Learning and Development course timetable

This session will set the scene for those moving in to a role with professional responsibility for other members of staff at the University, supporting their work, behavior and development. As we all know from our personal and professional experience, leaders and managers play a critical role in ensuring a productive, motivating and inclusive working environment.

This interactive session will explore the responsibilities of a manager or leader at the University, introduce tools to support the performance of your team, and provide pointers to where to find important information and further development as needed.

It is aimed at staff across all areas, disciplines, staff groups and levels of responsibility, including staff who are:

• new to managing one or more others
• new to leading a service or research area
• new to Cambridge, either as a new manager or with previous experience

This course prepares you to write a CV, job application and covering letter that stands out and makes employers take notice and to undertake a successful job search. You will learn what to include and exclude in your CV, how to choose the right format, how to tailor information to match job requirements, and how to deal with employment gaps, job hopping and/or lack of experience.

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

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:

•Amy Foulds, Head of Collections Management & Documentation, Fitzwilliam Museum

•Carey Robinson, Deputy Director, Learning and Public Programmes, Fitzwilliam Museum

•Jane Wilkinson, Head of Postgraduate Admissions, Postgraduate Admissions

•Oliver Francis, Head of Strategic Communications, MRC Epidemiology Unit

•Sheena MacRae, Head of Governance and the Director's Office, THIS Institute, Department of Public Health

•Vibhuti Patel, Head of Development - Southeast Asia & Australasia, Development and Alumni Relations

We’re pleased to announce that Jo Wilson, Programme Manager for Reshaping our Estate, will be joining the EA/PA CoP group on 18th June to provide an update on the programme and share the opportunities for the University's estate. Jo brings a wealth of experience from leading transformational estates-related projects across major institutions such as the NHS, the Metropolitan Police, and the Ministry of Defence.

The Reshaping our Estate programme aims to create a more effective, efficient, environmentally sustainable University estate that supports the academic mission. Since 2023, the programme has made significant progress through close collaboration with Schools and Non-School Institutions, identifying key opportunities to optimise the University’s estate. These efforts have led to the development of a Strategic Estate Framework and a Strategic Capital Plan (pending approval in Summer). The framework outlines the University’s long-term vision for its operational estate and introduces a design philosophy that aims to better connect people across the estate, within each site and inside its buildings. It also breaks down the broader programme into six Principal Programmes, each covering different areas for transformation. To support these Principal Programmes, the Strategic Capital Plan lays out a baseline for future investment. It offers a long-term roadmap for how the University can achieve a fit-for-purpose estate well into the future.

The 5 Ways to Wellbeing is an evidence-based framework of actions developed by the New Economics Foundation aimed at improving mental health and wellbeing. These simple everyday actions are proven to help people feel more positive and resilient. Join us to explore what they are and leave with five (or more!) practical actions you can start to improve your own wellbeing.

Session Objectives:

• Learn what we mean by the term ‘wellbeing’
• Understand the 5 Ways to Wellbeing and their impact on mental wellbeing.
• Identify practical examples of each of the 5 Ways to Wellbeing in everyday life.
• Reflect on personal wellbeing and choose at least five small actions to incorporate into your own daily routines.
• Find out about other sources of support and resources available.

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.

This new collaborative space is open to anyone across the university who works with or is interested in data. The launch event will introduce the CoP’s mission, vision, and future plans, and offer opportunities to connect, reflect, and help shape the community together with the CoP current members. You will also hear from Owen Roberson (University Data Lead) and Anne Gahart (Data Governance Manager), who will share valuable insights into the university’s data landscape, followed by a live Q&A and iterative session.

This workshop provides an opportunity for academic staff to understand the recruitment and selection process and how to create the conditions where you can recruit the best candidate and avoid common pitfalls. It includes an overview of the recruitment and selection process and identifies the key principles to ensure practice is fair to all candidates at each stage.

The course is primarily aimed at academic staff involved in making selection decisions for academic roles and those with responsibility for coordinating academic recruitment procedures.

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 sessions.

An information webinar providing information on the offers available through two of our approved training providers, Cranfield University and Anglia Ruskin University. Both University’s will present their individual offers of the Senior Leader Level 7 programme with the option of additional elements including a PG Dip or MBA.

The Senior Leader Apprenticeship (SLA) course offers an exciting opportunity to develop and hone your leadership skills, make a real impact in the workplace, and support your future career aspirations. The course is ideal if you are new to a leadership or senior management role and applicable to a wide range of settings. You will have the option to study either a Postgraduate Diploma or MBA in Management and Leadership while you work, and achieve Senior Leader status.

The government have recently confirmed that from January 2026, only 16 to 21-year-olds will qualify for funding for level 7 apprenticeships – the highest level, considered equivalent to a master's degree. This means these higher apprenticeships after January, would have to be completely paid for (£14,000) by employers or individuals

The purpose of the webinar will be to provide you with an overview of all programme options available to you, and will give you the opportunity to ask any questions, enabling you to make an informed decision on your future career development. Current participants on both programmes will be present to answer any questions.

