The Careers and Employability Centre (CEC), formally known as Career Development and Employment Sussex (CDEC) is moving from Falmer House into the ground floor of the library building. This move, scheduled to happen during the spring term of this academic year, is what the university calls Phase 8 of the larger refurbishment project in the library.

The project began in December 2009 and will go on throughout the spring term of the current academic year. Last week, the Badger reported that the £6.4million library modernisation project had unexpectedly fallen behind schedule causing disruption for many students.

CEC is an important component of the University of Sussex’s academic and professional services. It provides a variety of services, which appeal to both undergraduate and postgraduate students, offering events to assist students in their choice of career.
CEC also run CV building workshops, the yearly Graduate Fair as well as helping students find part-time and full-time work along with graduate jobs. According to the university, in addition to the services available in the old CDEC, the new space for CEC in the library “will include two seminar rooms to facilitate CEC and Library events.”

This change of premises is estimated to improve the CEC’s popularity amongst students and to make it more accessible to the population of the university as a whole. After the refurbishment, the university hopes for this new space to be “the primary location for study, learning, research, personal development and social interaction.”

One final year English Literature student said: “the CEC’s planned move to the library will, in my opinion, ensure that more people are aware of  the CEC’s activities and where they are. Although there is a question of space, the library is large enough to include the CEC as well as seats, computers, books et cetera. I like that they will move, but it does concern me that Falmer House is losing many of its provisions including Unisex and now the CEC.

“Nonetheless, the Union could, in the light of the recent article about the supermarket, have a larger store in Falmer House, as our campus is so large, two stores would not be unnecessary. The student added that “if the CEC moves to the library, it would mean that every student can make a quick trip to the CEC whilst at the library.”

Even though there are concerns of the growing emptying process of Falmer House, the university is considering “how best to use the space in Falmer House that will be vacated by the CEC; it is possible that it will be used as office space by university staff working in central professional services.”

However, one second year French student was concerned with the news, expressing her anxieties about the “possible ramifications of this relocation, as surely it will detract from the purpose of the library i.e. to study in peace and quiet. “I am sure that the CEC is a very useful resource for students, and indeed intend to use it as I continue with my degree to help me find work placements and so on, but I think that the layout of campus buildings should reflect their purpose.

“I don’t know what the practical reason is for this relocation – if the issue is one of space then surely the already full library is not an appropriate location? Furthermore, surely it would be in the interests of students to limit the disruption which has been affecting library study for almost a year already?”

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