This coming academic year (2011-12), sparqs will be running a pilot programme with four institutions extending the expertise gained through our ongoing Associate Trainer Scheme for delivering Course Representative Training.
The institutions taking part in the pilot scheme are University of Dundee, University of Edinburgh, University Glasgow and University of Strathclyde. They will have their own team of Associate Trainers who are dedicated to that institution/students’ association. sparqs provide support in the recruitment, training and development of the team.
Under the existing scheme, sparqs Associate Trainers add value through their experience of being a course rep and skills gained during our residential training and are therefore able to help course reps develop their own solutions to issues with their course.
Institutional Associate Trainers bring the added dimension of local knowledge. They understand what the current issues are as well as the processes their institutions employ to enhance quality.
Another benefit for institutions and students associations is the flexibility in terms of the materials delivered and the administration of the training.
We will conduct a review of the pilot which will inform our ongoing developments of the scheme. It is anticipated that as this scheme develops it will meet the needs of institutions delivering a large number of course rep training sessions.
