Widening Participation Student Advisory Panel
Make a difference.
Make your mark and gain valuable experience as a member of the new Widening Participation Student Advisory Panel (WPSAP).
What is the Widening Participation Student Advisory Panel?
The University of Kent is establishing a Widening Participation Student Advisory Panel (WPSAP). We are looking to recruit current students who are passionate about equality of opportunity in Higher Education throughout the student lifecycle, and have an interest in contributing to the decisions which underpin the University’s outreach work and strategic direction.
The WPSAP will inform the University’s Access & Participation Plan, which outlines our commitment to reducing gaps in equality of access and success for students who are currently underrepresented in Higher Education. We are particularly keen to have members of the WPSAP who identify with the following characteristics:
- Mature students (aged 21 or over on starting a current undergraduate degree)
- Students from Black, Asian or other minority ethnic backgrounds
- Students who are the first in their family to go to university (not including siblings)
- Students who are young carers
- Students studying without the support of their family
- Care leavers or care experienced students
- Students who are unaccompanied asylum seekers or refugees
- Students from the Gypsy, Traveller, Roma, Showman or Boater communities
- Students who are part of a military family
- Students in receipt of the Kent Financial Support Package · Students from POLAR or TUNDRA Quintiles 1 or 2 (check your postcode).
How to apply
We are looking for students on undergraduate and postgraduate degrees, from a range of courses and years to create a diverse and inclusive panel. Any student who is currently enrolled in an undergraduate or postgraduate degree at the University of Kent can apply to be part of the panel.
Through our outreach work, we work with students in secondary schools across Kent and Medway, as well as adult learners. Panel members are expected to have an understanding of, and be familiar with, the English (and Kent) education system.
Applications have reopened for students who ideally undertook their secondary education in the UK and who identify with one or more of the following:
- Students from Black, Asian or other minority ethnic backgrounds
- Students currently studying at the Medway Campus
Applications will close by the end of February 2023, or sooner if enough applications are received.
What to expect
The panel will initially meet between February and June 2023 (exact dates TBC). Meetings will be held on the Canterbury Campus (with the option of attending virtually if required) and will last 3 hours. The WPSAP will then meet on a termly basis, with a minimum of 3 meetings a year.
Students based at the Canterbury Campus will be remunerated by way of credit on their KentOne Card. Panel members will receive £10 on their KentOne Card for every hour of attendance at meetings (maximum of 2 hours), with an additional 1 hour for necessary preparation to include reading prior to the meetings. Students who are not based on the Canterbury Campus will be compensated for their time at the same rate through an alternative method. Students will also earn 20 Employability Points throughout the academic year.