Employability Week 2014
Evaluation Report
Purpose
From 3rd to 7th November 2014, the Careers and Employability Service co-ordinated the largest crosscampus week of employability events that the University has held to date. Its aim was to raise
awareness about the skills and experience students require to obtain graduate employment and to
highlight the services provided at the University of Kent to help them on their way.
Summary
Employability Week 2014 was very successful. More than 5,713 students attended the events, talks and
workshops throughout the week and over 110 graduate recruiters were welcomed onto campus.
Academic Schools, Professional Services, Kent Union, students and external stakeholders came together
to deliver the most ambitious week of employability-focused events the University has provided,
totalling 256 hours of activity. Not including the fairs, an average of 22 students attended each event.
Students were able to meet graduate employers and volunteering organisations at the Careers Fair
(attendance up 50% on 2013) and inaugural Teaching Expo in Canterbury and the Employability Fair in
Medway (attendance up 80% on 2013). They could also talk to representatives about post-graduate
study options or how to setup their own business.
Events encompassed a wide variety of activities to encourage students to develop their employability
skills and awareness including; skills workshops such as presentation techniques, Excel training,
developing group skills, commercial awareness, online presence and networking. Graduate employers,
alumni and university staff presented on a variety of careers and employability topics.
A few of the many highlights included:
 Mock assessment session with Morgan Stanley
 Timetabled EDA careers and alumni day
 The Internet of Everything - Cisco
 IBM sessions in conjunction with the School of Computing and the Centre for American
Studies
 Careers for linguists in the EU (SECL)
 Radio, television, print and online journalism session in Canterbury (Centre for Journalism,
Medway)
 Q+A for BskyB
 Mercedes-Benz UK graduate and industrial placements
 Royal engineers museum careers day (School of History)
 Unexpected careers - for Students from the Faculty of Social Sciences
 Working in the UK for International Students (KBS)
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Careers Fair (Canterbury)
Tuesday 4th November 2014, 12pm-3pm, Main Hall and Hall 3 of the Sports Centre
The 2014 annual Careers and Employability Service Careers Fair hosted 110 exhibitors. Due to the
increase in size from the previous year the Sports Centre gave approval for the exhibitors’ brunch to be
served on the main hall balcony to give extra space in Hall 3 for stands.
Most exhibitors were located in the Main Hall with 72 stands and the remaining 38 in Hall 3. Exhibitors
were arranged into sectors/areas of interest to locate them together in the halls.
Prior to the start of the fair, brunch was served consisting of bacon and sausage baps, fresh fruit
platters, pastries, tea and coffee. There were 264 staff representatives attending on behalf of the
exhibitors and the brunch was served from 10am until 11:30. Student Helpers were recruited to ensure
a smooth flow of people collecting on the balcony. Representatives from employability partners such as
Employability Points and Kent Business School were invited to meet exhibitors before the main event
began.
The fair opened at midday and closed at 3pm. There was a steady flow of students for the whole three
hours. Many exhibitors commented on how good the pace and flow of students was and that they were
busy for the duration of the fair.
Feedback from students attending the Careers Fair
The 2014 Careers Fair was attended by 2,712 students, an increase of 50% on 2013 (1,813).
Students were asked to take part in a survey on exit from the Careers Fair and 56 students did so. Of
those 57% were from the Faculty of Social Sciences, 23% from the Faculty of Sciences and 20% from the
Faculty of Humanities.
Students were asked how they heard about the events:
 41% heard about it via emails sent to them,
 23% discovered the careers fair due to a combination of the various methods of marketing,
 13% found out from students handing out information,
 11% learned about it by word of mouth,
 7% via the web, and
 5% from staff members.
Students were also asked if the event helped them make a career decision:
 63% felt that it had,
 16% believed it to be too early for their particular circumstances,
 14% responded that it did not aid their career choice,
 7% already knew what they wanted to do.
All students surveyed, bar 6 who made no comment, had positive comments about how approachable
employers were, how helpful staff were, how well organised, informative and laid out the event was
with a good variety of employers and how the event exceeded their expectations.
7 students made a request for more employers and for the Careers Fair to take place over a longer
period of time.
Quotes from students
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“Broad variety of employers, worth time spent” 2nd year Business student
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“Lots of information about the next steps” 3rd year Business Management student
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“Opened my eyes to other routes” 3rd year Biomedical Science student
“Very informative, exhibitors were approachable” 1st year English Language and Literature
student
Feedback from employers attending the Careers Fair
Exhibitor participation in other engagement activities:
82% would like to give a presentation or interactive skills workshop to students
52% would like to offer placements/work experience
48% would like to write a blog for http://unikentemploy.wordpress.com
Action: CES will follow up on offers from employers and organisations who would like to engage with
students at the University.
Some highlights from exhibitors that attended the Careers Fair:
“It is the best career fair we have attended so far! The students were very keen and we got 3-4 times as
many contact details than any other career fair.”
“The standard of questions, the preparation from students and the diverse range of subject areas was
excellent. We were incredibly busy for most of the event and the interaction was excellent.”
“The calibre of your students was genuinely impressive. They were engaging and came across focused with
what they wanted to achieve.”
“Students were very forthcoming and interested to find out more about the opportunities available. We
interacted with students from a variety of degree disciplines.”
“The Kent Careers Fair is the best one I've attended to date.”
“Having so many students prepared to ask in-depth questions about opportunities rather than generic
questions on what opportunities we may have.”
“The number of students and employers attending!”
“Great welcoming. Very busy fair. Constantly speaking with students.”
“Really appreciated the food and refreshments before the fair!”
“Meeting and interacting with the University of Kent students. Absolute delight.”
“The high quality of informed questions from students who were prepared, engaged and interested.”
“The whole day was just brilliant. We left there feeling accomplished and excited!”
“Talking to students who actually engage with the role and the company. Have questions that are not just
the standard 'what do you do?'”
“We had so much interest that we ran out of brochures! (That plus the fact that we had our free brunch
before starting to fuel us through).”
“Much better than the other grad fairs we have been to. [Some are] just a shambles. Kent's fair on the other
hand was well spaced and our location was perfect (for me being next to the door I liked having the fresh
air!). 10/10 for space and location.”
