Be part of the Black Access Student Team

We are looking for multiple students to join the Access and Outreach team to support the continued development and delivery of the Black Access programme. Black Access was created by University of York students of a Black background with the aim of supporting 16-18 year old students of a Black background in making decisions about their future.

These roles will take place between October 2022 and July 2023. There is an option to extend the role into the next academic year (2023/2024) and this will be discussed on an individual basis following a review at the end of July 2023 and subject to continuation of studies at the University of York.

The roles are a great opportunity to gain professional experience. A previous intern, Soul has shared the experiences she had and the skills he gained as a result. Watch a summary of Soul's time in the role of Intern.

See below for more information on each of the roles currently accepting applications, or download a copy the job description.

Black Access Student Team Job Description

About the positions

Due to the nature of the project, we would particularly welcome applications from University of York students who are current members of the African Caribbean Society or are of a Black background.

We are recruiting for three different roles and applicants are welcome to apply and, if successful, hold multiple positions. The roles are as follows:

Black Access Intern
Black Access Planning Coordinator
Black Access Ambassador

Intern
Planning Coordinator
Ambassador

Intern

Typical Duties

Support the Access and Outreach team in content preparation, creation and delivery
Lead on content development, including Social Media, and delivery of live in-person events and online activities for the Black Access programme
Create new content and resources where a need is identified and authorisation given from the lead Manager
You will sit on the Advisory Board (for more information, please see the Planning Coordinator section) where you will make decisions about the future of Black Access
There may be opportunities to travel to deliver talks in schools and colleges across England
You may also be given a particular year group, specialism or area of Black Access to lead on

Hours

5 hours a week (with flexibility and extra hours where needed)

Planning Coordinator

Typical Duties

Sit on an Advisory Board, sharing your views to help develop and implement the Black Access programme
Be an integral part of the student-led team designing, creating and planning the programme, making key decisions
Sit on Working Groups for specific elements of the programme, including student recruitment, event planning and content development
There may be opportunities to support the Black Access Interns with content creation, delivery of sessions and events, both in-person and online

Hours

You will attend meetings once a month that last, on average, 2 hours
There will be opportunities to support events throughout the year

Ambassador

Typical Duties

Support the creation and delivery of virtual and in-person activities for students on the Black Access programme
Provide support through a chat function to students on a weekly basis
There may be opportunities to support the Black Access Interns with content creation

Hours

2 hours per week during term time
You will be able to gain more hours by supporting other events

All of the above roles will include the policy for casual workers to work a maximum of thirteen weeks in a row before having an unpaid two-week break, where you would be unable to work at all in any capacity across the University.

All roles will have a fundamental role in the implementation of safeguarding practices and GDPR when supporting the delivery of the programme. All roles will support the Black Access team with other relevant tasks and the above is not a conclusive list.

The post-holders will conduct their work both remotely using their own IT equipment and in-person. Team members will join virtual meetings via Zoom as well as working independently. There will be a mixture of online and in-person events.

Required Availability

The successful applicants will begin the role in the week commencing 7 November. All roles will be flexible around your availability, particularly through exam season, but there will be core team meetings that you may need to attend throughout this time.

Working Hours

The working hours will be broken down in the below section as each role has different requirements. However, all of these roles will follow all HR policies around casual workers. This will include the policy for casual workers to work a maximum of thirteen weeks in a row before having an unpaid two week break, where you would be unable to work at all in any capacity across the university. You will be responsible for ensuring you do not undertake further work in this two week period. Further information will be shared with the successful candidates at the training session.

Working hours outside school term time may be reduced (during winter and spring break for example), this can be agreed with your line manager. There are also opportunities to reduce your hours at peak periods such as exam periods or dissertation deadlines.

Rates of Pay

The successful applicants will receive the same pay as University of York Student Ambassadors, which is currently as follows:

£11.85 including holiday pay

Training and Induction

You will be required to attend an induction meeting at 14:00 - 16:30 on Wednesday 2 November.

