This article is more than 7 years old

Growing future higher ed leaders

The programme for graduates looking to develop a career in HE managements. Ambitious Futures is recruiting again.
This article is more than 7 years old

Paul Greatrix is Registrar at The University of Nottingham, author and creator of Registrarism and a Contributing Editor of Wonkhe.

Recruitment for the 2017 round of Ambitious Futures, the Graduate Programme for University Leadership, closes soon.

Ambitious Futures is the graduate programme which takes the development of high quality future leaders for higher education very seriously. The Ambitious Futures programme invests in participants’ career development, offers exposure to a range of interesting business areas and work cultures, and provides the foundation for future leadership roles in universities.

Graduates are employed by a host university (this may be the university from which they’ve graduated) and take part in a 15-month programme split into three placements. The first and last of these will be based at the host university, while the middle placement is at a different partner institution.

The type of work trainees are involved in is often project-based and wide-ranging, offering many diverse and challenging opportunities. We aim for trainees to complete a variety of different projects in a fairly short space of time, and in many cases they are able to see the results of their work being implemented across the university.

wonkhe graduates hats air

The university sector is one of the most innovative, vibrant and exciting environments in which to build your future career. If you’re looking for a graduate programme that leads to a highly successful and dynamic career in an entrepreneurial, global business, The Graduate Programme for University Leadership is it.

Are you ready for a career in a world of discovery?

This cutting-edge programme will show you how the challenging and stimulating business of a university operates. You’ll meet some of the most talented people in the country, if not the world, and gain an inside view into the sector’s management and business processes. A key aspect of your training will see you working alongside a diverse range of partners, from students and employers to funding bodies and commercial organisations.

It’s the opportunity to contribute to a life you have already experienced and enjoyed, and make a difference to the learning of future generations of students. What’s more, you’ll be working at the heart of fast-paced and world-leading commercial organisations that, rather unusually, are not primarily motivated by profit-making.

It’s an outstanding scheme and I’m really proud that the University of Nottingham has been central to the development of it and now acts as host for the Ambitious Futures team. The sector really does need to train and develop many more professional service leaders and this programme will be a major contributor to that as it continues to grow. Our sector also needs and will benefit from greater diversity in its leadership and this too is something we are keen for Ambitious Futures to nurture and support.

So if you are or you know a recent graduate looking to develop a career in higher education management then Ambitious Futures is the way to go. The requirements are:

  • You have graduated as an undergraduate or postgraduate in the last five years, with at least a 2.1 in any subject
  • You are eligible to work in the UK for the length of the programme
  • You are passionate about pursuing a high profile career in the university sector

Closing date is 21 December 2016 20 January2017.

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