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“We enjoyed engaging with such a variety of people, and it was great to meet people from outside our
Computer Science bubble.”
“The number of students in attendance was impressive.”
“Good feeling throughout and busy with quality enquirers.”
Improvements made to 2014 Careers Fair based on feedback from 2013:
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Exhibitor floor plan featured in Employability Week programme – 10,000 copies printed.
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Table included in the booklet to show students what exhibitors are offering and which
disciplines they are recruiting from.
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Networking element removed from brunch. This gave valuable time to Academic Schools and
exhibitors who wanted to deliver sessions or workshops to students on the day.
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Provided academics and employability staff with a publicity PowerPoint slide (used in week’s 46 inclusive).
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Simpler two-tiered pricing system (With/Without power, WiFI for all).
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Shorter employer questionnaire for employers to complete on their own via Survey Monkey
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Bottled water at every stand rather than in separate hall. Student Helpers ensured exhibitors
were well provided for.
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EMS provided 40 tablecloths (some companies brought their own).
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No CV zone – popular in 2013 but created a diversion with students getting CV feedback instead
of using the opportunity to speak to employers. CES increased pop-ups around campus in the
weeks leading up to the Fair and promoted CES drop-in. In the weeks leading up to
Employability Week almost 500 students attended the CV drop service at CES. In addition, CES
staff talked to 2,610 students through pop-up events around campus in that same period to
ensure students prepared for events during Employability Week, including getting CV feedback.
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Arranged for photographer to capture events during the entire week as well as at the Careers
Fair.
Teaching Expo (Canterbury)
Wednesday 6th November 2014, 10:00am-3:00pm, Darwin Conference Suite
As the routes into teaching are often confusing for those interested, this event aimed to provide
students with access to a range of different Teacher Training providers all showcasing their particular
training pathway.
In partnership with Teach First, the inaugural Teaching Expo saw the opportunity for students to meet
with schools, teaching alliances, professional bodies and education providers, and find out about the
differences between school-based and university-based options. The event ran from 10am until 3pm in
Darwin Conference Suite and held 21 stands as well as the chance for providers to deliver a 10 minute
presentation to students at slots between either 11am-12noon and 1pm-2pm. Lunch was provided to
exhibitors as well as refreshments throughout the day.
The Expo was attended by 153 students. Individual student attendance was only recorded for the talks
which made up 10% of the overall attendance number; half of those students came from the Faculty of
Humanities and the other half from the Faculty of Sciences.
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Students were asked to take part in a survey on exit from the Teaching Expo; 35(22%) of the 153
attending took part. Of those:
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49% were from the Faculty of Humanities,
29% Faculty of Sciences,
23% Faculty of Social Sciences,
31% were in their 3rd year of study,
26% were in their 1st year,
17% were postgraduate students,
The rest were 2nd (14%) and 4th (11%) years.
The majority of students attending heard about the event via email (57%), 26% found out from
students handing out information and the rest was a combination of the two methods of marketing.
The following responses were captured:
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All students responded that it had helped them make a career decision,
All students surveyed felt that it was a positive experience,
3 students commented that they had missed the talks due to their lectures.
Kent Opportunities Fair (Canterbury)
Thursday 6th November 2014, 12pm-3pm, Darwin Conference Suite
This event provided students with an opportunity to find out about the many different employability
initiatives they can get involved with whilst studying at the University of Kent.
Representatives were available to speak to students from:
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50th Anniversary Ambassadors
Academic Peer Mentoring
B-KEW (Work Experience Bursary)
Cambridge English
Careers Employability Award
CELTA
Development Fund
Employability Points Scheme
Global Skills Award
Go Abroad
Green Impact
Jobshop
Kent Union - Student Advice Centre
Kent Extra
Kent Experiences of Work (KEW)
Kent Union - Volunteering
Kent Union - Human Resources
KEW-NET Mentoring
Language Express
Learning and Development
MyFolio
Placements
Student Ambassador Scheme
Student Enterprise
Student Learning Advisory Service
24% of participating respondents to the 2014 Employability Week Student Feedback Survey attended
the Kent Opportunities Fair. When split by campus: 24% of Canterbury respondents attended, 18% of
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Medway respondents attended. 89% of students attending the Kent Opportunities Fair were
undergraduate, 11% were postgraduate (PGT 9%, PGR 2%)
Attendance at the Kent Opportunities Fair in Darwin Conference Suite was 163 students (less last year’s
event held in Eliot Hall). 83% attending the Kent Opportunities Fair agreed that the event was useful.
Comments from students who completed the survey:
‘Well organised.’
‘I would highly recommend all students to attend in the future.’
‘The small workshop on what might happen in assessment centres was fun and useful.’
‘The advice given was very useful.’
‘I had a great time talking to a representative from the SLAS and the internships, both of them gave me
very useful tips in terms of the things that the university offers (e.g. internship bursaries, workshops), and
they really took the time to talk to me and give me specific information that was useful for me personally.’
‘This was extremely useful to get a good idea of what career directions are available to me.’
‘It was in a really hidden location so not many people were there’
Employability Week: What worked well
The Marquee – a useful and flexible venue. It was a good size at 100 seats and a useful venue for
planning ahead and reserving slots for sessions in advance. It provided a good marketing site for
banners and its location on the Senate lawn helped to raise the profile of Employability Week.
The average student attendance at events held in the marquee was 14. This compares to an average
attendance at all events (excluding the fairs) of 22. 11% of all events held, excluding the Careers Fair,
took place in the marquee.
Darwin Conference Suite – a useful venue for Academic Schools’ events and other large events – could be
booked well in advance unlike rooms available via the University timetabling office.
20% of student attendance across the week, excluding the Careers Fair, took place in Darwin.
Academic School participation – all Schools, except Psychology (due to a change in staffing), contributed
events during the week. Schools were imaginative in the variety of events they offered, many of which
were opened up to students from other Schools and Faculties.
The chart below illustrates student attendance at events organised by Academic Schools. The blue and
red sections illustrate events attended/co-ordinated by Faculty (excluding events organised by
Professional Services, CES and Kent Union). Schools within the Faculty of Sciences organised the most
events while students from the Faculty of Social Sciences attended the most events.
