Who are Canterbury Christ Church University?
Canterbury Christ Church is a modern, dynamic and innovative university, supporting students to gain an outstanding education and enjoy an excellent student experience.
A multi-campus University with our main site in the vibrant, world-famous city of Canterbury, we have 15,000 students studying a wide range of courses across Kent and Medway, in Arts and Humanities, Education, Health, and Social and Applied Sciences.
We have ambitious and exciting plans for the future with a £150 million campus redevelopment, alongside a significant expansion of teaching, research and facilities in the sciences. We will be inspiring a new generation of engineers with the introduction of courses that respond to real-world opportunities and nurture creativity and a talent for problem solving.
Employers and industry leaders are working with us to develop a range of dynamic courses, research opportunities and new facilities – including a new building for the 2020/ 21 academic year on our main Canterbury site, and regional centres of excellence co-located with engineering and technology businesses.
To meet the needs of employers now and in the future, we have also designed and created a range of Higher and Degree Apprenticeships, offering school leavers another route into higher education.
Our extensive investment in STEMM also includes the creation of the new Kent and Medway Medical School, in partnership with the University of Kent, to respond to the regional demand for doctors.
Christ Church also opened an award-winning creative arts facility in 2019, offering a wide range of new and successfully established courses to promote careers in the creative and digital industries.
What projects / schemes / initiatives to support women’s recruitment, retention and progression in STEM are Canterbury Christ Church University involved in?
We want to inspire a new generation of engineers to design ground-breaking solutions to real-world issues, stimulating creativity, innovation and leadership. We are challenging tradition and breaking down barriers to success, to encourage more women into STEM education and careers.
Christ Church is one of only a handful of universities in England adopting the internationally recognised CDIO (Conceive, Design, Implement and Operate) curriculum that foregrounds creativity in engineering.
It will offer a vibrant, highly stimulating and professional learning environment, offering local industry placements and graduate opportunities, and a diverse curriculum that brings together related subject areas, from health and the sciences, to the arts and teacher education.
This model supports our ambition to significantly increase diversity in engineering, with bold targets to attract 35% women and 40% learners from less advantaged communities to our courses. With £13.12m Government funding to create a new Kent and Medway Engineering, Design, Growth and Enterprise (EDGE) Hub, this major initiative is also designed to help reinvigorate the regional economy and transform its graduate engineering and technology talent pool.
We are creating wide-ranging opportunities for those with the natural talent, desire and creative potential to succeed in becoming an engineer or designer, through choice and flexibility of courses, and types of study.
Our University also holds the STEM Learning contract for the South East, providing crucial enhancement and enrichment activities. This important initiative, combined with the innovative EDGE Hub and our comprehensive outreach programme, are helping to inspire young people, including women, into STEM education and careers.
Why did Canterbury Christ Church University join WISE?
“Equality of opportunity is central to our education and student experience, and we want all of our students, of all abilities and from all backgrounds, to succeed and reach their full potential. Our success in this area was highlighted in our Teaching Excellence Framework Silver award.
“With our significant and ambitious plans to widen access to STEM higher education, we want to be part of a national network of organisations committed to increasing the number of women in STEM education and careers.”
– Professor Helen James, Deputy Vice-Chancellor and strategic lead for EDGE Hub