The planned programme start dates will be in September 2025.

A link to the webinar will be sent with the joining instruction when your booking is confirmed.

Please also note that for those who cannot attend this session, the presentation and any other details will be sent out afterwards. **So please do still book a place if you are interested to hear more.**

Join the CoP session with Dr Benj Marriage, Consultant in Anaesthesia, Retrieval & Prehospital Emergency Medicine. He will talk about working in a high performing, high trust team as a doctor on the HEMS team.

He’ll cover subjects like why teamwork is important, what it looks like and how they practically deliver good teamwork in crisis situations. He’ll cover real life situations he has been involved with, how they train the team to build trust, what types of teams they work in and how they keep everyone working in harmony by providing good governance – debriefing, professional accountability, outcome bias and learning etc.

This session is going to be fantastic as Benj shares his experiences, stories and thoughts on teamworking in this amazing profession.

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.

If you’re feeling stuck in your current role and don’t have a clear idea how to move on in your career, this workshop is for you. It will be highly interactive, with discussions enabling you to share your experience and learn from colleagues. You’ll have an opportunity to reflect on your career journey to this point and see what you can learn. Then you’ll look at your priorities for the next stage in your career and identify what’s getting in the way of moving on. And finally you’ll set some short and longer term goals to focus your energy as you look to develop your career.

Discover the wide range of online learning, training and development opportunities available to support your career development: UoC: Career Development for Technicians (linkedin.com)

Menopause can impact us all, whether we're experiencing menopause directly or supporting a family member, friend or colleague. With the average age of menopause being 51, many people are experiencing menopause at work, and we want to create an inclusive workplace in which we support one another to be our best.

While some will sail through menopause, 3 in 4 experience symptoms and as many as 1 in 4 have serious symptoms. Menstruation and menstrual health are no different, with many managing symptoms and menstruation related health conditions alone.

Research also shows that the majority of those experiencing menopause are unwilling to discuss menopause-related health problems with their managers or ask for any support they may need. It is a similar situation for those experiencing menstruation symptoms or who have associated menstrual health conditions.

Objectives:

• Why organisations need to support menopause and menstruation in the workplace
• What menopause is, how to recognise the symptoms and how someone may be affected by menopause
• What menstruation and menstrual health conditions are and what they can mean to those experiencing them in the workplace
• The options available to manage symptoms and long-term health
• What support is available and how colleagues can access it, both at work and outside work
• How to have supportive conversations with colleagues about menopause and menstruation

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. For any further questions, please contact the Staff Wellbeing Team staffwellbeing@admin.cam.ac.uk

Managing conflict in the workplace can be difficult, time consuming and can potentially have a negative impact on you and your team. This course will help you to understand some of the reasons why these situations arise, and identify strategies for managing these situations effectively.

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.

This highly interactive session will enable you to step back from the ‘day-to-day’ and focus on your career objectives, short and long term. You will have the opportunity to explore what development opportunities you could grasp and what networks might assist you. You will also have the opportunity to consider what’s holding you back and how you can overcome these barriers to fulfill your career aspirations. You will leave the session with a personal career plan in draft format, that you will be able to explore in greater depth.

This CPD Certified event focuses on helping you to understand and take control of your daily finances effectively. From understanding budgeting strategies, taxation, mortgages, savings and more, this webinar is designed to equip you with the knowledge and confidence needed to navigate your financial future. Led by a financial expert, the session will explore various financial concepts such as practical approaches to cope with the rising costs of living, key budgeting strategies and valuable money-saving hacks. You will also gain a comprehensive understanding of the taxation systems along with useful insights for securing a mortgage.

Objectives:

• Outline budgeting and discuss how you can apply these techniques to your spending
• Explain and understand key financial aspects such as income tax, national insurance and forms of credit.
• Describe how to navigate problem debt and implement effective strategies to deal with this
• Outline the processes behind securing a mortgage or rental property
• Discuss the best ways to save including information on ISA’s

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.

Effective management is providing consistent support for team members’ performance and development from the very start of their employment. This commitment extends beyond just SRD (Staff Review and Development) or appraisal discussions/meetings.

The session will cover SRD/Appraisals within the broader context of continuous performance and development support.

Menopause can have an effect on us all, whether we're experiencing menopause directly or supporting a family member, friend or colleague. While some will sail through menopause, 3 in 4 experience symptoms and as many as 1 in 4 have serious symptoms. However, around half have never consulted a healthcare professional about their menopause.

Research also shows that the majority of those experiencing the menopause are unwilling to discuss menopause-related health problems with their managers or ask for any support they may need. We are passionate about the wellbeing of our partners, team colleagues or family members and that means talking about menopause openly.

Objectives:

• What menopause is
• How to recognise the symptoms and how someone may be affected by menopause
• The options available to manage symptoms and long-term health
• What support is available and how to access it, both at work and outside work

This session also focuses on the important role a partner, team or family member can play in supporting someone going through menopause.

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. For any further questions, please contact the Staff Wellbeing Team staffwellbeing@admin.cam.ac.uk

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.