Learning and Development course timetable

A chance to hear from Sarah D'Ambrumenil, Interim Deputy Head of Student Administration who is leading the consultation on proposed revisions to exam allowances, followed by a Q&A session.

The top two categories of requests from you, the community, are Networking and Community Building and Best Practices and Experience Sharing. These regular catch ups are designed as an open forum for informal conversation, collaboration, and mutual learning with peers across the University, including members of the core team. We encourage you to come prepared to share your successes, challenges, and insights, as your experiences will shape the richness of the discussion. Whether you're looking for a listening ear, fresh ideas, offering your own strategies, or simply seeking to connect with others in similar roles, this is your opportunity to contribute to and benefit from the collective expertise of the community.

Leadership Essentials is a key programme suitable for those with responsibilities for the work, behaviour and development of others. The programme aims to help managers refresh and build their skills and experience in this area, as well as clarifying key responsibilities of manager and leader. It focuses on critical areas, such as giving and receiving feedback effectively and handling challenging conversations, using leadership styles and models to support individuals and teams. The programme incorporates tutor input; opportunities for discussion, case studies, reflection and sharing of good practice with others with similar responsibilities. It also includes curated e-learning resources to support managers with their ongoing learning and development.

Participants are required to attend both full day sessions.

Jo’s briefing will provide you with an understanding of the risks associated with undertaking externally funded research projects and how income from research impacts the University finances, particularly in the current climate.

Please note that this session will be recorded and details will follow after the session. There will be an opportunity to discuss points and ask questions once the recording has ended.

Click here to view the full Leadership Briefing Series

This session is an opportunity for you to ask questions and to find out more about the development opportunities that Cambridge is offering you – for both the Team Leader Level 3 and the Operations Manager Level 5 (Leadership and Management).

We are looking to explore what interest there is at this current time in both apprenticeships and hope that there will be sufficient interest to establish University-wide cohorts. By establishing University-wide cohorts, we are looking to encourage more departments to use apprenticeships as a way to provide focused professional development for staff. Participants will have the advantage of a peer group to work through the programme with Cambridge University Press and Assessment who are potentially interested in joining in with this.

Charlotte Monkhouse of Corndel, our approved training provider for these programmes will present and be available to answer any questions or concerns that you may have before submitting an expression of interest.

Programme details of each apprenticeship can be found via the links below:

Team Leader Level 3

Operations Manager Level 5 (Leadership and Management)

There is a minimum of 18-20 people required for each programme, for a cohort to run. Depending on the level of interest shown, it is intended that these apprenticeship cohorts will start in June 2025. However you will also have the opportunity to join an open (public) cohort if we are unable to reach sufficient numbers for a closed cohort. Entry to these cohorts will be by application and is open to all University employees who meet the eligibility criteria.

A link to the session will be sent with the joining instructions when your booking is confirmed.

Further information from the provider, Corndel.

Apprenticeship guidance.

The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) is the most widely used personality instrument worldwide, based on over 50 years’ research and development.

It presents a framework for understanding how you operate, how others operate, and how you can use that understanding to get more from yourself and the relationships you have with others.

This workshop is led by a qualified MBTI practitioner and will involve taking the MBTI questionnaire, investigating the four areas of preference covered by MBTI, self-assessment of type with group exercises, looking at your best fit type and investigating how it could help you at work.

Learning about your personality type can help you to understand your role within your team and the role of others. It can also help you to cope with organisational change, deal with stress effectively and develop your emotional intelligence.

A Community of Practice (CoP) is a group of people who share a common passion, set of problems, or interest in a topic and who come together to fulfil both individual and group goals. 

CoPs bring colleagues together in order to:

• Create support networks

• Learn and grow their skills

• Share knowledge and join up related work

• Share common approaches

• Collaborate and innovate, and create better practices for everyone.

Come along to this session to find out more about how CoPs are being established and embedded at Cambridge, and the ways in which they could help you and those who you work with to achieve your objectives. There will be the opportunity to ask questions, share ideas for potential new CoPs and learn more about this exciting new area of development in the University.

This workshop provides an opportunity for those recruiting to professional services roles to update and refresh their understanding of the recruitment and selection processes at the University of Cambridge. It includes an overview of the current recruitment and selection process and how to create the conditions where you can recruit the best candidate, avoiding common pitfalls, whilst ensuring practice is fair to all candidates at each stage.

NOTE If you are new to recruitment and selection, it is recommended that you attend the Recruitment and Selection Skills workshop.