You will then be given further training to complete as required during your flexible hours including safeguarding and GDPR training, Information, Advice and Guidance training and training on commonly used platforms and software. You may also need to sign a confidentiality agreement.

Words from Previous Student Team members

“It was a great experience. I’ve learned so much from others and have learned lifelong skills about effective communication skills, project planning and content creation.”

- Black Access Ambassador, 2021-2022

“Working as a Black Access Intern has been one of the most remarkable experiences of my life, to think an idea could form quickly and turn into a programme that is changing lives is amazing. I have had the privilege of meeting and working with so many different people and it has been lovely creating content for something I am really passionate about. Black Access has made me more confident, more outspoken and more driven. I'm really going to miss working as an Intern.”

- Black Access Intern 2021-2022

“My time at Black Access feels like it was over way too soon. For someone who has literally been a minority her whole life, it took me a long time to wrap my head round something like Black Access, a programme created specifically for people like me - I've never known a British institution to genuinely care that much if I am being honest. That's the thing about Black Access, the motivation behind everything is genuine, it is an initiative driven by the passion to help Black people access higher places in academics and unveil their true potential (of those who want to go down the University route).

What I love about Black Access is how it is student led, and I can say as a Planning Coordinator, it has really felt that way. The team wants to hear from us, they see the value in listening to the voices of Black students, learning from their experiences, hearing their opinions, what we would have wanted etc. And it feels nice to be contributing to a programme that is going to improve the education experience of so many students, it's quite fulfilling.

I feel like I have grown so much through Black Access, the team has supported me to overcome limiting beliefs I had about myself and helped me to learn that my contributions, ideas and thoughts are not only valid, but are also of high value. As a result, my confidence has definitely grown.

Thank you Black Access for adding so much flavour to my Uni experience, I only wish I had gotten on board earlier!”

- Black Access Planning Coordinator, 2021-2022

About Black Access

In 2019, just under 51,000 students from a Black ethnic group were accepted to a full-time undergraduate course in the UK. While this has improved on previous years, the number of students at higher-tariff institutions from a Black background is approximately only 8% of the student body. Black Access is aimed at specifically supporting students of this background to progress to high-tariff universities, including the University of York.

Black Access began in November 2020 when a series of focus groups explored the concept of running a student-led programme aimed at Black students. The students involved in these discussions then began to design and develop a programme, making key decisions. They even came up with the name and designed the logo!

In the academic year 2021-2022, Black Access was launched to first year sixth form/college students across England. 64 students joined the programme and experienced a mixture of online and in-person events, including visiting the University of York for the “Homecoming” event in June 2022. Virtual events included “Choosing a Course as a Black Student” and “Being Black at University: My Story”. Many of the students also applied to come to the University of York for a summer residential provided by the York Experience Summer School (YESS). These students will continue to work with Black Access in their final year of sixth form or college to receive further support.

In the Autumn of 2022, Black Access will reopen for a new cohort of first year sixth form/college students to apply to join the programme.

This programme is unique when compared to other Access and Outreach programmes because it is run and led by students. Programme decisions are made by members of the Student Team and sessions are created and delivered by the team. The programme operates under the mantra of “For Black Students, By Black Students”.

“Black Access is the best job I have ever had. It’s never really felt like working but more like doing what I love with people I love (and getting paid as a bonus). You would definitely not regret getting a job with the best team ever and helping more Black students get the support you never got.”

- Black Access Student Team Member, 2020-2022

Apply now

Applications must be received by 23:59 on Sunday 9 October.

Interviews will be held on Thursday 20 October and will consist of a group project and discussion and an interview with a member of the Black Access team.

You will be asked to indicate your interview availability when applying and can indicate if there is a particular time that is most suitable for you. Please note, unfortunately we cannot offer alternative interview slots to applicants who are unavailable at the above times.

Apply now

If you have any questions about this opportunity, please email the Black Access team at black-access@york.ac.uk.