What is the Vice-Chancellor’s Office placement scheme?
The Vice-Chancellor’s Office placement scheme is a scheme for Professional Services staff to spend a week in the Vice-Chancellor’s Office, with the following aims:
• For staff to gain experience in a different role;
• For staff to develop different skills, knowledge of how the University works, and a better understanding of the role and activities undertaken by the Vice-Chancellor’s Office;
• To give people the opportunity to attend a range of meetings, undertake activities, and meet people that they would not have the opportunity to as part of their usual role;
• To increase transparency and visibility of the Vice-Chancellor’s Office to a wider range of staff.
This pilot is part of a wider Career and Development Offer led by HROD.
Eligibility
The Scheme is open to any member of Professional Services working at the University of any grade, however we would particularly encourage applications from those who don’t usually have a chance to work with the Vice-Chancellor’s Office, and who are enthusiastic about learning more about how the wider University operates.
You will need your line manager’s agreement as you will be out of the office for a whole week.
When will the scheme run and how many people will you accept onto the scheme?
As part of this pilot, we will be taking two people for one week each between January and March 2019.
When you apply, please let us know of any weeks you would be unable attend, although it will be easier to accommodate your application if you are able to be flexible as possible with dates.
The exact timing of those weeks depends on the activities going on in the Vice-Chancellor’s Office.
How long will I work in the Vice-Chancellor’s Office for?
To get the most from the experience, you will need to commit to spending the whole week in the Vice-Chancellor’s Office, rather than spending part of the week completing tasks in your substantive post or attending other meetings with your permanent team.
For part time members of staff, this will be your usual working hours for a whole working week.
What type of work will I undertake in the Vice-Chancellor’s Office?
The type of work you would undertake would depend on what is the focus for the Vice-Chancellor’s Office for that week and what you are interested in, but might include:
• Attending meetings to take notes
• Preparing briefings or papers or drafting communications
• Conducting research as preparation for meetings
• Supporting events or projects in the office
• General office work or administration
• Supporting members of the Vice-Chancellor’s Office in order to enable them to carry out their role as effectively as possible.
How will this help my development?
The main development will be learning about how a different part of the University works, and meeting and working alongside new people, and undertaking new tasks and activities which support the Vice-Chancellor’s Office.
In addition, you will get the chance to attend a range of meetings with members of Vice-Chancellor’s Office, so you will have the opportunity to see some of the activities they undertake as part of your time here. We will also arrange for you to have a 1:1 with a senior member of the Vice-Chancellor’s Office, to discuss your career and development.
You’ll also be given a buddy in the Vice-Chancellor’s Office for a week who can answer any questions you have and involve you in their work.
How do I apply for the scheme?
Discretion and professionalism are key to working in the Vice-Chancellor’s Office as you will have sight of a wide range of sensitive and often complex business. However, the most important element will be real enthusiasm for spending a week in the Vice-Chancellor’s Office and learning about what goes on there.
The application process is very simple and informal. There are no scoring criteria for the process – it will be more about matching people’s interests and skills to the activities which are going on at particular times in the Vice-Chancellor’s Office.
In a maximum of one side of A4 for the whole application, please answer the following questions:
• Why you want to undertake a placement in the Vice-Chancellor’s Office?
• What would you like to learn from your time in the Vice-Chancellor’s Office?
• What skills and behaviours you would bring to the Vice-Chancellor’s Office?
• What sort of work would you be most interested in?
Please copy your line manager in when you email your application through.
The deadline for applications is 5pm on 30 November 2018. They should be sent to Laura Ottery, the Head of the Vice-Chancellor’s Office who will be facilitating this scheme.
Once you have applied, you will be invited to meet Laura for an informal discussion about a potential placement.
What if I don’t get offered a place on the scheme?
This is the first time we have piloted this scheme: if the scheme is successful and achieves its objectives, we will aim to repeat it regularly, offering further opportunities for people to apply in the future.
What if I have questions about the scheme before applying?
If you, or your line manager, have any further questions about the scheme, please contact Laura Ottery directly by email