In this session we will discuss together how to get your mentoring relationship off to a good start, how to build trust with your mentee and build your confidence as a mentor. We will also touch on how to overcome any obstacles in the mentoring relationship.

In this session we will discuss together how to get your mentoring relationship off to a good start, how to build trust with your mentor and build your confidence as a mentee. We will also touch on how to overcome any obstacles in the mentoring relationship.

There are many tools out there to help with project planning. Join us for a session to discover more about a range of tools available to help you (MS Project, MS Planner, Monday.com, Asana) from people across the University who are actively using them!

This course prepares you to showcase with confidence your skills, experience and potential in a job interview that takes place either virtually or in-person. You will learn how to prepare for interview, anticipate likely questions and plan how to answer them. You will learn techniques for handling nerves and be able to project yourself positively on screen and in-person.

You will also be able to pre-empt and deal with common technical challenges that can occur in an online interview.

The course is highly participative, providing an opportunity to share experiences with others, as well as time to practise your skills.

Do you look at role profiles for technical managers and think ‘I could never do that?' If so, this interactive workshop will show you how to tackle that feeling of being stuck at your current level. You’ll identify the transferable skills you already have, as well as the key management skills you can start developing NOW. Then you will feel much more confident to apply for the roles you’re interested in and will be better equipped to hit the ground running once you start your new position.

Have you ever wished you could get 10 minutes with a senior colleague to ask their advice on how they would handle something? Have you ever wondered how others approach challenging problems? This is your opportunity to ask. We are bringing together a panel of very experienced colleagues from across the University for a special speed mentoring session so that they can offer you their support and advice.

Speed mentoring offers you the opportunity for a series of short, focused conversations about a specific question or issue you are struggling with. You will rotate around four different mentors, spending around 10 minutes with each, to gain different perspectives on an issue you are seeking to resolve or a project you are trying to progress.

"I liked that there were a diverse background of university staff involved in the session, and all of the mentors were really engaged and enthusiastic. I felt that I could be honest about some of my experiences in the University, good and bad. All the mentors I spoke to acted as a good sound board for the issues that I wanted to discuss and they have given me some excellent advice and ideas."

"The fact that we saw 4 different mentees was brilliant - we gained different perspectives, saw different mentoring types and were also introduced to people and roles we may not have known about."

Mentors:

(TBC)

Each year, alongside the Strategic Development Programme, we organise seminars for SDP alumni and other senior Professional Services staff, offering a platform to explore key issues facing higher education.

For this event, we are delighted to welcome Wendy Appleby, Vice-President (Operations) at the University of Southampton, who will share her perspectives on the current priorities and challenges shaping the sector.

The event will also include a Q&A session following the speaker’s talk, as well as dedicated time for networking. This provides a valuable opportunity to connect with fellow SDP alumni and other senior professional services colleagues, exchange ideas, and strengthen your professional network in a welcoming and engaging setting.

Don’t miss this chance to gain fresh insights and build meaningful connections within the Professional Services community.

The University of Cambridge is committed to effective induction for all new members of staff. In addition to the welcome and induction you will receive in your institution, you are warmly invited to take part in the University’s two-stage induction.

The first stage comprises the University’s Induction Online programme. This web resource is a quick and easy way for you to learn all about what it is like to work here as well as understand your role and responsibilities. It provides key information to help you:

• settle into your new role quickly
• orientate yourself in your first few weeks at the University
• integrate into the University
• understand how the University works

The second stage is a Welcome to New Staff presentation event, hosted by Learning and Development. The Welcome event aims to provide a broad introduction to all University staff, providing information about the University to enable you to get the most out of your time here. The event comprises:

• a welcome and introduction to the University from a senior member of the University
• a talk from a colleague about their career journey at the University
• a presentation on the benefits of being part of the University of Cambridge
• an exhibition of services and support available to University employees.

The SDP programme will offer a blend of theory and practical learning sessions, interwoven with the strategy and governance context of the University. This will be delivered over several sessions and put in to practice with a strategic work project.

• You need to meet the selection criteria and complete an application form for the programme.
• Applications will require approval by your line manager and will then be reviewed and prioritised by School Secretary, Head of Division and Head of Institution, Registrary as appropriate.
• Applications typically open in May each year.

An explanation of the admissions process for Cambridge colleges for undergraduate and postgraduate degrees.

This programme aims to support participants’ career progression within the University, as well as providing key skills to support further development in the Higher Education Sector. It draws on the expertise of senior colleagues in the University at focussed development workshops where participants will be able to input and take part in discussions.

No previous qualifications are required to take part in this programme. For some this programme will act as a feeder programme for the existing Administrator Development Programme.