Are you looking to make a difference? Want to make a positive impact in our society? If so, then the Volunteering and Mentoring team are here to help you!

Volunteering and Mentoring is a team within the Careers and Employability service who can help you to browse and apply for volunteering opportunities, log your volunteer hours, track your progress for the University of Chester Volunteering (UCV) awards and sign up to be, or be matched with, a Peer Mentor.

Who are we?

Our team forms part of the Student Success team within Careers and Employability and consists of:

• Jo (Volunteering and Mentoring Manager).
• Amy (Mentoring Admin Assistant).
• Louise (Volunteering Coordinator).
• Abbie (Volunteer Administrator).

We aim to provide students with access to volunteer opportunities in the community and the University, and support students throughout their volunteer journey.

Through our Peer Mentoring scheme, we aim to support new students as they join the University with a match to one of our Peer Mentors, helping them with the transition into Higher Education and increasing their sense of belonging at the University.

Why volunteer?

Volunteering is an amazing opportunity for all students. Volunteering can help you to meet new people, get involved in your community, improve your confidence, develop your skills, and help you to stand out from the crowd. Volunteering provides you with a brilliant opportunity to develop your employability whilst giving back to the local community through social action, such as one-off conservation trips, or more long-term opportunities such as being a Peer Mentor. Volunteering is also linked to a greater sense of wellbeing – doing good feels good!

Rifa volunteers with Chester Sports Association with the Disabled and shared their experience:

What type of support is available?

There is plenty of support available for those wishing to volunteer. Whether you’re volunteering in a student-led project, for the Students in Schools scheme, or as part of the Peer Mentoring initiative, the team are here to support students at any stage of their volunteer journey.

Students can access our services via our Volunteer Hub. Here you can set up your online volunteer profile, which you can use to browse for volunteer opportunities, log your volunteer hours, and apply for our UCV award scheme. You can also choose to receive regular emails with the latest opportunities, based on your preferences.

The team also delivers regular events throughout the year to showcase volunteer opportunities and celebrate our student volunteers. Students can visit our Volunteer and Skills Fair, held annually in October, to meet some of our local charities and discover opportunities. You can also get involved in our campaigns, including Give Back month in December and Student Volunteering Week in February.

We can also offer 30-minute Volunteer appointments to help you explore the available opportunities, talk through how to get involved, and provide information on our volunteer schemes.

Any student that volunteers on one of our projects will also receive further support from the team. We provide full training, resources, and ongoing support for Peer Mentors, Project Coordinators, Students in Schools participants and any other project volunteers.

Finally, student volunteers can receive recognition through our UCV (University of Chester Volunteer) awards. These awards are based on the number of hours you log and encourage you to reflect on your skills and experiences. These awards will be recognised on your HEAR (Higher Education Achievement Record) and you are provided with certificates and invites to our Celebration Event.

Who can access the service?

Students of all backgrounds and years of study can access the service – have a look at what our student volunteers had to say about their experiences:

What types of projects can students volunteer for?

Students can access a huge range of community volunteering opportunities through our Volunteer Hub, where we have over 100 charities registered and looking for volunteers.

We also provide opportunities to volunteer through our own projects:

• Student-Led Projects are volunteering projects run by students, for students.
• Students in Schools is an opportunity for students to offer one-to-one mentoring, tutoring, classroom support, and much more to primary and secondary school pupils in Cheshire and the Wirral.
• Peer Mentoring is where we match current students with similar new students to acclimatise them to the University.

There are a range of student-led projects that a student can sign up for including; dog walking, environmental conservation, creating cooking videos that share tips on healthy eating on a budget, and joining a virtual book club for primary schools.

Keep in touch

You can keep up to date with Volunteering and Mentoring news by:

• Following us on Instagram @uocvolunteering
• Setting up your online volunteer profile on our Volunteer Hub
• Email: volunteering@chester.ac.uk.
• Telephone: 01244 513066.
• Visit: Careers Building, Exton Park site (Chester).

We also send out regular newsletters to our Mentors and Mentees which you can access if you sign up to be a Peer Mentor or a Mentee. For information and about this scheme, please email peermentoring@chester.ac.uk.

