Staff Development

Staff Development is providing a series of workshops to help you enhance your potential at work. These workshops aim to provide meaningful development for non-academic staff to support career progression and professional development in line with the first of the 2040 Strategy Inclusive Commitments, 'Care for the wellbeing, health and safety of our diverse community, supporting and developing our people to achieve their full potential'.

• Effective Communication, Confident and Assertive Behaviour:
  • How to communicate effectively within your team
  • Identify and adopt assertive behaviours
  • Be more confident in your role
    
    
• Self Management:
  • Time Management
  • Breaking down barriers to productivity
  • Motivation and goal setting
    
    
• Leading Yourself and Creating Psychological Safety:
  • Assess the psychological safety of our own teams
  • Explore strategies to lead a team in creating a psychologically safe workplace
    
    
• Stress Management and Workplace Resilience:
  • Understanding emotional intelligence
  • Recognise personal stressors and how to manage these
  • Developing resilience to be effective at work
    
    
• Delegating and Supporting Team Development:
  • Explore the benefits of delegation
  • How to delegate confidently and to whom
    
    
• Influencing Skills:
  • Discovering the skills required to influence a team
  • How to influence in a healthy and productive manner

Please follow this link to see the workshop delivery schedule Workshops to enhance your potential

Please follow this link to the course booking system to register for any of the workshops that you would like to attend https://www.abdn.ac.uk/coursebooking

If you require any further information please contact Staff Development at staffdevelopment@abdn.ac.uk

Modern Apprenticeships is the name given to the funding available to upskill the workforce but you do not have to be in an apprenticeship role to be able to apply. The funding is also available to those already in employment as a means of studying and working at the same time undertaking a funded vocational qualification.

We have been working with GP Strategies to deliver Modern Apprenticeships in the University for some years now and staff have already benefited from significantly reduced fees.

Please see below for the Modern Apprenticeships available:

• Digital Applications
• Digital Marketing
• Digital Technologies - IT Support SCQF 8 (formerly IT Infrastructure)
• Software Development SCQF 8 (formerly Software and Web Development)

If you are interested in any of the above qualifications please contact Clare Trembleau, Staff Development Partner to discuss.

Leading and Managing 101

We are pleased to launch a new 3-part course, Leading and Managing 101, this replaces the ever-popular Essential Supervisory Skills and is pitched at an Introductory level to support staff who have just started to, or are aspiring to, line manage or supervise other staff.

This course is designed to provide the fundamentals of Leadership and Management and you may want to also attend this before deciding if you wish to embark on the ILM Level 3 accredited qualification.

To find out more about this course or to book click here.

The University of Aberdeen has been an ILM accredited centre since 2012, allowing us to offer University specific programmes in Leadership and Management Development coupled with the formal qualification from the ILM.

We offer:

• Aspiring manager: ILM Level 3 Award in Leadership and Management. Please see the Level 3 Leadership and Management Course Guide and ILM 3 in Leadership and Management contact schedule for further information.
• ILM Project Management Course.
• Experienced Manager: ILM Level 5 Certificate in Leadership and Management. Please see the Level 5 Leadership and Management Course Guide and ILM 5 in Leadership and Management contact course schedule for further information.

Please discuss with your line manager if you would like to apply for the ILM 3 or 5 and complete the ILM Course Application Form.

We offer a range of Leadership and Management Programmes to suit those at different stages in their careers. From open courses to our accredted programmes we are here to help support you through your leadership and management journey.

Management Modules* for Professional Services and Academic Line Managers

*Not everyone has a job title which includes the word Manager/Team Leader/Supervisor etc.. in their Professional Services or Academic role but do have tasks that involve dealing with staff in an individual, group or team setting. The Management Modules welcome participation from anyone who feels that the subject matter and objectives are relevant to their role.

The first Inclusive commitment of Aberdeen 2040 is to “care for the wellbeing, health and safety of our diverse community, supporting and developing our people to achieve their full potential”.

One the ways in which we aim to achieve this objective is to provide our Academic and Professional Services colleagues with the skills and knowledge to feel confident and empowered to support their staff, through the duration of their employment. The interactive sessions of the Management Modules* will also provide a great opportunity to network and share practice with colleagues from across the Directorates and Schools.

Aims

Colleagues from key areas across the University have contributed to the delivery providing you with their expertise to support you in the 'operational' aspects of your role. The modular approach is designed so that you can choose which sessions you would like to attend to enhance your knowledge and skills in that particular area depending on your allocated tasks. However, a discussion with your line manager is recommended to help identify development needs and planning around attendance.

