The University of Kent Succeed Programme is designed to help young people in Kent and Medway make decisions about what to do after the end of their level 3 studies. The course encourages participants to explore the opportunities and challenges offered by university study and is supported by a team of friendly and knowledgeable university staff and student ambassadors.
Funded through the Kent and Medway Collaborative Outreach Programme (KaMCOP), Succeed aims to provide sustained and progressive outreach targeted to specific individuals, who are not likely to progress to Higher Education without additional support. The course complements the University’s existing outreach provision.
The programme combines information, exploration and experience to give students a broad view of university and encourages them to decide whether it is the right path for them. The Succeed Programme also helps students to grow in confidence by exploring personal strengths and developing communication skills that allow them to make confident and informed decisions about their future. Our aim is to help students succeed in their sixth form studies and Level 3 qualifications whatever they decide to do when leaving school or college.
What does the course entail?
The six month programme consists of three online workshops, four Saturdays and one three night residential on the University of Kent Canterbury campus and introduces students to different themes each month to take them through the key stages of deciding what their next steps should be. The residential gives students a practical experience of student life. The course is structured as follows:
Students are supported throughout the programme by student ambassadors who also act as mentors. These ambassadors attend all virtual and in-person activities and are available to support students with questions that may arise outside of sessions through the Brightside mentoring platform.
Additionally, at the start of the programme students are enrolled onto Moodle which is the same VLE used by many universities for their undergraduate courses. Content from the workshops as well as additional materials are uploaded and accessible to participants throughout the programme so that students can review and use in their own time.
Who can apply?
We encourage any students in Year 12 or the first year of level 3 studies who are interested to apply. However, should the programme be oversubscribed, priority will be given to students who meet two or more of the following criteria:
- Achieved 5 GCSEs 9-4 including English and Maths.
- Parent(s)/guardian(s) did not attend university.
- Lives in local authority care, or has lived in care
- Lives in an area deemed to have lower than expected participation rates in higher education
How to apply?
Students can apply online and the deadline for applications is midnight on Sunday 23rd January 2022.
Promotional Talks
In order for students to learn more about the programme, ask questions and hear from former participants and ambassadors, the Outreach and Widening Participation team is offering promotional talks. These can be delivered:
- As an in-school talk in classrooms or assemblies
- As a virtual talk held live via Zoom or Microsoft Teams
- As a pre-recorded video which can be shown be teachers in class time.
If you would like to book one of these talks, please contact your Outreach Activities Coordinator directly. If you or any of your students have any questions, please get in touch via outreach@kent.ac.uk.
Please Note: This programme is funded by the Kent and Medway Collaborative Outreach Programme and is only available to students within these schools and colleges.
Succeed Online
If numbers allow, students who do not get a place on the full programme will be offered the opportunity to complete an online version which will involve three live workshops and self-guided online modules to be completed in-between workshops. The online course will closely follow the themes and content of the in-person programme.