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Surveying the Present for Future

Prospects

“We support, recognise and develop our staff”

UAS Open Meeting

14th March 2012

Jonathan Nicholls

Today’s Topics

To cover today:

– Survey of current issues in HE and Cambridge

– Progress on UAS projects, values, and a quality excellence

framework

– UAS staff survey

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What’s going on out there?

• HE Bill and Regulatory Framework

• Students and Finance

• OFFA

• Research and Innovation; Postgraduates

• Immigration

• Russell Group expansion

• Pay and Pensions

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This map includes all activity regarding regulation of the system including:

• Regulation of use of funding • Regulation of Financial

sustainability/governance • Quality assurance • Charity regulation • Regulation of Access • DAP and UT status

Regulation

Privy council

BIS

DoH

DfE TDA

SHAs

Research councils

HEFCE

HESA

OFFA

QAA

Ofsted

UKBA

PSRBs

OIA

High Court

HEIs

Students

• Tier 4 status • Student visa sponsorship

• Quality review (ITT only)

• IRENI/IQER/Audit of collaborative provision/REO

• Peer input into reviews • UK quality code • Institutional liaison • Subject Network • Access to HE • DAP/UT scrutiny • Concerns • Grant letter

• Financial Memorandum • Legislation

Home Office

• Complaints/Appeals

• Complaints/Appeals

NHS Comm-

issioners

Charity Comm-ission

Key NDPB Govmt body

Sector owned

Court of law

Regulation activities

Assurance

• Contract for IRENI/IQER/Audit of collaborative provision • Concerns

SLC

Upwards accountability

• Complaints • Student evaluation • Student involvement

in governance

• Contract for REO • Concerns

ENQA

• European standards and guidelines for quality assurance

• Contract for reviews (some PSRBSs i.e. CWDC and General Osteopathic council)

• Regulation of courses • Set curricula • Accredit courses

• Professional registration • Fitness to practise

• Charity regulation (exempt charities)

• Annual accountability returns, TRAC returns • Financial Memorandum • Research assessment exercise • Student numbers, Sanctions

• Reporting requirements on use of funding

• Funding manual • Financial Memorandum • Collect financial accounts • Sanctions (ITT only)

• National Standard contract

• Assurance for HEIs offering ITT

• SLA for MPET funding

• Course commissioning

• Devolved responsibility for data collection

• Assurance of HEI financial health

• Transfer of functions related to student support

• Learning and development agreement

• Allocations letter

• Accountability for placement • Accountability for

commissioned courses

• Registered charity regulation

• Changes to DAP & UT

• Changes to DAP & UT

• Access agreements • Annual monitoring returns • Guidance on expectations, Sanctions • Letter of guidance

• Financial Memorandum • Legislation

• Changes to DAP & UT

• Ability to impose sanctions

Overview of key regulation activities

What’s going on around here?

• Planning Round and University Finances

• NW Cambridge (and Borrowing)

• REF Preparation

• International

• CUDO and Cambridge in America

• Retirement Policy

• CPS

• Health Agenda

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The Administration: “Holistic” administration update

• Project Board established

• First meeting of Schools Secretaries and UAS Officers in February 2012

• Ideas for projects to contribute to holistic administration being worked

upon currently

• At the next meeting to discuss wider engagement with Schools on

“culture and values” initiatives

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Progressing UAS Values

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Embedding

UAS Values

Embed into Induction,

training and development

Incorporate into

UAS web presence

Toolkit for Senior

Managers

Key Activities Progress

Workshops have taken

place across UAS

On-going – PPD

On-going – Ext Affairs

and Communications

Key messages from the team values workshops

• Workshops across UAS

• 24 questionnaires were returned

• Many examples of how teams are demonstrating the Values

• Also good examples of incorporating Values into future work

• Challenges highlighted included:

– geography, office environment, time, limited career progression opportunities

• Suggested solutions to challenges:

– greater recognition, developing the distributed services model, focus on

continuous improvement, more work shadowing and secondments

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Follow up to the team values workshops

• Share best practice examples from teams more widely via the

UAS intranet site

• Focus on staff recognition to encourage and recognise evidence

of values in practice

• Progress with a UAS staff survey and follow-up agreed actions

• Establish a quality excellence framework for the UAS e.g.

Investors in People

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Quality Excellence Framework

• UAS Senior Officers have reviewed such frameworks

• Examples are: Investors in People (IIP), EFQM

• Preliminary decision to investigate IIP further

• IIP’s main objective is to improve delivery through the management and

development of people

• Final decision and commitment will be at the end of Easter Term

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Staff survey – the benefits

A staff survey helps:

• Improve two-way communication

• Develop an understanding of employee views and opinions

• Identify areas for improvement, helping maximise employee engagement

• Prioritise work plans and strategy

• Monitor diversity practices and aid staff wellbeing

• Understand whether we are demonstrating our values

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What will be done with the results…

• The results will be shared, and will:

– Assist UAS Senior Officers in prioritising – what can and

what can’t be taken forward and when

– Assist all UAS teams in prioritising locally

– Assist individuals in how they might contribute in their

immediate work environment

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The organisation of the survey work

• Sponsor of the UAS staff survey - The Registrary, Jonathan Nicholls

• Working group reporting to the UAS Directors:

– Andrew Aldridge, Graham Allen, Anne Pollintine, Jane Ridley, Indi

Seehra, Tom Walston

• UAS staff “key contacts” have been identified in your local work areas

• Our external partner – ORC International

• Our UAS staff survey logo:

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About ORC International

Offices across the world

Market research across a range

of sectors

In house statisticians, survey analysts

and web designers

ORC International, founded in 1938, is one of the world’s

largest research organisations

Employee research specialists

ORC is a Global

Boutique

ORC vision:

To be the innovator

in research solutions

for their clients

ORC expertise

Substantial experience

administering surveys

across sectors

Focus on measuring and

understanding

engagement

Key survey information

Dates:

In-scope staff:

Survey mechanism:

Anonymity and

confidentiality guaranteed:

• 16 April to 4 May 2012

• All UAS employees:

– Include fixed term employees

– Does not include agency staff

• On-line and paper responses

• All surveys returned direct to ORC

• ORC governed by Market

Research Society code of conduct

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Where to direct any queries…

• A webpage on the UAS portal is going live soon with more

information, including copies of communications

• UAS staff survey Key Contacts have been identified for

each Division to help with local queries and logistics

• There will be an ORC Help Desk number made available to

staff when the survey goes live

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Key dates and activity

• End March – a further letter is being sent to all staff with an

FAQ (frequently asked questions) document

• Monday 16th April – survey goes live – completion online (via an

external link to ORC) or on paper copy (with an

SAE to return to ORC direct)

• Friday 4th May – survey closes

• Tuesday 19th June – early results are shared at the Staff Open

Meeting

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Questions?

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16 April to 4 May 2012