Learning and Development course timetable

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 for college and university staff only.

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.

Sleep is the best form of meditation’ - the words of the Dalai Lama… and he should know! We spend approximately one third of our lives asleep and it represents one of the key foundations of our overall health, so it’s important to understand how to do it well.

After outlining many of the common challenges experienced around sleep, this Start Within workshop will invite you to share your bedtime routine, explore sleep hygiene and engage in some twilight mindfulness, with practical tips and tools designed to help you wake up feeling refreshed. We will also share some top bedtime reads, rumination-busting resources and even introduce the concept of napercise!

Objectives:

• Understanding sleep in the context of mental wellbeing
• Exploring the global scale of sleep problems
• Facilitating discussion around our own sleep wins and challenges
• Identifying warning signs
• Sharing tangible, preventative strategies and practices to benefit a healthy sleep routine
• Accessing support and further learning

Please Note: Once you have booked on the course, click on Add to Calendar to start the process to import the course appointment into your calendar. This contains the link to the MS Teams course meeting under Joining Instructions that you will use to join on the day of the course.

Why Agile? The Agile way of working has been around for almost 25 years but is it always the answer to our problems? Do we know how to get the best from it or when to apply one model over another? To find out the answers to these questions, come along to the next CoP with Duncan Watson, Delivery Manager UIS, who has used Agile as a way of delivering complex programmes from GDPR compliance to Radio Astronomy Networks.

Springboard is for women staff and graduate students, and those who identify as women, who want to take control, become more assertive, increase their confidence & build themselves a more positive attitude in both their work and home lives.

The programme gives you the time to reflect, share and most importantly, set achievable personal and professional goals for now and the future.

Key areas covered include communication skills, assertiveness, self confidence, improving your work/life balance and developing positive skills and attitude. If you want to progress and develop, then this programme is for you.

The programme comprises four days over a three-month period and a workbook to be completed between sessions.

Change is a constant feature in today’s workplace and yet many of us find it hard to navigate successfully through change.

Studies show that the line manager has a critical role to play in ensuring staff are ready for change and in successfully implementing it. This session will equip you with the skills and attitudes you need to guide, support and motivate your team through the process of change.

Case studies, discussion and activities will provide the opportunity to share ideas and embed skills.

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.

You've heard of a book group, but how about one for podcasts? In these sessions we will focus on a different episode from the wonderful Squiggly Careers Amazing If podcasts, which includes over 300 episodes on career based topics ranging from coaching and confidence, to strength and values.

Before each session you will be sent a link to a podcast episode to listen to and reflect upon. During the session you will be led through a selection of tasks/exercises recommended in the episode Pod Sheet. You will have the opportunity to work on these individually and then reflect back as a group.

Session 18: How to let go of ladder-like language

In this episode podcast hosts talk about 5 common examples of ladder-like language and what a squiggly word swap might sound like. They also share coaching questions to make it easy to use squiggly language when you’re thinking about your own development or supporting other people with theirs.