Volunteering and development opportunities

Volunteering is a fantastic way to gain workplace experience and valuable transferable skills. It can be done on a regular basis, or as a one off experience. Either way, the University of Kent acknowledges what you have done and you can be rewarded with Employability Points! You can also receive support from careers staff, in helping you to recognise and articulate the experience and skills you have gained, when speaking to employers.

You can participate in volunteering events run by the Careers Service. You can find volunteering roles by searching opportunities in the Careers Student Booking System TargetConnect and access a list of organisations on the Student Volunteering page.

Any volunteering undertaken can be logged in MyFolio. Simply click on ‘Tell Us What You Have Been Up To’ and fill in the boxes. Keep adding all your activities to My Folio to earn points to enable you to apply for exclusive summer time rewards, as part of the Employability Points Scheme.

Interested in volunteering? Want to give up your time to help others?

Kent Union has thousands of volunteering roles, from running a Student Group, to representing students by being a Student Rep or Network Officer to supporting students by being a Buddy.

By Volunteering, not only are you helping others you are also gaining experience and developing a huge array of employability skills. 

Volunteering is a way to gain skills, support your academic interests, boost your employability, meet friends, and help to improve the world. 

There are plenty of volunteering opportunities at our Medway campus. Get involved. 

Kent Union is a student-led organisation. This means that the decisions and choices Kent Union make are informed and made by you, the students.

In order to do this, Kent Union run elections for full-time (or sabbatical) officers who take a year out (paid) during, or after their degree to represent your views by working for Kent Union. There are also lots of Student Networks representing a wide range of interests.

The Hub is your Students' Union at Medway. You can become a Medway Rep to represent your fellow Medway students and ensure your voice is heard.

Study Plus enhances your student experience through providing a chance to learn new skills alongside your degree. Study Plus courses are non credit bearing and you will be eligible for Employability Points.    

A range of classes and online training is available for staff and students who would like to improve their skills or gain the ECDL qualification.  

The Student Ambassador Scheme provides students with the opportunity to work with local schools and colleges on a range of exciting projects - both on campus or in schools.

Student ambassadors take part in a range of activities including: campus visit days, open days, school and college open days, HE fairs, subject specific taster days, residential summer schools, mentoring small groups of school students, aspiration raising activities, projects in Brompton Academy (the University’s Academy) and its feeder primary schools.

Opportunities can be paid, credit bearing, or voluntary.

There are many opportunities and various modes of language learning available, which will enhance your employability and enable you to use your skills internationally.  

We have a flourishing programme of music and students from all subjects, together with staff and the local community, have the opportunity to get involved in a wide-range of extra-curricular music activities including performances. Learn how you can involved with making music at Kent.

You can also volunteer as an Academic Peer Mentor to develop your skills. Academic Peer Mentors support new students as they start university. Mentors receive training, you can easily fit it around your studies and it will be added to your student record that potential employers see.  

Kent Union and The Hub currently supports student societies and sports clubs, all of which are run by Kent students, for Kent students.

Join societies and sports clubs to meet friends, give back to the University, and have fun!

The Buddy Scheme is a peer to peer non-academic support scheme co-ordinated by Kent Union that helps students through university life at Kent.

Buddy Volunteers act as a ‘go to’ for students who have worries or questions about the University or University life.

The Buddy Scheme runs lots of regular events and trips and also signposts to other activities on offer across the Union, University and Student Groups

The Student Learning Advisory Service (SLAS) offers one-to-one appointments with learning advisers, maths and stats clinics, help developing your academic writing, and creative language development.