Please tell me about your role at the university
My job title is Collaborative Partnerships Manager for the Institute of Education at the University of Derby, which is essentially all about working with partners to deliver our programmes. We have around 500 students at 13 partner FE Colleges and organisations across the UK and internationally who study on our Education courses, from Foundation, top-up and Masters degrees to more specific, professionally related courses such as SENCo qualifications. Similarly, I work with overseas partners, mainly in China to deliver English for Academic Purposes (EAP) courses. An additional part of my job is to look after the Derby English Language Centre (DELC) which provides English language programmes and support to incoming and current international students in Derby.
How did you come to work in higher education? Please tell me about your career background.
My journey to HE came through Further Education and I consider myself to be very lucky to work across both the HE and FE sectors. I had a career in Human Resource Management before moving into education and my favourite part of that job was training and development so education was a natural progression for me. I completed my PGCE in Further Education teaching at the University of Cardiff in 2003 and that’s when I really understood the transformative value of further education. I was teaching students who hadn’t always enjoyed learning, who were returning to study or who were not keen about completing A levels at school and were looking for a different experience.
College provided them with a very welcoming, non-judgmental environment where they had a little more freedom and flexibility and could choose programmes that they felt were relevant to their career aspirations. I taught HRM and business studies and loved every minute of it. The students I encountered were bright, focused and hard-working. I particularly enjoyed teaching the students who were completing a professional qualification in HRM. They were working and studying at the same time as well as having families to look after which always filled me with admiration and I found that their dedication to improving their education and therefore their work prospects pretty awe-inspiring.
After moving from Wales back to the East Midlands, I secured a role in a local college, teaching on their FE teacher education programmes. The classes were mainly the college’s own staff and teachers from local organisations. My HR experience in training and development coupled with the experience I’d had teaching the students on a professional programme really helped. I thoroughly enjoyed the role and it was there that I started working with HE partners. I found that to be a real eye-opening experience and began to really appreciate the beneficial role that an HEI played in widening participation. Working with colleagues in the HE sector reaffirmed that connection between the HE and FE with both having a really strong focus on transformation, self-development and agency.
After several years at the college, I moved to the University of Derby to lead on their Post 14 teacher education programmes which retained my connection to FE. In 2017, I got my job as Collaborative Partnerships Manager which is one that I love. Luckily, I still teach one module on the PGCE Post 14 and mentor a small number of students. I wouldn’t want to give up teaching completely as it is still one of my favourite aspects of working in Education.
Would you say your job is rewarding/meaningful?
My job is both rewarding and meaningful. I really value the work that colleagues in FE do, in often quite challenging circumstances. Those students I encountered in FE at the beginning of my career in education are still there, still looking for their opportunity to shine in their chosen profession and needing that welcoming, embracing FE environment to study in. I see students working really hard on their chosen course, doing well and heading off into work, onto higher education or getting a promotion in their professional life.
We have a large cohort of students on the FDA Children and Young People programme working across the early years sector or in schools and SEND settings. Often, these students have worked through the coronavirus pandemic, supporting vulnerable children or children of key workers and they have still kept up with their studies. They work in settings that can be challenging, working long hours so seeing their success at graduation is incredibly rewarding. It makes me really proud to have played a part in their experience by ensuring that they achieve a high quality, meaningful qualification that is sector recognised. My team at the university support their FE colleagues very well indeed, providing guidance, a quality structure and content and importantly an opportunity for progression. Students often don‘t think they could achieve a degree, for example, but our association with the colleges provides that opportunity and environment. We also learn a lot from FE as they work with subject specialists and professional practitioner who bring currency and expertise to our curriculum, thus making the relationship truly collaborative.
Similarly, working with international students, seeing them develop in their studies as their English language improves is very rewarding. They can be quiet and reserved when they first join us but we can watch how their confidence grows as they settle. My English language team are excellent ambassadors for the UK Higher Education sector and provide a nurturing, approachable environment for international students. We appreciate that it is a big deal for someone to leave their home country to come to us to study in a foreign language so we endeavour to be as supportive as we can.
Please highlight any development opportunities you’ve had
In terms of development, the most valuable opportunities I’ve had are to try different roles. The university is very supportive of people exploring different positions and looks to promote from within where possible. I’ve certainly benefited from that approach and this means I have been able to develop my skills in different ways whilst keeping work interesting and stimulating. There are also a number of committees, task groups and projects that are always looking for contributors and they provide a great opportunity to work with different colleagues from across assorted parts of the university and get involved in different aspects of HE, whether that is quality improvement processes, change management or widening participation. This has been particularly pertinent during the Coronavirus pandemic. Due to different activities such as moving content online or supporting students through different platforms, I’ve been able to work with colleagues I’ve never met before and that definitely makes for a richer working life. Our People Development team also provide a wide range of training programmes we can access, particularly as managers that support us in our roles. I’ve certainly taken advantage of a number of them and this is very much encouraged.
What do you like most about working at a university?
One of the things I particularly like about working at a university is the diversity. There are so many different constituent parts that make up the organisation and I really enjoy the cross-working aspect. If I don’t know something, I can be sure that someone somewhere knows exactly what to do. Meeting colleagues in other areas gives you the opportunity to find out how they work which may just influence how you do things. Knowledge exchange is very powerful to help drive things forward so there is always something new and exciting to learn. I also like the general ethos that we all share which is to work with individuals to help them reach their goals. It’s a real privilege to be involved in that process. I also love working with the students in a range of capacities. The student voice brings fresh new eyes, differing points of view, currency and energy to the organisation and therefore the different programmes they represent. This keeps us challenged which is exactly what they should be doing. We wouldn’t be doing our best for them without that interaction. I feel it’s something we at the university do really well.
What has been your career highlight whilst working in higher education and why?
In terms of career highlights, I’d have to say securing this position as it melds together all the best bits of working at an HEI and makes the most of my skills set and experience. I get to continue working with my FE colleagues in a sector I find inspiring, to really make sure that the experience our students are receiving is first class. I get to work with great colleagues at the university and beyond to shape the future of HE, always striving to improve outcomes for students and making HE accessible and achievable for all.