Attendance

All modules will be delivered mainly online with some sessions face to face.

As with all our training sessions, we would be really grateful if you have booked to attend a module that you are able to commit to joining on the day (extenuating circumstances being an exception) .The facilitator reserves the right to cancel the session if the attendance falls below 10 people the day before the session or on the day.

Reminder e-mails will be sent two weeks prior to the module date. The Teams link can be found in the course information on course bookings and it is recommended that you add the event to your calendar and copy and paste the Teams link so oyu can easiy access this on the day of the session. You can also retreive the Teams link in your course booking confirmation on the day.

Schedule

Please click here for all the dates and modules. If you require any training that isn't currently included in the modules please contact Clare Trembleau to discuss.

E-learning

In addition to the Management Modules, we also offer a wide range of e-learning to further support you in your role, from professional skills to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion. These can be accessed at at time that suits your schedule.

Contact

If you require any further information, please contact clare.trembleau@abdn.ac.uk

AURORA 2025/6 DATES AND BOOKING INFORMATION

Aurora is higher education's most renowned leadership development initiative for women. Run as a collaboration between Advance HE in conjunction with higher education institutions and advocates, it addresses the under-representation of women in leadership positions. Aurora is a leadership ignition journey, inspiring women to aspire and achieve leadership positions within higher education.

Launched in 2013, Aurora has grown year on year and is now a community of over 8,300 Aurorans. Led by a team of leadership experts and in conjunction with a mentoring process, participants will explore four key areas associated with leadership success: Identity, Impact & Voice; Core Leadership; Politics & Influence and Adaptive Leadership Skills.

WHO IS AURORA FOR?

Aurora is for women, up to senior lecturer level or the professional services equivalent, working in a university, college or related organisation who would like to develop and explore issues relating to leadership roles and responsibilities. Participants should have the endorsement of their institution (through the line manager) and be committed to developing and enhancing their career. Attendees will be expected to:

• attend the introduction webinar which will introduce the aims and objectives of Aurora along with an inspirational guest speaker
• attend each of the four development days, and the two action learning set days
• undertake self-directed learning throughout Aurora, aligned with development interests
• commit to working with a mentor who is provided by their Institution (University Mentor Scheme)
• be prepared to access leadership opportunities and champion for change.
• Volunteer to Mentor supporting future Aurorans at the University of Aberdeen

PROGRAMME DELIVERY

All of the workshops and Action Learning Sets will be delivered online with the exception of the in person event - please see below. Colleagues will be expected to book on the Scotland cohort dates (other cohorts by exception).

IN PERSON EVENT

Your Future in HE The Aurora 2025/26 offering includes the popular in-person Your Future in HE development day. Therefore, it is crucial that Aurorans commit to their cohort's date, from their Institutions, as it is non-transferrable. Return travel will be funded through your Directorate or School in line with the Institution's relevant policies and procedures and line manager authorisation if accommodation is required where travel timetables would disrupt being able to fully attend the event.

DATES AND COHORTS FOR 2025/26

Aurora 2025-26 Cohort Dates can be downloaded from this link.

HOW TO APPLY

Please submit the completed application form to your Line manager for consideration. Once this has been approved by your line manager you can book your place directly through the link below. You are encouraged to register for the Scotland co-hort but can book on other geographical cohorts by exception. However, please be aware that the in person event must be attended in the geographical region of your chosen cohort so this may have budgetary implications for travel and accommodation. One free transfer can be made during the programme to another cohort for one of the online sessions if you aren't able to make your cohort date. Please contact Clare Trembleau to arrange.

HOW TO BOOK AND COST OF PROGRAMME

The AdvanceHE materials mention that booking should be through the Aurora Champion at the Institute however at the University of Aberdeen this is not the case. Registration for the cohorts should be done by the staff member  themselves. This is because the PO number has to be generated through the individual’s School or Department and not centrally.

The cost of the programme if booked before 31/07/2025 is £995.00 and booked after 01/08/2025 is £1100. There is no VAT charged on this. The University is a member of AdvanceHE.

When you click on the booking link it will take you to AdvanceHE log in. If you haven’t already got an account with AdvanceHE you will need to create one before you can book your place. Please follow the instructions on your chosen booking link below to do this.

