial data and a number of social survey datasets
- have experience in manipulating and interrogating large quantities of data using SQL database or similar.
You can find more details of the position here
The closing date for applications is 15th February 2016.
Graduate Internship – The Right Ethos:
Initial 3 month contract at £12k pro rata, then permanent
The role is to initially support the work of the staff of the organisation with a view to becoming a full-time employee.
To apply, please send your CV to jonathan@therightethos.co.uk
Find out more information on their website
Volunteering:
Lets Go to The Beach – 28/01/2016 (Kent Union Student Activities)
Litter is swamping our oceans and is washing up on our beaches. It kills wildlife, looks disgusting, is a hazard to our health and costs millions to clear up. There are nearly 2,500 items of rubbish for every kilometre on a beach and this increases during the winter months. It is therefore extremely important to keep up our cleaning efforts throughout the year. Litter is swamping our oceans and is washing up on our beaches. It kills wildlife, looks disgusting, is a hazard to our health and costs millions to clear up. There are nearly 2,500 items of rubbish for every kilometre on a beach and this increases during the winter months. It is therefore extremely important to keep up our cleaning efforts throughout the year. Over an afternoon on Whitstable beach we will volunteer our time to help the environment, blow off some steam and even finish it off with a bag of chips. Transport is provided and will leave from the Student Activities Centre at 11.10am. Please arrive by 11am to ensure we are on time, we will return to campus by 3pm.
Kent Wildlife Trust Task Day – 03/02/2016 (Kent Union Student Activities)
Wednesday 3rd February // 9.30am – 3pm Kent Wildlife Trust aims to secure a better future for the native wildlife of Kent and Medway. One of the ways in which it does this is to manage valuable or threatened habitats as nature reserves with regular task days throughout the year. We are looking for volunteers to accompany us on a practical conservation task day in the local areas around Canterbury, taking part in activities such as pond clearance, coppicing, hedge laying, wildlife monitoring, scrub clearance and tree planting. This is a great opportunity to learn new skills, meet new people, keep fit and help the wildlife in the local area. No special skills are required, just plenty of enthusiasm, energy and a desire to help conserve Kent’s wildlife. The tasks are suited to all levels of physical ability and volunteers are encouraged to do the tasks at their own pace. Please meet at the Student Activities Centre (above Essentials) at 9am. Lunch and transport will be provided Please ensure you have comfortable, sturdy, waterproof footwear (preferably wellies as it will be very muddy!) and wear old, weather appropriate clothing.
Post Pals – Beat the January Blues (Kent Union Student Activities)
Following the popularity of our pre-Christmas event we will be holding another drop in session to make cards/letters for the Post Pals children. Beat those January blues and come along to the Student Media Centre Foyer on Friday 29th January to make or write a card for a seriusly ill child. In less than 5 minutes you can make a child smile… and for some of the children it might be their only smile that day. Not only do the Post Pal children benefit from receiving post, but it has had a substantial impact on the people sending post. Both children and adults get a real boost from knowing that they did something to help a poorly child.
Summer Internships:
CRCC Asia’s award-winning China Internship Program offers a unique opportunity to enhance your CV with an international internship, whilst gaining an insight into the working culture of the world’s fastest growing economy. The internships last for 1, 2 or 3 months with start dates once a month throughout the year, making them easy to fit around your studies. The internships are located in three of China’s most cosmopolitan and exciting cities: Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen. CRCC Asia is partnered with over 500 host companies in these cities across 14 different sectors from Marketing to Media, from Business to Finance and from NGO’s and Charities to IT. Visit our website to find out more about the different sectors, or read what our alumni have to say about the program in their testimonials.
One of last year’s Kent interns, Jamie Baird, said “An internship with CRCC Asia is a great experience. I know that when I return to the UK I’ll be talking about CRCC Asia and my experience in China. It’s something I’ll never regret!” You can read Jamie’s Blog where he talks about his experiences in China here.
CRCC Asia accepts applications on a rolling basis, but you should apply at least 3 months in advance of your preferred start date. The application process is easy, simply submit your application through the online form on our website. Three students from the University of Kent will be eligible to receive £1000 each towards their international placement fees. To be eligible students will have to find a placement and then write to Rejané Gwynne at School of Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research, to explain why they should receive the funding and include information of the placement that they have secured.
If you have any questions about the internships please direct these to london@crccasia.com
Focus Group Participants:
My name’s Esther Ameyinoge and I’m currently an undergraduate in my final year studying Sociology. As part of my final year, I am undertaking a dissertation which aims to study the effects of economic development in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), by exploring the incompatibilities between the policies and practices of Western International organisations and the perspectives of nationals from sub-Saharan Africa.
In doing so, I am carrying out a focus group, in which I am searching for international students from countries in SSA and in the background of any Social Science degree, in order to gain insight into their perspectives in this area of study.
For anyone who may be interested in taking part, please email ea314@kent.ac.uk for a consent form.
Improve your skills:
The Benefits of Attending a Mock Assessment Centre
Graduate employers are increasingly coming to the conclusion that individual interviews are insufficient in determining the suitability of candidates for a prospective job. Their solution is (the often dreaded) assessment centres, which is considered to be the fairest and most accurate method of selecting candidates.
Assessment centres often include a range of group activities, presentations, individual interviews and psychometric testing.
If you have never attended an Assessment Centre before, it can be difficult to know what to expect, and even if you have attended one in the past, it can be even more difficult to know whether you have done well, unless you receive a job offer.
All the mock assessment centres will cost 75 points and students can redeem their points to apply in late March 2016.
With that in mind, make sure you have at least 75 points by 21st March 2016 to benefit from these fantastic opportunities.
Take a look at the 2014/15 Santander Mock Assessment Centre by clicking here