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Student Attendance by Faculty compared with
Events Coordinated by Faculty
1000
800
600
400
Attended by
200
Coordinated by
0
Humanities
Sciences
Social
Sciences
Mixture of events – 256 hours of activities took place throughout the week, an increase on last year’s 130
hours. This included presentations from visiting alumni and graduate employers, introductions to
employability schemes such as KSCV, Employability Points and student ambassadors; support with
career choice and making applications; skills workshops focussed on Excel, assessment centre tests and
public speaking. Students had the chance to meet graduate employers and volunteering organisations at
the Careers Fair in Canterbury and the Employability Fair at Medway.
The Employability Fair at Medway – the fair was held in week 3, outside of Employability Week, due to
room booking restrictions. However, this time slot proved advantageous as student attendance was
80% higher than at the Student Futures Fair at Medway last year. The event was used to promote the
rest of Employability Week and the Careers Fair at the Canterbury campus.
Mixture of marketing – Considerable thought and budget was given to the different media used to best
market Employability Week to students, including online and off-line approaches. CES and Corporate
Communications worked closely to plan marketing activities in order to reach the widest audience
possible.
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10,000 copies of the 72 page Employability Week booklet
Employability Week posters – variety of sizes
Careers Fair posters – variety of sizes
Careers Fair: A5 leaflets – 5500 produced and handed out including into student
accommodation via the Accommodation Office.
Employability Fair (Medway): A5 leaflets - 2500 produced
10 roll up banners situated in foyers and main college buildings
6 water based teardrop banners
14,000 sandwich stickers – used between weeks 4-6 inclusive in ‘Essentials’
Plasma screens for all sites
PowerPoint slides for lecturers and staff to use
All social media platforms including support from AS and Student ‘Tweeters’
Targeted E-blasts from the Planning Office direct to all students with individualised text
Emails inviting alumni who had graduated in the last three years via the Kent for Life email and
Alumni office.
5 vinyl weatherproof banners situated on Jarman, CES building (facing Keynes bus stop), two on
the Marquee on the senate lawn and one on the railings outside the Gillingham Building at
Medway for the Employability Fair.
5 A2 sized A Frames with ‘What’s on Today’ posters changed for each day’s events
‘Preparing for the Careers Fair’ 3 minute video attached to Student Guide carousel featuring the
President of Kent Union
The event also featured in the Canterbury Times, on ITV.com and in the Thanet Gazette.
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Email communication to students – written by staff at CES and sent using Qualtrics software by the
Planning Office. Students received personalised emails from Heads of School reminding them of events
specific to each School, or larger events such as the Employability Fair, Careers Fair and Teaching Expo.
A/V arrangements – it was extremely useful having a member of staff from AV available to set up
equipment each day. CES staff collected equipment at the end of each day rather than leaving it in
unoccupied rooms.
Sign-up sheets – CES provided session organisers with sign-up sheets noting title, date, time and venue
of events. Students were asked at the start of each session to provide their details and in doing so they
would receive Employability Points (see attached for details). CES also trialled new technology this
year, scanning students’ Kent One cards using scanners attached to mobile phones, laptops or tablets.
However, limited numbers of scanners were available due to their cost and the hardware at the other
end of the scanners. Where attendance was monitored, 23% were recorded using scanners or a mix of
scanners and sign-in sheets, 65% used sign-in sheets and 12% were received via email at a later date by
the organiser of the event. The recorded attendance acted as a useful account of the number of students
attending each event and also helped to promote the Employability Points scheme to students who may
have otherwise been unaware of it.
Student enquiries - The CES-managed mailboxes careerhelp@kent.ac.uk, employability@kent.ac.uk and
medwaycareers@kent.ac.uk received enquiries from students throughout the week and students were
provided with information on how to access slides/videos if they were unable to attend events.
Other – Not including the 3 fairs, on average 22 students attended each event. Events run by Schools for
their own students were well-advertised and well-attended on the whole.
The chart below breaks down student attendance by Level of Study and Year, it is important to note that
this only includes attendance that could be broken down in this manner. Postgraduate attendance was
17% and the highest numbers of undergraduates attending were in their first year of study.
Student Attendance by Level of Study and Year
of Student
700
600
500
400
300
200
100
0
UG
PG
Year 1
Year 2
Year 3
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The top 5 most popular individual sessions (excluding whole day events and fairs), in terms of numbers
of students attending, were as follows:
Title of Session
How To Succeed With Psychometric Testing
Working In The UK For International
Students
What Employers Look For (CEO Kinetic
Solutions)
Careers For Linguists In The EU (EU
Commission Talk)
CISCO Internet Of Everything
Attendance
80
79
77
77
75
The most popular events included psychometric testing sessions, assessment centres and talks and
workshops delivered by employers.
The least popular events included many of those taking place at Medway, including Work or Volunteer
(School of Physical Sciences), Graduate Careers in the Army, Essex County Council’s National Graduate
Development Programme, Employment Vs. Self-Employment and Step - Think Big Choose Small.
Employability Week: What could be improved
Marquee – this location was cold and often noisy due to the continuing library extension work. It is
much more suited to activity-based sessions. The inclement weather meant there were a couple of leaks
resulting in dampness and the entrance became slippery when wet.
Action: Next year, further research is needed into other University departments’ use of marquees on
campus. This might mean we can secure a more suitable structure at a better price. On completion of
the library building work, the marquee can remain sited on the upper lawn, next to the Senate building
to maximise publicity. More suitable heating methods will be explored.
Tables and chairs hire for the Careers Fair – the same company was used to hire furniture for the Careers
Fair as for the Marquee hire and set up. The tables arrived late on Monday 3rd November and were
shabby and in some cases in need of repair.
Action: as per Marquee action – research into provision of exhibition/event furniture across campus to
secure a more favourable deal, financially and of a better standard.
Darwin Conference Suite – Pros and cons for this location: it is good for larger events and for securing
advance bookings, but the location is not liked by students as they would prefer a more central site.
Cost for 3 sections for 4 days was £1,500. Not all the suites were used at all times.
