Please note that the event referred to below has unfortunately been postponed, as at the end of May, due to lack of sign-up. If and when it is rescheduled we will readvertise it.
sparqs and NUS Scotland have been working with the Scottish Government’s Public Appointments Team to promote vacancies on the boards of public bodies to senior student officers. On Friday 9th June 2017, they are holding an introductory workshop especially for senior students’ association officers to find out more about the work of public bodies, what the board recruitment process is like, and how officers’ skills might match up with what boards are looking for.
The workshop is taking place at the Scottish Government offices at Victoria Quay, Edinburgh, from 9:30am to 3:30pm (with lunch provided). It is free to attend but has limited places that should be booked in advance. See the event leaflet for further details and how to register to attend.
sparqs supports student reps and senior student officers to impact on students’ learning, but we also hope that their work in such vital roles impacts positively on their own personal and professional development, and this is therefore an excellent opportunity!
Public bodies are funded by the Scottish Government and governed by independently-appointed boards. Examples of such boards include university courts, college boards of management and the board of the Scottish Funding Council. However the nearly 100 public bodies in Scotland cover not just education but remits in health, justice, the environment and more.
The Scottish Government is currently committed to improving the diversity of boards, including in terms of age, gender, disability, ethnicity and sexual orientation.
And this is where student officers might come in! Senior officers, such as education officers who sparqs works closely with, develop in their roles a range of skills relating to governance, leadership, policy and strategy, and have obvious experience in education. This means that student officers can have a lot to offer public boards - especially those leaving post this summer who are thinking about their next career steps.
For information about other public appointments, see the Scottish Government’s public appointments website: http://www.appointed-for-scotland.org/ which includes a searchable database of vacancies.
