Why you should stand in the Leadership Race

4 reasons you should stand to be an Elected Officer

For more information, contact studentvoice@staffs.ac.uk

Every student at Staffs has the opportunity to Be Part of the Elected Officer Team at the Students' Union.

You could be paid, full-time to represent the academic interests of Staffordshire University students by running in and winning our annual election, the Leadership Race.

Students that get involved in the Leadership Race always have an enriching experience that develops their confidence, their skills and allows them to meet and engage with people from all backgrounds.

So, why should you consider being one of next year's Elected Officer Team?

1. You can make a difference. Through advocating for students at key meetings with the University and mobilising the student body on issues that matter. As an Elected Officer you can make real changes for every student at Staffs. For example, barely a month into their year, the current team worked with the University to develop a Student Charter that clearly set out what students, the University and the Students' Union can expect from one another with coronvirus and blended leaning in mind.

2. It's a fantastic opportunity. There aren't many other graduate (or sabbatical) jobs that provide the opportunity to represent 16,000 students, be the Trustee of a Charity that turns over more than £3 million. As an Elected Officer you wpuld lead on the broad range of the Students' Union's work, including: representation, campaigning and advocacy, advice, marketing & communications, finance, activities, venues and retail - which gives a lot of opportunity to build on skills and apply your talents to a variety of projects.

3. You get to work with diverse groups of people. Your Elected Officer Team represents the whole of Staffs Uni's diverse student body. As a University with lots of mature and commuting students, as well as BAME and disabled students, there's opportunity to meet people from very different backgrounds to your own; to learn and understand others' experiences and advocate for them. As a key University influencer, you'll also work with every kind of University staff: from Lecturers to administrators and the Board of Governors to campus security.

4. Support is always on-hand. You would have an entire Students' Union staff team on hand to coach and support you on achieving your ideas for change. You'll also find extra support provided by the National Union of Students' (NUS) and a network of other Students' Unions across the country as you set off to join of community of representatives making change for students throughout the UK.

So how do I take part?

Get in touch with the Student Voice Team and ask how you can Be Part of It.

And during the second semester, look out for information on What's On for information sessions.

Have a question about voting in the Leadership Race? Get in touch at studentvoice@staffs.ac.uk or have your say:

• By logging in and using the comments section below
• Tag or direct message us on social media (@staffsunion)