Action: research into locations around the campus which might be more suitable. Possibly Eliot College.
Organisations at the Careers Fair – students appreciated the increase in size. The location and diversity
of employers worked, but inevitably not all students identified employers corresponding precisely to
their career preferences. Some additional work is needed to ensure Hall 3 is clearly signposted to
students (could include large hand-held signs on poles directing students). Discussions will take place
concerning whether to increase the size of the Fair further. This would result in Kent’s Careers Fair
becoming one of the largest in the country!
Action: work closely with Schools to encourage them to participate fully in the process of identifying
and inviting more employers from scientific and creative industries as requested by their students.
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Student attendance – Attendance overall was good, but attendance at some events was poor. This was a
particular problem at the Medway campus. Student feedback suggested they thought it would help if
lecturers were made more aware of the events and this would therefore enable them to
allow/encourage their students to attend.
Action: Schools to check the date and time of events (including lectures/seminars) to find the best time
for Employability Week activities. More CES promotion of events to all staff within Academic Schools at
Medway. CES staff to work closely with Academic Schools at Medway to consider if Employability Week
is effective at the Medway campus or if alternatives might need to be considered.
Recording sessions for web use – where appropriate Kent Player was used. This lecture capture was then
embedded into a Moodle module for students to access at alternative times if they could not attend.
However, the quality of the recording using this method is often not good which raises questions about
whether this is an appropriate method of recording external speakers.
Action: Research into the post-event Kent Player viewing statistics for these events. If need be, find out
if there is a high quality but cost effective alternative.
Booking rooms in advance (ongoing from 2013) – the ability to book rooms for Employability Week
sessions prior to October would be a huge help. Many schools delayed thinking about what events they
might like to run because they could not book a room, this meant that events were confirmed late into
the Autumn term and thus delayed (or did not meet) the print deadline for the marketing materials.
Action: request block bookings during the week of medium-sized, centrally located seminar rooms from
timetabling office, this will need endorsement by the University’s senior staff.
Earlier publicity (ongoing from 2013)– despite beginning the request for events in the summer term of
2014 many schools left it until the last few days to decide upon and confirm the events they wanted to
contribute. This meant that materials such as the Employability Week Booklet could only be printed at
the very last moment to ensure as much accurate information as possible was included. Several
Academic Schools missed the print deadline completely. The hope is that now most staff are aware of
Employability Week, discussions about what they can offer will be held earlier on in the academic year
and therefore will allow for publicity to be produced and distributed sooner to students.
Action: Final events confirmed before the start of autumn term 2015.
Endorsement by academic staff (ongoing from 2013) – Academic Schools were provided with
Employability Week PowerPoint slides for promotion in lectures, posters to display and programmes to
give out to students. However, while some Schools supported this it was noted after Employability
Week that others had not given out the programmes they had been supplied with. This is a waste of
resources and may have led to some students not being as aware of events as they could have been. This
could have been achieved either directly during lectures or by giving time to a CES member of staff to
promote Employability Week and highlight particular events in the run up to the week.
Action: All Heads of School could perhaps be asked to ensure their staff are made aware of the
importance of promoting Employability Week events.
Sessions being cancelled last minute – unfortunately for a week of events on this scale cancellations are
likely to happen due to unforeseen circumstances affecting external organisations and Kent staff.
Action: Little can be done to prevent this sort of occurrence but we can suggest to staff offering to
deliver session that they have more than one member of the team prepared to deliver the talk.
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Size of the Careers Fair – consideration is needed regarding whether or not to increase the size of the
event. If the event remains at the present scale then the quality of employers/organisations exhibiting
should be reviewed.
Action: Discussions could be had with feeder FE colleges (for Kent-accredited HE courses) and other
local HEIs as to whether it is viable to invite their students to the Careers Fair. This might lead to the
event attracting more employers. It would require, however, greater co-ordination and a consideration
of budgeting issues with participating institutions.
Recommendations for 2015:
 The ground work for establishing ‘Employability Week’ took place in 2013 and has continued in
2014. Student engagement is very encouraging as is School/Professional Services participation
and the highly-valued contribution from employers and external organisations. Employability
Week provides an opportunity for the University of Kent’s key stakeholders to work in
partnership to promote the development and awareness of student employability skills. It raises
awareness of student employability and the University of Kent’s good contacts with graduate
recruiters.
 Ongoing discussions concerning whether Week 6 is the most suitable week to stage this event.
As with last year, Weeks 5 or 6 were Reading Weeks for some Schools. Week 5 was also KCC’s
school half-term week. Some students went home the week before or for the week of
Employability Week. Others were available to participate in all of the events. Week 6 remains
the most appropriate timeslot for this week of events.
 Careers Fair at Canterbury – well established as both a stand-alone event and as a central focus
for Employability Week. Ongoing discussions regarding its improvement and development will
continue: scale, use of halls and encouraging students to visit all of them, potential merging with
other HEIs, day of the week, exhibitors to reflect student feedback and academic programmes.
 Suggestions for additional marketing activities such as positioning A-frame displays outside
venues with “What’s on today?” messages were taken forward from 2013 to 2014. Due to the
restrictions of corporate branding, the text in the “What’s on today?” posters was too small for
this purpose. This will need to be re-considered for 2015.
 Large weather-proof banners for the front of the marquee, the side of the School of Arts
building, the Gillingham Building at Medway and the side of the CES building were successful
and should be produced again.
 Darwin Conference Suite was hired as an additional location, replacing Eliot Great Hall which
was unavailable in 2014, to provide space for medium-to-large events and for Academic Schools
to book a venue well before the timetabling office was willing to release rooms. Research is
needed into other more central locations on campus.
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2014 Employability Week Student Feedback Survey
The 2014 Employability Week Feedback Survey ran from 10th to 19th November 2014. The target
population was all students based at the Canterbury and Medway campuses. The purpose was to collect
student feedback on Employability Week events running at Canterbury and Medway during 3rd to 7th
November. The survey measured attendance and assessed student experience throughout the week in
order to incorporate the student perspective and preferences in planning future events.
The survey consisted of 22 quantitative questions and 10 open-ended questions. The overall response
rate was 7% (1,212 replies). This is the same response rate as achieved in 2013 (7%, 1,246 replies).
