University Employability Achievement Award

Keele University Employability Achievement Awards formally recognize extra-curricular activities that have been organized by Schools to provide students with opportunities to gain practical work experience in their discipline. These awards are part of the co-curriculum strand of the Distinctive Keele Curriculum, and are thus recorded within a student's overall Higher Education Achievement Record.

The first of these Awards, the ‘University Employability Achievement Award (Community Legal Companion)’, has been developed by the School of Law to recognise the work of students on the Community Legal Outreach Collaboration, Keele (CLOCK) initiative, where students provide support and assistance in the local Combined Court.

Application forms to become a Companion can be accessed from law.clock@keele.ac.uk. The deadline is September 4th 2013.

Choosing to become a Community Legal Companion with Keele University’s CLOCK Scheme, pioneered by Law Lecturer Jane Krishnadas, is one of many great decisions I have made during my time at University.  Not only is it a rewarding scheme that offers undergraduate students the chance to gain invaluable experience in various legal and volunteer sectors, but it creates an opportunity for us to apply our skills, knowledge and legal experience into developing strong links within the Staffordshire community in order to aid local citizens during difficult times.  

During my year as a Companion, I have accompanied people to ESA medical assessments, mediation meetings and court hearings, as well as assisting them in crucial form-filling and document organisation; I also utilised and created connections with various organisations to assist clients with their disputes, claims and queries.  My role during the third year of my law degree saw me based primarily with Aspire Housing and the Citizens Advice Bureau, offering assistance wherever needed.  However, with the strong links provided through the CLOCK scheme I was able to take on referrals from other partner organisations, as all were easily contactable.

As a current graduate, I am still keen to retain my role as a Companion, working now on behalf of Brighter Futures as a mentor to assist the new intake of Keele Companions. Our main drive is to help bridge the gap created with the still recent withdrawal of Legal Aid for many members of the public, and I believe this program offers a valuable platform upon which our community can build.  Even though it is still early days, CLOCK has already proved its worth to so many people in the Staffordshire area and will continue to offer an effective service to many more through its strong and efficient network of volunteers and enthusiastic partners.  I have already seen the wide range of positive effects stemming from this scheme, and look forward to seeing further progress as the partnership develops and moves forward.

 

(Dexi-Louise Ellis, Community Legal Companion 2012-13)