All students, both at Canterbury and Sheppey sites, are automatically members of Canterbury College Students’ Union, which provides representation as well as lots of other services and facilities to students. The Students’ Union has its own rules and its’ officers are elected annually by the students.

The Students' Union plays an important part in your college life because we are your voice. We are here to represent your interests, whatever they are! We try to raise awareness of issues that will affect you as students, raise money for charities by putting on events, get you to have your say about your course – what’s good or how things could be improved – as well as providing you as students with a place to come and ask questions!

Canterbury College Students’ Union wants to help make your time at college the best it can be, as well as giving you the opportunity to go on activities outside of the college. Every year the Students’ Union organises over 50 trips to see concerts, sporting events, festivals and many other shows so that students can enjoy their time here at the College.

The Students’ Union has once again beaten colleges across the country to become the best in the UK at the NUS Awards 2012. It was voted best FE Students’ Union at the award's ceremony on July 4 which took place at Exeter University. The victory continues the College’s record breaking run at the awards. It is the fifth consecutive year Canterbury College Students’ Union has finished in a top three position - a feat unmatched by anyone else. It previously won the award in 2010.

Students’ Union manager Tony Payne was delighted with the win. He said: “I’m completely blown away. It’s such an achievement for us now that we’ve been in the top three for the past five years. To be winners again is a huge credit to the students and shows the quality of what we do. We continue to keep the bar really, really high.”

In the past year, the SU has arranged more affordable bus travel to College for students, spearheaded the national Blue Monday campaign, was involved in the international Peace One Day campaign and has held a series of Olympic-inspired events that promote the Olympic values.

With a core of informed and active Class Reps, and passionate and dynamic volunteer Officers, it now has a history of achievement within the College, the local community and on a national platform with which it can point to as a record of successful student voice accomplishments. They have successfully created a culture of involvement where students who want to make a difference are not seen as different but as an asset to the on-going success of the College.

The Union represents students through different structures, one being the class rep system. This is in place so each class in the College gets one rep who is elected, this rep is then responsible for communicating issues students may have on this course to the teacher and the Students’ Union. Also we have elected officers who run the Students’ Union and represent all of the College students opinions to the senior management. Over the past few years we have seen many successes come from the collaborative approach to representation in the College, this system allows for student opinion to be heard at all levels and it is very effective.