Women's Development

Staff Learning and Development Opportunities for Women

Aurora Women's Leadership Programme

Aurora is a women-only leadership development initiative facilitated by Advance HE. It aims to encourage women in higher education to think of themselves as leaders and to develop leadership skills. If you are starting to think of moving into a leadership role, and have some managerial experience, the programme offers an ideal opportunity for development.

To apply, you should be in a role up to and including Associate Professor or Professional and Managerial Grade 8.

This programme will enable you to:

Learn - Tools, techniques and strategies from a team of leadership experts, guest speakers & online resources.
Develop - Leadership skills through experiential processes, reflection and conversations.
Network - Meet delegates through five live online development days with interactive breakout sessions and two action learning set meetings.
Connect - With a UK wide network and niche groups through a members only group.
Grow - Supported by a mentor within UoR.

For more detail on the programme content, visit Advance HE’s About Aurora Webpage.

Aurora is made up of a mix of development days, action learning sets and online resources, and includes mentoring by a senior member of University staff. While most sessions are run online, there are some opportunities to meet with your cohort in person, travel costs for this are to be agreed and covered by your school or department budget.

Applications for Aurora 2025 will be opening July 2025 and will be advertised on the Staff Portal.

If you have any questions in the meantime about Aurora, the application process or Women's development, please get in touch with us at peopledevelopment@reading.ac.uk.

Springboard Women's Development Programme

Springboard is for anyone who identifies as a woman and is looking for a fresh perspective and mindset to grow their confidence, set goals, create a personal development plan, improve their work-life balance and become part of a network of like-minded, empowered women on a journey of personal development and career advancement.

The programme is made up of four one day workshops that cover separate but linked topics – from self-discovery, to embracing change, effective communication and influencing, and transformative action.

By the end of our four one day workshop series, participants will:

Elevate confidence with proven strategies, leaving any self-doubt behind. Participants radiate unwavering self-belief in every interaction.
Ditch the imposter phenomenon and embrace active self-development, learning powerful techniques to champion their own success.
Communicate with clarity and express ideas with impact. Participants will master effective communication skills to navigate any challenge with ease.
Break through barriers, unleashing their inner leader with tools for assertive action. Participants will learn to advocate for themselves and their goals without hesitation.
Build a crystal-clear vision for their future, setting attainable goals fuelled by their own motivation such as putting themselves forward for job promotions or opportunities.

Springboard empowers participants to achieve a fulfilling life and career which has a huge impact on their job performance and career prospects.

Applications for Springboard 2025 are now open. If you are interested in applying, please complete the Springboard Application Form.

As part of your application, you and your line manager will each need to prepare a supporting statement.

Your Statement –

This should be a short statement of no more than 300 words covering:

What skills and knowledge you hope to gain by attending the programme.
Your professional aspirations for the future and how you believe the content of this programme will help you to achieve them, making reference to the programme content in your response.
How you will apply your learning from the programme.

Your Line Manager's Statement –

This should also be a short statement of no more than 300 words covering:

The applicant’s level of commitment to taking part in the programme.
How the applicant will benefit from the programme.
How the programme aligns with their strengths and development needs.
How you will support the applicant during the programme and with applying the skills that they are developing when back at work.

As part of the programme, you must be able to attend all sessions in person.

Module 1 – Tuesday 29^th April / 09:30 – 16:30

Module 2 – Tuesday 13^th May / 09:30 – 16:30

Module 3 – Tuesday 10^th June / 09:30 – 16:30

Module 4 – Tuesday 1^st July / 09:30 – 16:30

Closing date for applications is 13^th April 2025. Applicants will be informed by 15^th April if they have been successful.