We look forward to supporting you on your volunteer journey!

Thinking of starting your own business or pursuing a freelance career? The Venture Programme consists of a series of events, support and guidance to help you do just that. It can help you develop the skills, knowledge, confidence and connections to be your own boss.

Venture events will challenge your thinking, expose you to the business world and give you the opportunity to make something happen for yourself. Venture is here to inspire you and to support you to be enterprising. Take a look at some start-up stories from students and graduates who have been through the programme and successfully launched a business.

You may not have a business idea just yet and be looking to explore the different aspects of starting up- or you may already be running a business and wish to hone and develop some key skills – it doesn’t matter what stage of your business you’re at, you can still get involved.

What type of support can I access?

We offer a range of support, including one-to-one surgeries and online workshops in the following areas:

• Setting up
• Sales and Marketing
• Finance and Funding
• Enterprise Skills
• Business Planning
• Legal Matters
• Online Marketing

All sessions are delivered by entrepreneurs, industry experts and business consultants and coaches. Find out more here.

What business have started from the Venture Programme?

Whatever your business idea, you can use the Venture Programme. In the past 10 years, we’ve had businesses use the programme in a range of areas and sectors including:

• Photography
• Animal care
• Food manufacture
• Wheelchair design
• Photography
• Illustration
• PR
• Custom clothing

You can check out a selection of the businesses we’ve helped to support through the Venture Programme here.

How many sessions do I have to attend?

It’s completely up to you how many sessions you attend. Some students choose to attend all sessions because they feel need help with all of the topics listed above, but some only choose to attend certain sessions depending on how far along they are with their business.

You can drop in at any stage of the Venture Programme and create a bespoke package of the support you need.

How do I get involved?

• For events and sessions, you can book on CareerHub here.
• If you want to have a chat about the programme or your business idea, you can book an appointment here.
• If you have missed one of our sessions, you can view all of our recorded sessions here.

What else do I need to know?

• Venture is open to students and graduates of the University of Chester
• Venture is for any student, studying any course – it’s not just for Business students
• You can gain recognition for taking part in Venture events through The Chester Difference Award‘s Enterprise Pathway
• Your attendance at Venture sessions will be noted on your Higher Education Achievement Record

What’s The Venture Pitch?

At the end of the year, we hold a ‘Dragon’s Den’ style pitch event. So, if you’ve attended 12 hours’ worth of Venture, have a valid business idea and want to pitch it, you can apply to do so. Ten selected businesses then have a chance to pitch to a panel of judges for their share of £5,000 of start-up funding and over £7,000 worth of business prizes including a website, business grants, iPads, office space, and business coaching to help you launch your business. Over the past ten years, we have awarded over £60,000 to student start-ups and freelancers.

Click here to check out highlights of this year’s event, including a full list of all the winners.

The Sustainability Unit at the University of Chester sits within the Estates & Facilities department and aims to ensure that the University leads by example, putting sustainability at the heart of decision making and service delivery. Our goal is to embed sustainability throughout our campuses, curriculum, culture, and community.

Campus

When it comes to sustainability on campus, there are key areas such as energy reduction, waste and recycling, water, transport, and biodiversity. We have a target to reach Net Zero for scope one and two emissions by 2030 (emissions from our electricity, gas and fuel consumption). Whilst on campus, you will see some of the physical changes and technologies needed to achieve this, from solar panels and LED lights to light sensors and improved heating systems. We’re currently looking at our estate to see what actions we can take to improve our spaces and reduce our carbon emissions.

The University also has a recycling target. In addition to aiming to reduce the amount of waste produced in the first place, we aim to increase recycling rates to 65% by 2025 and 75% by 2030. There are many recycling bins around campus, if you’re unsure of what can and cannot be recycled, have a look at this handy A-Z guide!

There are many ways in which waste is being reduced. The University has recently signed up to Warp It, to redistribute unwanted items. Food waste can be a big contributor to carbon emissions, and the catering department work hard to minimise the amount of food waste created by regularly reviewing menus. During term time, the community fridge in the Sustainability Shop on Exton Park is stocked with meals left at the end of service and sold at a reduced price.

