Empowering our students
Bath Spa Empowers is an annual programme of events and opportunities for students from ethnically diverse backgrounds.
Empowers brings together students from across BSU to build a vibrant, supportive community where cultural identity is celebrated, experiences are shared, and meaningful connections are formed - all while enhancing career prospects through access to valuable opportunities and meets with industry professionals.
The programme includes:
- Community events that celebrate identity and culture
- Paid internships
- Leadership development workshops
- Talks and networking with industry professionals
- One-to-one mentoring
- Career advice and personalised guidance
- Regular newsletters featuring local and national opportunities.
At the core of the Empowers programme is making sure every student has a fair chance to grow professionally and personally, with a particular focus on developing and building confidence and leadership skills.
This programme is delivered in partnership with the Bath Spa Student Union and With Insight.
What's On This Year?
Leadership sessions: The coaching part of the programme will consist of six sessions that will be one hour 30mins in duration happening weekly during Semester One.
| Session focus | Overview |
|---|---|
|
Leadership Reframed (In person launch event) |
|
| Advocacy |
|
| What's your why? |
|
| Taking up space |
|
| Power of saying 'yes' |
|
|
Leadership in action (In person graduation) |
|
Visit the Empowers MyCareer page to express an interest in the programme and to see full details of upcoming events, internships, and more.
Impact
Students across Bath and BSUL have shared powerful feedback about their experiences:
- “I got to know about my own self more and recognise my own strength.” – BSUL Hackney student
- “The trainers were excellent and delivered the content very well.” – BSUL Hackney student
- “It provided an environment to meet new people I wouldn’t have otherwise, and learn new skills to take into the future.” – First‑year Music student
- “This experience improved my team working skills and communication, especially when it came to presenting.” — First year Law student
Who we've worked with
Here's a list of organisations that have either hosted work experience for our students or attended our events:
If you're interested in working with us please contact us at employer-services@bathspa.ac.uk.
Our Commitment
Bath Spa University is committed to making our ethnically diverse students feel welcome. We're committed to fostering a strong sense of community where students can celebrate their identities, share experiences as well as build meaningful connections.
We're committed to closing the awarding gap by supporting ethnically diverse students to achieve equal academic success and improved graduate outcomes. In addition to a dedicated member of staff that coordinates the program, there's support from across the university which helps make the program a success.
We recognise that genuine inclusion requires a holistic, whole‑university approach. As part of this commitment, we're working to ensure equitable access to career development opportunities and we're working alongside colleagues and other professional services to make improvements.
We're also committed to improving equity of access by creating inclusive opportunities for ethnically diverse students to engage in personal, professional, and career development.
FAQs
Empowers is intended for Bath Spa University and Bath Spa University London students as well as recent graduates from ethnically diverse backgrounds.
No, you can access the Empowers programme offer across multiple years.
We offer a range of opportunities for employers who want to engage with and support ethnically diverse students:
- Events : Take part in careers fairs, panel discussions, and networking events to connect directly with talented students.
- Mentoring : Give back by guiding and inspiring the next generation of ethnically diverse students through mentoring support.
- Internships : Partner with us to host internships, whether fully funded or part-funded, and help students gain valuable industry experience.
How can we support you?
We help you reach the right talent by promoting your opportunities. We can advertise roles and events you have which are tailored to ethnically diverse students through
- our MyCareer platform
- our regular empowers newsletter
which will ensure strong visibility within our student community.
If you're interested in working with us please contact us at employer-services@bathspa.ac.uk.
Student Wellbeing Services Advisors are here to support you by listening, providing information, advice and guidance, and signposting to additional services.
Student Wellbeing Services Advisors provide non-clinical advice and guidance and can help coordinate the right additional support for you.
Their role is to:
- Listen to you
- Help you understand your situation
- Plan and problem solve
- Agree any actions and next steps.
Specialist mental health support with Nilaari
Nilaari offers culturally responsive mental health support tailored for men and women of colour, through free, confidential sessions. Services include one-to-one talking therapy, practical support, and group therapy. After referral and assessment, practitioners match clients to care, with language assistance provided where possible to ensure inclusive, accessible support for diverse communities.
Report and Support
The person affected by the bullying/harassment can submit a form through the Report and Support website. They can choose to do this anonymously or request support from an advisor. If the person making the report chooses to talk to an advisor, they'll be able to discuss the options and support available.
If they give your permission and would like your help, you can submit the form on their behalf.
If the person you’re supporting does not want to be in touch with us for support and you’re worried/unsure what to do, you can submit a Request Contact from an Advisor form yourself and we will contact you.
You can also submit a form to report a third party concern about behaviour you have witnessed.
Please note:
- We can't guarantee confidentiality for anyone named in the report if there are risk concerns.
- Given we want people to feel in control and their wishes to be respected, we recommend that you don’t include their name or identifying details when you contact us for advice.
Other sources of support
- SARI - Stand Against Racism and Inequality case workers
- Victim Support help anyone who has been the victim of a crime. They can support you coping with the after-effects of crime and help with reporting to the police
- There's a full list of support available on the Student Wellbeing Services pages.
The term ethnically diverse refers to individuals from a wide range of distinct ethnic backgrounds, cultural traditions, ancestries and nationalities.
We've chosen to use the term ethnically diverse because it recognises and values each group equally, aligning with the inclusive approach of the programme. This term also acknowledges that identity is complex and multifaceted—shaped by factors such as heritage, language, and religious background—which all influence how students understand and describe themselves.
The student groups that are eligible are Asian, Arabic, Black African, Caribbean, Black British, Mixed and Gypsy, Roma, Travellers (GRT)