The CPD for All project started in April 2019 with the aims of: pushing professional development issues up the bargaining agenda increasing the number of CPD courses offered by UCU aligning those courses with the FE and HE frameworks (so that members completing UCU courses can use any evidence produced toward building their portfolios) building…
Building your career: new courses and resources for early career academics.
UCU supporting the future of the profession.We’re very pleased to introduce new support for early career university staff and postgraduate students starting out in academia. Dr Stephen Joy and Dr Geraint Wyn Story are specialist careers advisers with a background in the university careers service and advising PhDs and post-docs on the academic jobs market…
Value your voice!
A special guest post by Phyllida Furse, who runs our excellent course ‘Speaking Up: Voice Care for Educators‘ Value your Voice! World Voice Day, 16 April 2016 Calling all teachers and lecturers! Do you value your voice? Are you struggling to make yourself heard or have you even lost it completely? 16 April sees the…
Getting the first lecturing job: careers guidance for research staff
New career development resources for researchersWe are very pleased to offer further downloadable CPD guidance aimed at research staff hoping to develop their careers: ‘Getting the First Lecturing Job’ This guide contains an excellent toolkit for researchers considering a career in academia. Published by the Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services (AGCAS), the professional body…
CPD in the Firth of Lorn!
UCU Scotland Official Mary Senior reports from Argyll and Bute The Scottish Association For Marine Science (SAMS) just north of Oban off the west coast of Scotland, must be in one of the most stunning locations of any education institution, with the Argyll hills and the natural harbour as the backdrop. It was, however, blowing…
UCU CPD: supporting practitioners events
In July UCU ran two practitioners group events, one for additional support practitioners and the other for functional skills, maths and English practitioners. At the additional support practitioner event we heard from parent carers/disability champions – Sue Titterington and Jo and Kath Wood who are from Wirral Trade Union Education unit. At the Functional skills,…
Online safety for education staff
Keeping yourself and your students safe on the internetEducators play a key role in supporting young people stay safe online but college and university staff also need to protect their own reputation, particularly when using social networking sites. The South West Grid For Learning has just launched a range of downloadable resources aimed at helping…
UCU delivers staff CPD day at South Cheshire College
UCU rep at South Cheshire College, Lyndsey Nicholson, successfully negotiated with her management, for UCU to deliver a CPD day at the College. Over 50 staff attended sessions including an Assertiveness Skills workshop, Leadership workshop, life-work balance workshop, pensions workshop, individual career reviews and individual pension consultations. Sessions were by Tracy Walsh from Ruskin College,…
Birkbeck University London offer 10% off all courses for union members
10% off accredited courses at BirkbeckUCU members can now claim 10% off all accredited Birkbeck University London courses (certificates, undergraduate and postgraduate). Birkbeck is a world-class research and teaching institution and London’s only specialist provider of evening higher education. All you need to take advantage of this great discount offer is confirmation from the union…
Writing successful grant applications with the Research Funding Tool Kit
Here’s what UCU member Dr Ilan Baron at Durham University said about the tool kit: “The Research Funding Tool Kit is designed to help scholars write successful grant applications. The authors acknowledge that luck plays a great deal in the grant selection process. Nevertheless, they offer a significant amount of constructive advice for how to compose,…