Respondents
The demographics of those who responded mirror the makeup of the population sample:
 89% of respondents were from the Canterbury campus
 11% from Medway, this closely mirrors the sample (UKC 84%, UKM 16%)
Differences between respondents and sample occur in Fee Type:
 20% of the respondents are from Overseas (16% of sample)
 65% were from the UK (68% of sample)
 14% from the EU (10% of sample)
There is less variation with regards to Study Level:
 8% of respondents are PGR compared to 6% of the sample
 13% PGT (11% of sample)
 78% UG (79% of sample)
Attendance at Employability Week Events
Of those who responded to this survey:
 55% of all respondents had attended one or more events (up from 47% in 2013)
 93% of these respondents were from the Canterbury campus and 7% were from Medway
 30% of PGR respondents attended an event (up from 16% in 2013)
 Over 50% of UG and PGT respondents attended one or more events (58% and 55%
respectively)
 45% of respondents did not attend any events (this is down from 53% in 2013). 70% stated this
was due to being busy with individual study or personal commitments (up from 65% in 2013).
46% stated that the events clashed with lectures, seminars or timetabled sessions (up from 34%
in 2013). 6% claimed to have no knowledge about the events (down from 10% in 2013).
Awareness of the Events
All respondents attending events were asked how they found out about them (multiple answers):
 82% of participating respondents found out about events via email (up from 78% in 2013)
 52% from the Programme of events booklet (up from 47% in 2013)
 32% saw Posters and Banners (up from 25% in 2013)
 23% heard from other students and 22% heard from staff in their Academic School or other
University staff
 Only 1% cited other reasons (down from 3% in 2013)
Other additional suggested methods from respondents to help promote the events included:
 Announcements in lectures and seminars
 Emails listing all events
 Text messages
Careers and Employability Service December 2014
Page 12
Major Events
All students registered were asked whether they attended three major events; the Canterbury Careers
Fair, which took place on Tuesday 4th November, the Teaching Expo on Wednesday 5th November and
the Kent Opportunities Fair which took place on Thursday 7th November. Those registered at Medway
were asked separately about the Medway Employability Fair which was held on Wednesday 15th
October. Views on this were sought and will be presented in a separate report.

68% of the participating respondents attended the Canterbury Careers Fair (up from 64% in
2013). When split by campus 69% of Canterbury respondents attended and 49% of Medway
respondents attended 79% of those who attended the Canterbury Careers Fair were
undergraduate 21% were postgraduate (PGT 16%, PGR 5%)

In 2014, 79% of those who attended the Canterbury Careers Fair agreed that the event was
useful. In 2013 this question was different and used a different scale (31%: Very useful, 59%:
Somewhat useful).

9% of the participating respondents attended the Teaching Expo. When split by campus 10% of
Canterbury respondents attended 2% of Medway respondents attended 80% of those who
attended the Teaching Expo were undergraduate 20% were postgraduate (PGT 12%, PGR 8%)

92% those who attended the Teaching Expo agreed that the event was useful.

24% of the participating respondents attended the Kent Opportunities Fair. When split by
campus 24% of Canterbury respondents attended 18% of Medway respondents attended 89%
of those who attended the Kent Opportunities Fair were undergraduate 11% were postgraduate
(PGT 9%, PGR 2%)

83% those who attended the Kent Opportunities Fair agreed that the event was useful.
Attendance at workshops/discussions and other events
 The 663 survey respondents participating in Employability Week indicated that they attended
1,137 workshops/discussions events (up from 943 in 2013), making an average of 1.7 specific
events (outside the 3 major events) attended by each of the participating respondents.
Impact of Employability Week
 65% of the respondents who attended one or more events at Employability Week think that
they have now a better understanding of how to make themselves employable (this varies
according to the student type: UG 67%, PGT 57%, PGR 52%) 34% said that they had the same
understanding (up from 32% in 2013) 1% claimed to have less understanding (down from 2%
in 2013); by study level this is, UG 1%, PGT 2% and PGR 0%
Themes from student comments:
- Discovering previously unknown graduate employers
- Students liked speaking directly with employers to find out exactly what they are looking for
- Students would like to attend more events and would like support from their Schools to do this
- Students would attend more sessions if they did not clash with lectures/seminars
- Wide and interesting range of companies for Fair but further work needed to ensure more
disciplines are represented especially in the creative industries and sciences.
- More events for postgraduate students
Careers and Employability Service December 2014
Page 13
Impact of Employability Week 2014
Careers Employability Award (Moodle) Registrations:

25th October – 26th November (2014) - 106 registrations during this period.
ProspectsNet users:


23rd November 2013 – 9389 users
23rd November 2014 – 12744 users
Kent Union Volunteering:
MEDWAY 2014*
Nov 3rd – Nov
7th
Nov 8th – Nov 21st
Volunteering Hours
146
370
Students Registering on
Toolkit
7
12
*These are combined figures of Kent students at Medway using the Kent Union and GK Unions
Toolkits.
Canterbury 2014
Nov 3rd – Nov
7th
Nov 8th – Nov 21st
Volunteering Hours
1,102
2,683
Students Registering on
Toolkit
28
56
Employability Points Scheme Registrations (from 27/10/14 to 17/11/14):




27/10/14
03/11/14
10/11/14
17/11/14
2495
2588
2976
3735
The Employability Points Coordinator concludes that following Employability Week, 1,147 new
students started actively engaging with the scheme, largely as a result of the sign-up sheets used in
Employability Week sessions.
