A record 7782 students, supported by 145 companies and organisations, took part in the University’s Employability Points (EP) Scheme last year.
For the first time, the Kent Enterprise and Innovation’s (KIE) scheme was expanded to include students currently studying at the University’s European Centres in Paris and Brussels.
Top performing students from all of the University’s campuses were joined by its key stakeholders, local businesses and supporting organisations for the seventh EP Scheme rewards event.
Hundreds of guests, including the Sheriff of Canterbury and, for the University, Deputy Vice-Chancellor Professor Philippe De Wilde, as well as staff and students attended the special ceremony at Woolf College on the Canterbury campus on Tuesday 6 June 2017.
The EP Scheme rewards students for active engagement in activities outside their degree programme, encouraging students to stand out to prospective employers through the development of ‘soft skills’ that are valued in the competitive graduate job market.
Developed by KIE, the University’s business development unit, the EP Scheme encourages involvement with campus events, student mentoring, organising student society events, presenting at international conferences, volunteering, part-time employment, work placements, international study, and completion of a world language module.
The EP Scheme allocates points for the completion of these activities, earned throughout the year. At the end of the second term, qualifying students have the opportunity to redeem their points for the chance to apply for rewards. All rewards are offered by the external business community and range from paid internships and project placements to unpaid work experience, training sessions, and mock assessment centres.