The principal purpose of the Careers and Employability Service (CES) is to provide career-related education, information, advice and guidance (CEIAG) services to students at, and recent graduates of, the University of Kent - at Canterbury, Medway and the Associate Colleges. The CES works in cooperation with internal and external stakeholders to deliver these services in a professional and effective manner.
CES resources are open to all current students of the University of Kent and the Associate Colleges. Graduates shall be entitled to use the CES, in person or by phone/email, for up to three years after their graduation (longer at the discretion of CES staff). Graduates of other UK universities (with the exception of graduates of the other universities based in Canterbury and Medway, who are expected to use their own institutions) shall normally be allowed to use the advice and information resources of the CES for up to three years after graduation, in person only.
CEIAG provision is subject to the University’s quality assurance procedures and is considered in QAA Institutional Audits.
As a condition of membership of Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services (AGCAS) the CES shall be accredited under the Matrix Standard http://www.matrixstandard.com/
The CES complies with relevant professional standards, in particular:
(both the above are set out at www.agcas.org.uk/pages/20)
The work of the CES also complies with statutory requirements and relevant UK legislation. A file containing this legislation is updated and circulated to staff annually.
Information, advice and guidance at all levels of provision is staffed and delivered by qualified, competent and committed practitioners.
All staff are expected to attend relevant courses, both internal and external, in order to maintain and/or enhance their skills, knowledge and expertise both generally and to assist them in supporting particular subject or client groups.
We aim to provide all our clients with a service which is free from unlawful and unfair discrimination and welcomes diversity.
The University’s equal opportunities policy underpins all aspects of our provision of services to undergraduates and graduates. This seeks to ensure that people are
not privileged or subject to less favourable treatment on the grounds of gender, sexual orientation, race, ethnic or national origin, disability, political or religious beliefs or any other irrelevant distinction. http://www.kent.ac.uk/hr-equalityanddiversity/pol-pro-guides/equality-div-policy.html
In support of the above, the following special interest groups have dedicated sections on the CES web site to enable them to benefit from information and resources relevant to their needs:
The CES supports all academic Schools and Faculties equally insofar as its resources permit in the provision of careers education and employability-related activities
The CES shall advertise vacancies from, and facilitate visits by, all legally-recognised employers who request it.
No communications between CES staff and students or other clients, whether face-to-face or by phone or email, or information gathered from such communications, shall be passed on to any third party, inside or outside the University, without the client’s express permission.
Private facilities are available for all guidance interviews. Quick-query interviews are normally carried out in an open setting, but private interview rooms are available to all clients requiring a higher degree of confidentiality upon request.
The CES shall ensure that all personal data gathered from clients is handled in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998 as required by the University http://www.kent.ac.uk/data-protection/
The CES attempts to ensure that all its resources and facilities are accessible by students with disabilities, wherever possible anticipating the needs of these users so that they are able to access these resources without the need for any individual request. Should a special request nonetheless be necessary the CES will ensure that this is carried out as soon as is reasonably possible.
Careers advice and guidance is available by phone or email to recent graduates and part-time students and other students unable to visit the CES during normal office hours.
The CES shall ensure that students are fully informed about its activities, services and events throughout their time of study at the University through printed guides, email, newsletters, bulletins, posters and liaison with Schools, Kent Union, UMSA and other sections of the University.
The CES website provides pages of information and resources for University students and staff and for employers.
The Careers and Employability Service collaborates with student support units and academic Schools within the University, by referring clients to those units which are able to offer the most appropriate guidance, support and information.
The CES and individual Careers and Employability Advisers also cooperate with:
Full details of all CES policies and procedures are available on the website, together with names and contact details of all members of staff and an outline of their areas of responsibility.
Information on the destinations of graduates is available to all departments for quality compliance purposes (both internal and external) and shall be placed on the CES website
The CES shall present an Annual Report to the Student Services Committee, and then to Senate and Council.
Services offered to students and other clients are monitored on a regular basis, in particular through email and through the provision of a feedback page on the CES website http://www.kent.ac.uk/careers/feedback/feedback.html
The feedback procedure requests personal information, such as age, gender, disability and ethnic origin, in order to ensure that the CES services and reaching, and meeting the needs of, all students.
The bi-annual surveys of Destinations of Leavers of Higher Education (DLHE), carried out by the CES, provide data to HESA and are used to provide Schools and central departments, as well as careers and employability advisers, with specific detail of the activities of Kent graduates six months after leaving the University.
Any complaints about the services offered by the CES, or the delivery of these services, should, if appropriate, be raised with the member of staff responsible, in person, by phone or in writing/via email.
If the complainant feels unable to approach the member of staff directly, or is dissatisfied with their response, they should address their complaint to the Head of the Careers and Employability Service.
If a reply is not received within ten days, or does not resolve the issue to the user’s satisfaction, then the complainant may raise the matter with the Director of Student Services.
This complaints procedure is displayed in the CES building and on the website
This Code of Practice is reviewed annually and was last reviewed in March 2012
© These pages are copyright of the University of Kent Careers and Employability Service.
The information and advice given in these pages is primarily for
the benefit of University of Kent students and graduates.
You are most welcome to link to these pages but should not use content in other ways without our permission.
Page maintained by Bruce Woodcock
Please email
me if you wish to make any suggestions which would improve our services.