Careers and Employability Service December 2014
Page 14
Organisations attending 2014 Careers Fair
Hall 1
1 DSTL
2 IBM
3 Xerox
4 McDonald’s
5 Decathlon
6 Vodafone
7 TK Maxx
8 Philips UK
9 Dovetail Games
10 Majestic Wine
11 Coca-Cola Enterprises
12 Beadles Group
13 Aldi
14 Mercedes-Benz
15 Communications and Network Consulting
16 startmybiz
17 REL Field Marketing
18 Careers & Employability Service
19 Cummins
20 Access UK Ltd
21 Accenture
22 BAE Systems
23 Cisco
24 Entity Group Ltd
25 ISG
26 Schneider Electric
27 FDM Group
28 Fujitsu Services
29 Holiday Extras
30 G-Forces Web Management
31 RAF
32 Penna
33 Royal Navy and Royal Marines
34 The British Army
35 Clifford Chance
36 G-Research
37 PwC
38 Sterling Insurance Group Ltd
39 Reeves and Co LLP
40 Willis Group
41 Vanquis Bank
42 ICAEW
43 Cushman & Wakefield
44 Market Data Services Ltd
45 Fidessa
46 FactSet
47 NCC Group
48 Aspiring Solicitors
49 BDO LLP
50 Chartered Institute of Management Accountants
51 Bank of England
52 CIPFA
53 CFA Institute
54 AXA
55 Baker Tilly
56 Deloitte
57 Lloyd’s of London
Careers and Employability Service December 2014
58 Brighton Journalist Works
59 IdeasTap
60 Kent Autistic Trust
61 Citizens Advice Bureau
62 Porchlight
63 Academies Enterprise Trust
64 Royal Engineers Museum
65 The National Trust
66 HM Prison Service
67 Marie Curie Cancer Care
68 BSkyB
69 Port of Dover
70 ASOS
71 DHL
72 Enterprise Rent-A-Car
Hall 3
73 Milkround
74 EmployAbility Ltd
75 GradsKent
76 GAAPWeb and Totally Legal
77 Employment 4 Students
78 RateMyPlacement
79 Graduate-jobs.com
80 King's College London
81 University of Sussex
82 University of Birmingham
83 The University of Law
84 Knowledge Transfer Partnerships
85 Kent Union Student Advice
Centre
86 Absolute Internship
87 Kent Wildlife Trust
88 Concordia
89 German Academic Exchange
Service (DAAD)
90 Pave Internships Ltd
91 Gap 360
92 Bounce
93 CRCC Asia
94 European Employment Services
(EURES)
95 Foreign and Commonwealth EU Careers
96 Civil Service Fast Stream
97 Institute of Biomedical Science
98 HM Revenue and Customs
99 Explore Learning
100 Core Assets Children's Services
101 Teach First
102 ARK Schools
103 Avante Partnership Ltd
104 Institute of Education
105 Headstart Group Ltd
106 Ashford Teaching Alliance
107 Childhood First
108 University of Surrey
109 University of Kent
110 Canterbury Christ Church
Page 15
Number of student attendees at each event :
Day
Monday
Monday
Monday
Monday
Monday
Monday
Monday
Monday
Monday
Monday
Monday
Monday
Monday
Monday
Monday
Monday
Monday
Monday
Monday
Monday
Monday
Monday
Monday
Monday
Monday
Monday
Tuesday
Tuesday
Tuesday
Tuesday
Tuesday
Tuesday
Tuesday
Tuesday
Tuesday
Tuesday
Tuesday
Tuesday
Tuesday
Tuesday
Tuesday
Tuesday
Tuesday
Start Finish
09:00
17:00
10:00
11:00
11:00
12:00
12:30
12:00
13:00
13:00
12:00
12:00
13:00
13:30
13:00
14:00
15:00
13:00
13:00
14:00
14:00
14:00
14:00
09:00
15:00
15:00
15:00
16:00
16:00
15:00
17:00
15:00
17:00
16:00
16:00
16:00
17:00
17:00
18:00
10:00
09:00
10:00
10:00
10:00
10:00
10:00
20:00
16:00
16:00
12:00
12:00
11:00
15:00
11:30
Event
Poster Fair (all week)
Work Shop Shots in the School of Physical Sciences
Improving your career prospects by volunteering at the
Citizens Advice Bureau
School of Arts CV Workshop
Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM)
Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM)
Employment Opportunities with NHS Professionals
How to be Successful in the Music Industry (Medway)
Parallel Coaching presentation (Medway)
Employability Opportunities with Charlton Athletic
Community Trust (Medway)
Employability at Kent (Medway)
The British Army
What Employers Look For
Pro Tools 101 (Medway)
Employment vs. Self-Employment (Medway)
Getting the most out of the Careers Fair
Understanding Modern China
Guest Speakers in the School of Physical Sciences
Become a Red Cross Educator Teaching first Aid in the
Community
Unexpected careers - for the Faculty of Social Sciences
60 Minute Takeover!
EDA Careers Day
CV Writing for Computing Students
How to become a Student Ambassador
The Legal Market and Types of Legal Employers
Mock Assessment Centre Day
Graduate Careers in the Army (Medway)
10:00
09:00
10:00
10:00
10:00
10:00
10:30
11:00
11:00
12:00
15:30
15:00
15:00
16:00
15:30
16:00
17:00
16:00
17:00
11:00
11:00
11:30
11:00
11:30
12:00
12:00
15:00
17:00
16:00
16:00
17:00
17:00
17:00
18:00
60 Minute Takeover!
Poster Fair (all week)
CIPFA Presentation
Work or Volunteer?
Morgan Stanley - Assessment Centre Skills
Essential Guidance for Aspiring Lawyers
IBM/American Studies session
Insights into Commercial Awareness - Clifford Chance
How to write a CV for Journalism and Media Jobs
Annual Careers fair
Morgan Stanley - Assessment Centre Skills (Medway)
Being an Arts Practitioner: how to work for yourself
Guest Speakers in the School of Physical Sciences
Careers at the Gulbenkian Theatre and Beyond
Q+A to BSkyB
Study in Germany
The Internet of Everything
Careers and Employability Service December 2014
Attendees
n/a
18
15
see above
n/a
11
1
57
Cancelled
17
25
24
2712
48
28
10
16
28
Cancelled
75
19
5
10
Cancelled
25
Cancelled
3
1
1
77
8
1
27
31
9
11
90
226
155
21
8
11
45
1
Page 16
Tuesday
Tuesday
17:00
19:00
Wednesday
Wednesday
Wednesday
Wednesday
Wednesday
Wednesday
Wednesday
Wednesday
Wednesday
Wednesday
Wednesday
Wednesday
Wednesday
Wednesday
Wednesday
Wednesday
Wednesday
Wednesday
Wednesday
Wednesday
Wednesday
Wednesday
Wednesday
Wednesday
Wednesday
Wednesday
Wednesday
Wednesday
Wednesday
Wednesday
Wednesday
Wednesday
Wednesday
Wednesday
09:00
09:00
10:00
10:00
10:00
10:00
10:00
11:00
12:00
13:00
13:00
13:00
13:00
13:00
13:00
13:30
13:30
14:00
15:30
14:00
14:00
14:00
14:00
14:00
14:00
14:00
14:00
15:00
15:00
15:00
16:00
15:30
16:45
16:00
17:00
17:00
16:00
15:00
15:00
15:00
12:00
12:00
13:00
14:00
14:00
14:00
14:00
14:30
15:15
15:00
15:00
15:30
16:30
16:00
16:00
16:00
16:00
15:00
15:00
16:00
15:45
16:30
16:00
16:30
17:00
17:00
17:45
18:00
Poster Fair (all week)
Pro Tools 110 (Medway)
