For over 60 years we have been at the heart of the community, responding to the needs of people living, working, and learning in Kent and Medway.

We pledge to support our People by

Creating Inspiring Pathways into Education

  • developing forward-thinking curriculum offerings that prepare our learners for the future
  • directing our resources to make a positive difference to the regional workforce
  • offering a variety of routes into higher education, including degree Apprenticeships

Championing Opportunity

  • focusing on creating pathways for learners from lower socio-economic groups
  • becoming a leading university for social mobility with targeted scholarships and bursaries
  • listening to the voices of the community to ensure meaningful societal impact in all we do
25th

Our rank in the Social Mobility Index in 2023.

Case studies

Our award-winning STEM outreach initiatives ‘Community Lab’ and ‘Inspiring Minds’ have played a key role in raising the aspirations of 6.4 million young people across the South-East* between 2019 and 2023.

Reaching into all schools and colleges across the South-East, our STEM Hub provides free advice and guidance on STEM enrichment activities and career paths, providing 338,456 STEM Ambassador volunteering hours. Our Community Lab - a partnership between Pfizer, educational charity STEM Learning, and Discovery Park (Europe’s largest science park) - grows the regional STEM skills base by providing schools with inspirational access to industry standard laboratories, facilities and equipment, training teachers and engaging young people.

Award-winning outreach project ‘Inspiring Minds’ addresses key representation gaps in STEM careers, engaging under-represented pupils from lower-income areas in the region. Led by our LASAR Centre, the project features in the government’s Transforming Access and Student Outcomes report on outreach interventions that raise aspirations and confidence.

*Figures for STEM Hub include Home Counties and other locations in the South of Englan

EMPOWERing individuals and communities to manage their own CARE (EMPOWERCARE) is £7.3million funded 3-year social innovation project involving 13 cross border European partners. The project addresses the issues facing the care of our ageing population, aiming to create resilient communities and reduce individual frailty and loneliness. 

To do this, partners from across the UK, France, Belgium and the Netherlands developed an approach using research-based solutions and technology to address gaps in the care of the target groups: those aged 65+, and those aged 50+ with at least one chronic condition.

The project addresses the issues facing the care of our ageing population. It combines the work of several existing and tested partner solutions from UK and the EU and ensures that older people are at the forefront of improved technology and better cared for within their communities. The project outputs include: 

  • An empowerment strategy to deliver what matters to individuals and communities in managing their own care, and a workforce transformation package to upskill the adult social care workforce.
  • A technology blueprint for initiatives and technology that support enablement at individual and community level. Informed by partners testing different technologies in co-production with the target group.
  • A comprehensive evaluation of the EMPOWERCARE approach, conducted by Canterbury Christ Church University researchers, to outline the benefits and key outcomes of the project.

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