The department also work closely with Grounds & Gardens on their ‘Garden 2 Table’ initiative, growing vegetables in their greenhouses, which is then used by chefs to create seasonal meals with very low food milage! We don’t use disposable cups or takeout boxes in our catering outlets. If you want to grab a coffee to take to a lecture, bring along a reusable cup or opt into our Drop n’ Swap scheme; paying a £2 deposit, you can drop off your used cup at any catering outlet rather than having to remember to bring one!

Curriculum

Students graduating from the University will be at the forefront of tackling the climate crisis across a variety of organisations and sectors which is why embedding sustainability in the taught and informal curriculum is important. We are committed to ensuring our students leave with the knowledge and skills needed to become engaged citizens, able to lead change in their professional and personal lives.

In June 2020, the University was awarded Responsible Futures Working Towards Award, after demonstrating commitment and action to embed sustainability in the curriculum. There are case studies from departments across the University that highlight this such as, Chester Business School integrating environmental audits in the final year Tourism Futures module.

In August 2021, we began delivering Carbon Literacy Training to staff and students. The training covers the science behind climate change and provides attendees the practical knowledge to make a positive difference. As we enter the new academic year, we aim to deliver the training to more students and staff, who can go onto to become Carbon Literacy Trainers.

Cultures

We aim to provide regular opportunities for students and staff to get involved with sustainability at the University, whether that’s volunteering at the allotment or joining our Digital Climate Cafes. We are implementing an Environmental Management System (an Environmental Management System is a way for an organisation to manage its impact on the environment in a structured approach, helping to manage environmental performance and identify any risks and impacts). As part of this, we will be working to create a clear reporting system for students and staff to contribute valuable ideas into key areas such as transport, waste, education etc. Alongside volunteering opportunities, we also have a programme called Climate Action. This is designed for staff to improve the sustainability performance of their department. The programme is currently under review as we make changes to ensure that it is achievable for all departments to take part in.

Community

The University can have a positive impact on our local area, whether it’s through events and volunteering or research and teaching. We aim to support and engage with groups within our local communities through our activities. For example, we work closely with Bren Bikes, donating abandoned bikes to them, who then refurbish and sell them on at an affordable price. For many years, we have taken part in British Heart Foundations’ end of term ‘Pack for Good’ campaign, encouraging students to donate unwanted items such as clothes and books. Earlier this summer, a second BHF donation bank was added to Exton Park due to the increase in donations!

The University was a key partner in delivering the Youth Conference at the first Green Expo in Chester earlier in June. The Chester Youth Climate Action Network (Chester Youth CAN) comprised of current students, recent graduates and apprentices from Chester Zoo, who designed and delivered a programme of activities to inspire future generations to consider careers in the sustainability/green sectors. We work with our community partners to share the positive action happening locally and there are often numerous volunteering or work placements available.

Stay in touch

We’re looking forward to the year ahead and are busy planning our Sustainability Festival for early November. For the latest information on events and opportunities to get involved follow us @GreenChester on Facebook and Twitter or @Greenuochester on Instagram!

Being a student at this University is about so much more than getting your degree; it’s about being part of a community where you’ll be encouraged to make the most of your time here and be inspired to reach your potential, gaining the experiences and skills that will benefit you as you progress through your lifelong career journey.

The Careers and Employability team is here to help you to take your next steps towards your future goals. We’re on hand to help you from the moment you arrive and will support you long after you graduate, providing an inclusive and impartial service tailored to your personal goals and aspirations, with a variety of employability-enhancing experiences through the curriculum, employer contact, and advice and guidance.

There are lots of myths about what we do/don’t do and also lots of myths or uncertainty about graduate careers so let’s take a look at what we do and how we can support you.

Careers and Employability is here for everyone at any time – you don’t need to know what you want to do – many students don’t, and this doesn’t matter. Whether you have some ideas for your next steps or none at all, It’s our job to help you. And you don’t need to wait until you’re about to finish your course – you can start your engagement with us from the moment you arrive and our support for you doesn’t end after you graduate!

