Since becoming involved in the Higher Education Academy’s Universities HR Strategic Enhancement Programme: Staff Transitions and Career Progression Buckinghamshire New University has seen a period of significant change. They now have an entirely new senior management team and have the ‘Bucks Education Strategy 2016 – 2021’. This strategy seeks to “create excellence in learning and teaching through developing our educators”. They intend to achieve this by providing excellence in teaching through effectiveness of teaching and learning practice.
The University are currently developing the “Bucks Academic” framework and will continue to work towards implementing a career progression structure incorporating staff development to enhance the quality and impact of learning and teaching within their Continuous Professional Development (CPD) Framework. The first stage the submission of their CPD Framework for HEA accreditation (aligned to the HEA UK Professional Standards Framework) has been achieved. They are partners with the HEA AUA and a number of universities in the development of a masters apprenticeship standard that they hope will assist them to further develop this agenda in the new policy context of the Government’s apprenticeship policy and apprenticeship levy.
The processes are to judge ‘remaining in good standing’ within the HR policies and procedures. Engagement with CPD opportunities and reflections on influence and impact on professional practice has also been successfully incorporated into the PDR discussion.
Buckinghamshire New University will use a continuous improvement approach to inform practice improvements and welcome the networking opportunities afforded to them as part of this project.