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Free services for all students – part two

Check out what else you can access for FREE as a University of Chester student! 

Active Campus sessions 

If you’re not interested in joining a sports team but still want to engage in some team and individual activities, then our Active Campus Programme is just the thing for you.  

With regular, free, non-competitive activities on offer, our programme gives you and your friends the opportunity to join in and have fun without the commitment needed to join a sports team. 

Please note; we also run a weekly 7 a-side Football league within the University community during term time which does come with membership fees.  

Find out more about our Active Campus offer.

Laptop loan 

You can loan a laptop from the following libraries with your student ID card: 

  • Exton Park 
  • Wheeler 
  • Queen’s Park 
  • Warrington 
  • Shrewsbury 

Laptops are available for loan for four hours at a time for on-campus use only. 

Don’t forget to save your work to a removable storage device because these devices are wiped on a regular basis. 

Ask at the Library Helpdesk for more information.  

If you have lectures within Binks and Westminster from one of the Lapsafes for use in your lecture. Please contact your department to find out more.

Sports pitches and courts 

Our sports pitches, tennis courts and squash courts at Exton Park are free, however during term-time priority booking goes to our Athletics’ Union (AU) clubs, Active Campus sessions and community members. Bookings may be cancelled if the weather is not suitable to ensure our pitches aren’t damaged. Contact sportactivelifestylechester@chester.ac.uk to find out more.  

Linkedin Learning 

As a UoC student you get free access to LinkedIn Learning – a leading online learning platform that helps you to learn and develop skills and competencies across a wide range of areas, including business and professional, digital and technical, and creative and software.  

You can explore over 15,000 video tutorials from industry experts and leaders for free. Get started and sign in with your uni login.

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Free services for all students – part one

Did you know as a University of Chester student you can get access to lots of FREE stuff?  

Check out all the details below:

Fitness classes 

At Exton Park we run several fitness classes each week which are completely free for all students.  

These include:  

  • Circuits in the Gym 
  • Suspension Training 
  • Optimal Fitness 
  • Core Blast 
  • Weightlifting for Beginners 
  • Military Fit  

Places are limited so you need to book your place for each class you’d like to attend. 

Click here to access the fitness class booking system.

Please note; if you attend a class but have not booked, you will not be able to attend and will be turned away. 

Libby app 

The Libby app gives you access to over 1000 fiction and non-fiction books. Just download it from your app store, sign in with your university login and borrow any books that catch your eye. Loans will be returned automatically after 14 days but you can re-borrow the book if it’s available. 

Box of Broadcasts (BoB) 

BoB is the on-demand TV and radio service for education. BoB lets you record and catch-up on missed programmes from over 60 channels. You can also view archived recordings using the search tool and create and share playlists. Access it here and sign in with your uni login.  

Kanopy  

Kanopy provides streamed access to movies, documentaries, foreign films, classic cinema, independent films and educational videos on a range of topics, with curated, themed collections to support your learning and wellbeing. Access it here and sign in with your uni login.   

Active Zones: 

At University Centre Birkenhead and University Centre Shrewsbury we have free Active Zones for all students. These are open during standard site opening times and can be accessed via your student card. Ask at your site reception for more info. 

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New swimming pool timetable – Exton Park  

Check out our brand-new timetable for our swimming pool at Exton Park.

The timetable is live now and runs until the end of December.

DayTime
Monday7am-9am
12pm-2pm
Tuesday7am-9am
12pm-2pm
Wednesday7am-9am
12pm-2pm
Thursday7am-9am
12pm-2pm
Friday7am-9am
12pm-2pm
8pm-9.30pm
Saturday1pm-3pm
SundayFamily swim:
1pm-3pm

The pool is free with all gym memberships or £10 for the year for non-members. Click here to purchase your membership or visit the Fitness Suite at Exton Park.  

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Career workshop: How to get a job using LinkedIn

Key Event Information

Start Date: 19 October 2023 12:00 pm

Start End: 19 October 2023 1:00 pm

Location: Online

Book Now

Find out how the online professional networking site LinkedIn, can be used to get a job. Knowing how to set-up and use an effective, personalised LinkedIn profile to connect online will help you discover job opportunities, gain information about the organisation and promote yourself to employers.