We don’t always talk about “careers” – we talk about next steps and making the most of your time at university. Thinking about a career after university can seem daunting, or you may be afraid of making a wrong decision and ending up in the wrong career. Well, we don’t like the word “wrong” and we don’t think that “choosing a career” is what you need to do. A career sounds like something you do forever, but all you need to focus on is what you’re going to do next. Graduate careers take off in all directions once you get your first role after university. You need to plan, but not worry about the long term.

We are committed to supporting all students – we love the diverse backgrounds and countries that our students come from and the courses you’re taking. From mature students who may have lots of work experience, to those with none, from those of you taking vocational subjects because you have a clear idea of where you are heading, to those of you choosing a subject because you love it – we’re here for all of you. Our Inspiring Futures programme is available to students from under-represented groups who may need additional support or access to activities. We were very proud to have won an award earlier this year for our commitment to Diversity, Equality and Inclusion.

We don’t just offer information, advice and guidance – we have four teams in Careers and Employability, all committed to supporting you every step of the way:

Career Consultant Team

Our expert and professionally qualified Career Consultants provide expert, impartial and confidential guidance tailored to your individual needs. We don’t tell you what to do – we help you to make informed decisions and develop strategies and plans. We can help you with every step of recruitment processes and prepare you for moving from university into employment. There are daily appointments available to help you make decisions about your next steps or for feedback on your CV and applications. You may also see us in person or virtually delivering sessions in academic departments on a range of employability themes, useful for your skills and knowledge development.

Student Success Team

Lots of activities sit in this team. Our Information Point colleagues will be the first people you meet if you visit in person or if you contact us through CareerHub, our careers platform.

Our live and on-demand Careers Workshops help you develop the skills and knowledge graduate employers want. Check out the Events pages for upcoming sessions.

First year undergraduates can apply for a Peer Mentor, trained second year and third year students who can share their experiences of university life, signpost to useful University services, and discuss a range of topics. You can also apply to be a Peer Mentor – we’re always looking for more students to join us. Email peermentoring@chester.ac.uk.

Volunteering is a good way to get to know your local community, meet new people, and learn new skills. Careers & Employability support students to become volunteers and students can gain recognition for volunteering through UCV Awards.

The Venture Programme helps students and graduates to develop the skills, knowledge, confidence and connections to start up a business, to enter self-employment or to build a freelance career.

The Chester Difference Award allows you to showcase your skills and experiences to future employers by giving you recognition for the skills you have demonstrated from all the extra-curricular activities you’ve undertaken during your time at university.

Employer Engagement

Our Employer Engagement team has links with local and national employers, as well as professional bodies, that allow you to network with employers at our events, in the curriculum and in the workplace. We provide you with a range of great opportunities to meet with employers looking to recruit our students and graduates and give insights into their career sector.

We can help you to find a part-time job that fits around your studies, helping you to gain skills and earn extra money. Our UniJob service enables you to apply for part-time jobs at the University, or you can use our CareerHub portal to find part-time work in the local area and elsewhere.

We run a paid Workplace Experiences programme which includes internships and projects for eligible students and graduates and advertise other work experience opportunities to help you gain the skills and experience needed for today’s job market.

We advertise a range of graduate vacancies with local and national employers through our CareerHub portal. When you’re ready to apply, we’ll help you through every stage of the selection process.

Directorate

This team supports all the work that happens in Careers and Employability. From finance to data we make sure that everything in the team runs smoothly, we evaluate everything we do to make sure you are involved in the decisions we make and the activities we run.

Where are we located?

We have a full-time office in Exton Park, and we are also available at our new University Centre Warrington sites at specific times. Our curriculum delivery can take place on any site, and we also visit Queen’s Park and University Centre Shrewsbury for one-to-one support. Many students still find it convenient to access us remotely and we are flexible in how we deliver our services to ensure you can get the support you want in the way that suits you best.

Further info

Don’t forget to follow us on social media to keep up with our latest news and events:

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