60 Minute Takeover!
Museum Careers Day
Teaching Expo! (talks)
Teaching Expo!
Student enterprise… how to be an entrepreneur (Medway)
Enhancing your Presentation Skills
Vanquis Bank: CVs and Applications (Medway)
South East Water: Interview Skills (Medway)
Artist Led Projects and Spaces (Medway)
Tom Christian speaks about his experience at KU c
'What am I gonna do now?' The Complete Coach
Introduction to SECL Employability modules
Biosciences talks (4 events)
Returning from a Year Abroad: Employability Workshop
So you want to volunteer? Litter Pick!
Careers for Linguists in the EU
British Council Opportunities for Languages
Excel for Business (Medway)
Group Skills Workshop
How to succeed with psychometric testing
Student Media Centre Open Afternoon
Fuel the Firework! running a successful campaign
Airbus talk
Commercial Awareness
SMSAS Employability Seminar
JobShop Drop-in (Medway)
Airbus PGR
So you want to be an intern?
SMSAS CV Clinic
Returning from a Year Abroad: Employability Workshop
Employability Week PGR talk School of Physical Sciences
Radio, television, print and online journalism
Thursday
Thursday
Thursday
Thursday
Thursday
09:00
09:00
10:00
10:00
11:00
11:00
17:00
12:00
11:00
11:00
12:00
12:00
11:00
12:00
12:00
12:00
13:00
12:00
13:00
13:00
15:00
14:00
Poster Fair (all week)
EW Scenes of Crime Room
Careers at the Marlowe Theatre and Beyond
Arduino Workshop – MzTEK (Medway)
Interested in Working in a Gallery? Find out more!
Producing Projects, Events and Tours in the Music Industry
– Third Ear (Medway)
Getting into Law (Medway)
Think Big Choose Small (Medway)
An Introduction to KSCV Platinum
Kent Opportunities fair
Essex County Council's National Graduate Development
Programme (Medway)
International Placements
Thursday
Thursday
Thursday
Thursday
Thursday
Thursday
Thursday
18:00
21:00
13:00 14:30
Working in the UK for International Students
Economics Alumni evening
Careers and Employability Service December 2014
79
64
n/a
8
see above
19
16
137
9
30
3
3
11
Cancelled
37
24
114
36
6
77
24
14
4
80
42
13
15
52
20
3
13
37
40
36
10
29
1
9
8
8
6
1
1
8
163
1
42
Page 17
Thursday
Thursday
Thursday
Thursday
14:00 15:00
14:00 15:00
14:00 16:00
14:00 16:00
Thursday
Thursday
Thursday
Thursday
Thursday
Thursday
Thursday
Thursday
Thursday
Thursday
Thursday
Thursday
14:00
14:00
14:00
15:00
16:00
16:00
16:00
16:00
15:00
16:30
17:00
17:00
Friday
Friday
Friday
Friday
09:00
11:00
11:00
11:00
11:00
17:00
12:00
12:00
12:00
12:00
11:00
12:00
12:00
13:00
13:00
13:00
13:00
13:00
14:00
14:00
14:00
15:00
14:00
15:00
14:00
14:00
15:00
15:00
15:00
09:00
17:15
10:00
10:00
15:00
17:00
17:00
16:00
16:00
10:00
18:30
11:00
11:15
Friday
Friday
Friday
Friday
Friday
Friday
Friday
Friday
Friday
Friday
Friday
Friday
Friday
Friday
Friday
Friday
Friday
16:00
16:00
15:00
16:00
17:00
17:00
17:00
17:00
17:00
20:00
19:00
19:00
England Handball Association - a workshop by CEO, David
Meli (Medway)
Identifying your Transferable Skills
How to Prepare yourself for a Career in the Arts Industry –
Arts Admin (Medway)
The Music Business and Q+A with ACE from Skunk Anansie
(Medway)
Excel for Business
Where are they now?
Humanities Placement Year - Find out more!
Working in Human Resources
The International Students of History Association
Getting the most of the E&V Toolkit (Medway)
Networking Know-How
EW Knight Optical
Writing Skills Workshop
Alumni - Networking Event.
Focus on what Matters and Gain Confidence
School of Computing Social
Poster Fair (all week)
IBM - Employer Presentation
Working in the Museum and Heritage Sectors
SELF-EMPLOYMENT……What is it all about?
Become a Red Cross Educator Teaching First Aid in the
Community
Internship Opportunities in the Creative Sector
What is Student Enterprise and how does it benefit me?
Mercedes-Benz UK Graduate and Industrial Placements
Working Abroad: Your Future Now! (Capita Education)
The £10 Challenge Competition Launch!
Employment Opportunities with NHS Professionals
(Medway)
Employability Opportunities with Charlton Athletic
Community Trust
Ideas Generation Workshop
Bring your CV to a Careers Adviser (Medway)
Maximising your Presentation Technique
Employment vs Self Employment - The Gloves are off!
Alumni Presentations and Meet the Past
Enterprise Society - Enactus Kent!