Please ensure that you have requested the PO (purchase order) number prior to booking your place as you will need to have this available for payment when you register for your chosen cohort. Your manager should be able to advise who can arrange this for you in your School/Department.

Please ensure that in addition to the programme fee, the cost of any associated travel or expenses related to the attendance of the face to face in person event should also approved by your line manager.

BOOKING LINK FOR SCOTLAND COHORT

Scotland cohort

ALL OTHER COHORTS

South of England

Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland

Wales and Southwest of England

North of England

Midlands

Mentoring is about one person, usually more experienced, helping another to make continuous improvements in skills, knowledge, work or thinking, outside the normal line management relationship.

It is an excellent developmental opportunity that affords many benefits for the mentee: helping individuals to integrate; to deal with change; to acquire increased understanding and knowledge of the organisation and its culture; to acquire new skills and to grow in confidence; to help them take responsibility for their own development, and to become self-sufficient in resolving issues.

If you do decide to become a mentor, it would be helpful to ensure your StaffNet profile is up to date. Guidance on updating your staff profile can be found here.

We have produced an interactive guide which gives more information about the scheme and how it differs from coaching, buddying, counselling and probation mentoring.

• If you feel you are ready to sign up as either a mentor or mentee then you can do so here
• If you are a new mentor and would like to book on to the mentor training, click here

Mentoring Support for Parents/Carers

We now have a number of Mentors trained to support Parents and Carers. You can register to request a Mentor or to become a Mentor if you have experience in this area.

The Staff Development Team are here to support new members of staff and their line managers in ensuring a smooth induction process. The central process is:

• All new staff are emailed and should look over the Online Induction Pack prior the them starting and use this as a reference point as they begin their careers with us.
• The line manager and new member of staff should complete the Induction checklist form within the first month and return this to staff development to support the local induction.
• The line manager and new member of staff should discuss the Onboarding activities document to ensure the new member of staff can access information, staff networks and different teams that offer information support and professional development opportunities.
• All new staff will be emailed an invite to the bi-annual New Staff Networking Event to help them embed in to the wider University community.

If you have any queries then please get in touch with us.

Birkman is a psychometric tool that allows individuals and teams to better understand their personality The Birkman methods measures several aspects of personality including us at our best, what our expectations of others is and what happens under stress.

They represent a unique aspect regarding one's approach, style, and areas of motivation. Both Clare and Caron are Birkman Certified Professionals and can administer the questionnaire and a feedback session for both individual development as well as for in-depth team development.

If you would like to learn more about how Birkman can help you or your team then please get in touch with us.

For more information click here.

Both Clare and Caron in the Staff Development Team are accredited practitioners in Belbin Team Roles and can help you to unlock the full potential of your team.

We can work with you to put together a bespoke workshop to give you these insights along with individual and team Belbin reports.

To find out more please get in touch by email or phone to see how understanding Belbin can help increase the productivity and satisfaction of your team.

For more information click here

The University of Aberdeen in partnership with St Andrews University have a pool of qualified coaches available help to you reach your professional goals. If you are interested in being matched with a coach, then please register here and a member of the Staff Development Team will be in touch.

A full list of available coaches across both Aberdeen and St Andrews is available here

We also offer the ILM Level 3 Award in Effective Coaching to enable staff to become a qualified coach and join the coaching pool. If you would be interested in learning more about this course please contact Clare Trembleau.

While we try and run a range of programmes and courses to suit the majority of needs across the University sometimes there may be a requirement for something more bespoke.

If you feel you or your team have a particular need that is not captured in our Staff Development Interactive Guide, then please get in touch with us to discuss your needs further.

To find out more about the team and how we can support you please see our Staff Development Interactive Guide.

Tel: +44 (0) 1224 27 3963
Email: staffdevelopment@abdn.ac.uk

Along with all the other Learning and Development opportunities that we extend to all staff, this resource provides some helpful links for Technician Specific Development.

These events are run independently of the University and may incur a cost so please discuss any attendance with your line manager and book directly with the provider.

• MI Talent
• https://www.mitalent.ac.uk/TSN
• National Technicians Development Centre
• Higher Education and Technician Educational Development (HEaTED)

To enable staff to learn at a time that suits them we have partnered with Skill Boosters to make available a range of eLearning sessions to supplement our existing live courses and workshops.

These are free to access for all staff and have been divided into three main categories: Working Effectively, Leading & Managing, and Inclusion, Equality & Diversity.

To see all the full range of courses click here to visit our dedicated page.