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ºÚÁÏÕýÄÜÁ¿ launches 2026/27 Empowers coaching programme

Friday, 16 October, 2026

A university initiative offering personal and career development opportunities to students from ethnically diverse backgrounds is launching a new cohort for 2026/27. 

Bath Spa Empowers is an annual programme of events and opportunities for students and recent graduates from ethnically diverse backgrounds. The programme is delivered in partnership with the BSU Careers and Employability team, the Students' Union and With Insight, an organisation that aims to empower black-heritage students through mentorship. This year also includes the launch of a new coaching programme. 

The Empowers team held a small launch event at BSU's Newton Park campus on Wednesday 7 October, followed by the participants' first coaching workshop on finding The Leader Within. 

The Bath Spa Empowers Coaching programme will help participants grow in confidence, develop their leadership skills, explore their strengths and goals, and build meaningful connections through a series of six coaching sessions.  

Jess Carey, Careers and Employability Projects Coordinator at BSU said: 

"Bath Spa Empowers helps students from ethnically diverse backgrounds build a sense of community, connect with like-minded peers, develop confidence and explore opportunities for their future. Seeing students make new connections, try something outside their comfort zone or achieve a goal they didn’t think was possible is incredibly rewarding, and that’s what makes this programme so special." 

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. 

Second year Creative Writing student Jinnie Ye has been able to take advantage of the programme by joining the Bath Spa Empowers team as an Empowers Consultant. Her role includes raising student and staff awareness of the programme and the opportunities students can apply for and supporting the marketing and visibility of Empowers, upcoming events and opportunities.  

Explaining further, Jinnie said: 

"[The work] is often people-forward and really pushes me out of my comfort zone to interact with students and faculty members. I've found my time doing this role – albeit short – challenging but very rewarding. I find it difficult speaking to people, and the thought of attending the SU fair to raise awareness of Empowers was nerve-wracking. Despite my anxiousness, the role pushed me to chat with students I would have never interacted with otherwise, and I was so proud of managing to hand out all of our freebies and helping to create a world map that shows the diversity of the University." 

Jinnie said that being an international student from an ethnically diverse background made it difficult to put herself out there and obtain opportunities to help her advance towards a career. But through her work with Empowers, she hopes to help others like herself as she gains skills and confidence.  

She continued: 

"The programme's aim to uplift ethnically diverse students and give them access to opportunities and community-building events really stood out to me. I want to help students like myself – who may find life abroad to be solitary – find a community that understands them and help build a community of ethnically diverse students who can support each other both personally and professionally." 

ºÚÁÏÕýÄÜÁ¿ graduate Damini Jayendra, who took part in the Empowers programme last year and is now participating in the new coaching programme, agreed that forming a community with other students from similar backgrounds was a benefit of the scheme. 

Damini said: 

"I really enjoyed being around people who I could relate to and who came from similar backgrounds and experiences. The programme also changed my outlook on how to get into work, particularly showing me how important networking is and how valuable it can be to build connections within the creative industry.  

"I’m really grateful to have been part of the Empowers programme and for the support and opportunities it gave me as I moved from university into the beginning of my career. I’m also really grateful for the people I’ve met through the Empowers internship and the friendships I’ve established along the way. It’s been great to meet people with similar experiences and interests, and I’m glad that I’ve been able to build connections that I hope will continue beyond the programme." 

MA Arts Management student Tiffany Ajayi said the Empowers programme helped her put the skills she was learning on her course into real-world practice. Explaining further, she said: 

"I enjoyed the overall experience and the opportunity for practical learning during my studies. It’s one thing to learn through studying, but it’s also very valuable to be able to learn through real-life experiences. There are also different things that you experience in a job that may require more of an analytical or strategic approach, which can be developed through real work experiences and situations." 

Tiffany said one of the main draws towards joining the programme was having a stepping stone that could lead to other opportunities, connecting with others both at BSU and at other organisations. She was also able to take advantage of an internship, providing a great addition to her portfolio, and offering a chance to test her skills. 

"This experience gave me the opportunity to test out experimental approaches and see the results. I exerted confidence in my environment from my academic experience and remained engaged with the priorities during my time there, which resulted in receiving a two-month extension from the organisation." 

Jinnie, Damini and Tiffany each felt the Empowers programme lived up to its name, and provided unique opportunities and support to help them gain confidence and enhance their skillset. Talking about what she'd say to students considering the programme, Damini said: 

"My advice would be to make full use of the resources and opportunities available to you while you have access to them. It’s easy to think you’ll use them later, but you don’t want to look back and regret not making the most of what was offered." 

Find out more about the Bath Spa Empowers programme.