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Career workshop: Interview Skills

Key Event Information

Start Date: 18 October 2023 12:00 pm

Start End: 18 October 2023 1:00 pm

Location: Online

Book Now

By the end of the session, you will be able to:

  • Plan and prepare for your interview.
  • Understand the interview process.
  • Learn to structure answers to interview questions.
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Career workshop: How to write a CV and Cover Letter

Key Event Information

Start Date: 17 October 2023 1:00 pm

Start End: 17 October 2023 2:00 pm

Location: Online

Book Now

This session is for any student or graduate wanting to understand how to write a CV and cover letter. The benefit of taking part in this DevelopMe session is that it will help you to:

  • Understand what an employer expects to see within a CV and cover letter.
  • Find relevant evidence from within your own experience to use within your CV.
  • Identify what needs to be included within a cover letter to enhance the CV.
  • Consider your next step(s) and action that you need to take, whether that is to start a CV or cover letter from scratch, alter an existing one, or get further help from the Careers and Employability team.
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Career workshop: Finding Work as an International Student

Key Event Information

Start Date: 17 October 2023 12:00 pm

Start End: 28 October 2023 1:00 pm

Location: Online

Book Now

The session will be on simplifying job search for international students, and will cover topics such as:

  • The UK job market 
  • Researching employers 
  • Tips and tricks 
  • A Q&A to finish 
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Exclusive Employability Event for Grad Jobs & Summer Placements

Key Event Information

Start Date: 10 October 2023 9:00 am

Start End: 3 October 2023 11:00 am

Location: Westminster CWE218, Exton Park

Attention final year students (and all those eager to get a head-start or find placements)!

Are you interested in knowing more about graduate roles in public service?  Are you looking to secure a meaningful and well-paid career in a sector closely aligned with Social and Political Sciences, History, English, Accounting or Finance? Then you simply cannot miss our exclusive employability event, tailored just for you

Join us for an informative morning where three of the UK’s leading employers – Government Operational Research Service (including civil service main stream and fast stream), the National Graduate Development Programmefor Local Government, and The Institute For Government – will be presenting their esteemed graduate schemes and placement opportunities.

Book your place now

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Civil Service Mentoring opportunity

Ever thought about working for the Civil Service? Do you know what the Civil Service does?

The Civil service employs over 450,000 people across the UK and overseas in a huge range of departments including: Ministry of Justice, Department for Work and Pensions, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Department of Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport to name just a few. Find out more about the Civil Service here.

The Graduate Aspiration Programme is an amazing one to one mentoring opportunity which matches university students, from under-represented backgrounds, with a mentor from the Civil Service.

The programme aims to build confidence, aspiration, and support future career choices, as well as enhancing communication skills and building new networks – and is available to all second, third and fourth year students.  

Mentoring takes place from November to April. Applications are now open and close on Friday 27 October 2023. Click here to access the mentee application form. Information sessions are also being held. Further details are available here including the eligibility criteria. 

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New fitness class timetable

Like to keep fit? Did you know all students and staff have FREE access to our fitness classes at Exton Park?

Check out the brand new timetable for the 23/24 academic year below which starts from today – Monday 25 September:

DayTimeClassLocation
Monday6pm-7pmOptimal FitnessGymnasium
Tuesday5pm-6pmWeightlifting for BeginnersGym
Tuesday6pm-7pmSpinSpin Studio
Wednesday5pm-6pmCircuitsGymnasium
Thursday5pm-6pmWeightlifting for BeginnersGym
Thursday5pm-6pmMilitary FitGymnasium
Thursday6pm-7pmCore BlastFit Lab
Thursday6pm-7pmSpinSpin Studio
Friday12pm-1pmSuspension TrainingGymnasium

Don’t forget; places are limited so you need to book your place before the session begins. If the class is full, you will not be able to join in. You can book your place via the Playwaze app or on Portal.

Have a question? You can contact our Sport and Active Lifestyle team by calling 01244 513452 or by emailing sportactivelifestylechester@chester.ac.uk.

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