SPS Alumni PGR Networking
Being an entrepreneur is an achievement in itself
What it’s like working in Higher Education Professional
Services
Careers and Employability Service December 2014
8
24
9
3
28
18
18
35
6
2
Cancelled
3
11
28
8
20
0
26
35
11
8
15
9
21
Cancelled
40
3
12
16
5
11
9
7
8
54
18
7
Page 18
Medway Campus
Employability Fair 2014
Wednesday 15 October, 1pm-3pm, Pilkington Building Open Space
The Careers and Employability Service worked in partnership with GK Unions to stage the
Employability Fair at Medway. The Pilkington Building Open Space was filled with 52 stands from a
wide range of organisations providing information on career options, industry sectors, volunteering,
part-time job opportunities, employability skill development and postgraduate study options.
Organisations included Rate my Placement, Projects Abroad, Activate Sport, SoundHub, HM Prison
Service and Medway Council. The fair was attended by 647 students (an increase of over 80% on last
year’s Student Futures Fair, which took place in week 6 of 2013).
Feedback from students attending the Employability Fair
183 students took part in the survey following the Employability Fair. They were asked how they heard
about the events:





33% heard about it via emails sent to them
15% were informed by staff in their Academic School
14% saw posters and banners around campus
12% heard via the Careers and Employability Service
The remaining 26% found out about the event from other sources including word of mouth,
social media, CES website, Student Guide website.
Impact of the Employability Fair:
94% of the respondents who attended the Employability Fair thought it was a good event.
Student comments:
“Very friendly staff well organised event” student from School of Music and Fine Art.
“I found a place where I can make myself known as an artist” student from School of Music and Fine Art.
“The amount of people to network with was extremely impressive” student from School of Computing.
“Opportunity to possibly work during holidays” student from School of Sport and Exercise Sciences.
“I like how they let you know how places for jobs are going and things that would be good to add on
your CV” student from Kent Business School.
“Showed a variety of informative stalls about volunteering and employability” student from Kent
Business School.
“A lot on offer” student from Kent Law School.
“It was nice that the University has considered the range of academic levels of students that would be
attending. There were stalls catering to people of all year groups and a range of professional fields”
student from School of Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research.
Careers and Employability Service December 2014
Page 19
Feedback from exhibitors that attended the Employability Fair
45 exhibitors completed evaluation forms after the fair. They were asked to rate it on a 3-point scale. 40
gave it the top rating and five the middle rating.
Comments from exhibitors:
“A well run event with a good range of exhibitors. Well done!” Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust.
“Brilliant event” Medway Youth Trust
“Very enthusiastic students – nearly 70 students!” Projects Abroad
“Students are so eager to find out more and they loved hearing about RMP’s opportunities!” Rate My
Placement
Recommendations for next year:
 Continue to hold the fair in the Pilkington Building Open Space – this has proved to be a good
central location. Booking the space, however, is a problem - it took over two months for the
booking to be confirmed and even longer to get the atrium and furniture storage room booked.
CES will continue to liaise with the room booking team at Medway to ensure we can secure the
open space and atrium earlier, although we have been told that the furniture storage room
booking will still be delayed until September and we will have to work around this.
 Hold the fair in Week 3 again (as opposed to Week 6) – having the fair earlier had a positive
impact on attendance and provided an opportunity to promote Employability Week and the
Careers Fair. Canterbury CES staff were also available to fully support the event.
 Keep the fair free to exhibitors and continue to provide them with refreshment vouchers.
 Consider widening the criteria of organisations attending to include inviting employers who
recruit graduates locally.
 Provide additional security staffing depending on the nature of employers that are invited (this
would require a modest additional cost).
 Provide additional administrative support located at Medway in order to aid with the
organisation of the Employability Fair as well as Employability Week.
Medway students attending the Careers Fair at the Canterbury campus
Tuesday 4 November, 12pm-3pm, Main Hall and Hall 3 of the Sports Centre
Following a request from Academic School staff at the Medway campus, CES provided an additional
Campus Shuttle bus for the Careers Fair. It left the Medway campus on Tuesday 4 November at 11.00am
and returned from Canterbury at 3.00pm. Although there were some empty seats, this additional
Campus Shuttle was well-used. The additional coach (which cost £420) was used for 63 passenger
journeys (£6.67 per passenger journey).
However, despite this extra Campus Shuttle running alongside the existing shuttle, some students gave
feedback that it was difficult for them to attend the Careers Fair because it clashed with lectures. Some
academic staff arranged lectures around the Careers Fair (they had been given advanced notice of the
date and time) but most Academic Schools did not offer this flexibility to students. It has been suggested
that the Careers Fair be held on a Wednesday so that it does not clash with lectures. However, if it were
to be held on a Wednesday the event would have to be significantly smaller because the sports hall
Careers and Employability Service December 2014
Page 20
would not be available. It has also been suggested that an event equivalent to the Careers Fair could be
held at the Medway campus. In response to this the CES will encourage more local companies offering
employment opportunities to attend the Employability Fair at Medway, but it will not be possible to
completely duplicate the scale and diversity of the Careers Fair because of the smaller number of
students on campus: graduate recruiters concentrate their recruitment event budgets on fairs with the
potential for significant student attendance.
Recommendations:
 CES to consider widening the criteria for organisations invited to exhibit at the Employability
Fair at Medway.
 Continue to provide and promote the availability of an additional Campus Shuttle to enable
Medway students to attend the Careers Fair in Canterbury.
 Encourage Academic Schools at Medway to offer flexibility in their lectures on the day of the
Careers Fair so that students from the Medway campus are able to attend more easily.
Employability Week (Medway), 3-7 November, Week 6
Student attendance at Employability Week events at the Medway campus, with some exceptions, was
largely disappointing. The Assessment Centre skills session delivered by Morgan Stanley was wellattended, attracting 48 students. The average attendance per session was six students and is not
enough to warrant employers travelling to the campus.
Despite the poor attendance, 69% of the respondents who did attend events said that they gained a
better understanding of how to make themselves employable as a result.
Recommendations:
 Conduct a student focus group to consider student attendance, external organisations and
marketing methods.
 Invite opinion from Medway staff on Employability Week and share ideas on moving forward
and/or looking at alternatives to Employability Week at Medway.
Careers and Employability Service December 2014
Page 21