National Partnerships for Change Conference
On 14th August 2014 we will celebrate the achievements of students’ associations over the last two years, and mark the end of the Partnerships for Change project. It will also offer the opportunity for delegates to explore next steps for college students’ associations.
The event builds on last year’s conference ‘Creating the Future’. It is aimed at college student officers, students’ association staff, and college or sector staff whose work involves the students’ association.
Registration details and further information about the context will be sent out shortly. The conference will be held at Heriot Watt University in Edinburgh. Student Officers who are also attending NUS’ annual event The Gathering on 15th August at the same venue will be able to access free accommodation on the night in between.
We very much look forward to seeing you there!
As part of the event we want to highlight and share some of the excellent work that students’ associations and colleges have been doing in the last two years. Please get in touch with kate.byford@nus-scotland.org.uk in order to tell us about the achievements you are most proud of!
Student Board Members Development Research
Partnerships for Change and the College Development Network are undertaking a piece of research into the experiences of college student board members in order to develop guidance for College Boards on supporting student members to deliver their full potential. If you have been a student board member this year and would like to take part please contact kate.byford@nus-scotland.org.uk by Friday 20th June 2014. The research will be carried out by a phone conversation at a time which suits you.
College Students’ Association Staff Network
The second meeting of the Students’ Association Staff Network was held on 3rd June 2014. The meeting included discussion and sharing learning and resources on carrying out transition and induction for new incoming officers. Ben Kinross, NUS Apprentices Engagement Officer, also delivered a session on ideas for how students’ associations can engage apprentices. Materials are now available on the PfC webpages - http://www.sparqs.ac.uk/partch.php?page=319
The aim of the network is to enable students’ association staff to share learning and good practice and to access NUS development resources and support. If you would like to get involved please contact kate.byford@nus-scotland.org.uk
A Jiscmail mailing list to enable network members to communicate with each other directly has also been set up. If you would like to be added to this mailing list please contact charlotte.lawley@nus-scotland.org.uk
Trustee Boards and Advisory Boards
A meeting was held on 1st May 2014 for students’ associations interested in establishing Trustee or Advisory Boards. The event was very well received with attendees taking their learning back to their associations for further discussion. Materials from the event will be uploaded on the Partnerships for Change webpages shortly. If you would like more information please contact kate.byford@nus-scotland.org.uk
HR Association Staff and Sabbatical Resource
With the increase in paid officers and association staff over the past year, a number of regions have raised the need for effective guidance on HR and employment. We have therefore engaged a Business Law Firm to explore and clarify the issues around sabbatical officers’ employment status, and to develop model guidance, structures, and documentation which can help colleges ensure that officers and students’ association staff receive necessary performance management, while also preserving the students’ association’s political autonomy.
We held three Scoping Events in early June 2014 which were attended by a range of student officers, students’ association staff, college staff and college HR staff. Thank you to all of you who gave your time to contribute to the development of this resource! We are now drafting the resource based on feedback. A draft will be shared for further comments in due course.
Students’ Association Development: Resource Hub
As part of the legacy of the PfC project we aim to develop a centralised online hub or framework linking all the resources which have been produced for this project, which can be used by student officers, SA staff, and college staff to develop and run their students’ association. We will also be producing new resources to fill identified gaps - for example, the HR resource will be included in this.
For further information on any of the above, contact Kate Byford, Partnerships for Change Co-ordinator: kate.byford@nus-scotland.org.uk
