“Universities across the UK were prominent at COP26.
Our students protested and our academics gave evidence. In the most populous of COPs our universities were there. Never before has a COP meeting been such a circus. To those who were there – well done. You ensured that leaders, politicians and civil servants knew just how important all this is.
We saw Glasgow packed and the Glasgow pact signed but just as the final cards were being played our croupier, Alok Sharma, admitted it nearly all fell apart as China and India played aggressive hands and the pact nearly cracked. The phasing down, as opposed to phasing out, of coal was a significant and defining moment for the conference but also the Paris Agreement.” Read the article

Sam Bayley talks about his new role as Head of Faculty Operations at the University of York, his new responsibilities, moving into a more strategically-focused role and running multiple departments. Watch the video

COP26 has been a fantastic two weeks for the Higher Education sector. It has been an opportunity to showcase world-changing research, increase awareness and interest in global environmental issues and highlight the importance of continued investment in this area.
For the Cabot Institute for the Environment, it has been a long and busy journey to COP26 which started 12 months before. But the Institute has been well rewarded over the two weeks with over a thousand mentions in the press, heightened engagement and interest in public engagement activities and social media and more awareness raising of the Institute as a serious player in the environmental knowledge, education and solutions space.
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“The world in which we work is changing all the time. This continuous change is having an impact on the skills we need in all parts of the HE workforce. It should influence the way we educate new staff and the way we support the continuous professional development of everyone in HE. The skills needed for any job have always been changing and developing. But right now, it seems that the rate of change is becoming so great we should intensify our efforts to ensure we don’t expect new skills to be assimilated by ‘learning on the job’ Read the full article

Roscoe Hastings, Director of Academic Services at the Saïd Business School, University of Oxford, discusses his recent job transition, his motives, covid’s impact, his career objectives while also offering advice to HE professionals looking to follow in a similar path. Watch the video now

Project management in Engineering is based on the approach of iterative design and development. But what happens when you apply this methodology to a brand new Higher Education Provider?
 
You get mock terms, a more professional and streamlined organisation, and a unified staff body with common goals and visions Read the full article

For the education sector September/October is the start of the new year, with all the hopes, aspirations and positive commitments that new beginnings bring. In the calendar year, this period of late summer and early autumn is the time when we gather in the fruits of our efforts, a time of harvest.
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In this article on Wonkhe, Susannah asks if the pandemic experience can help better define the role of professional services staff in HE.
Read on Wonkhe

Take a look at how you can use the automated CPD planner to get personalised advice on how to improve your performance and professional practice.
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In the first of our new Perspectives series, Matthew Andrews interviews Jon Rainford about his popular article on moving widening participation outreach online during the pandemic.
Watch the interview