SPRINGBOARD SUCCESS 07
Jackie Cat
How did you get involved
in delivering Springboard
at Keele? How was your experience
attending the course?
When I was working at Trinity College Dublin
I was asked to go and speak to a group of
female researchers on Springboard about
my career and my experiences in higher
education. I found this really useful; it helped
me reflect on my career and professional
ambition and the events and choices that
had shaped that. Three years later I started
working at Keele and I introduced the course
and made it open to any woman working in
the University. In the past five years we have
had nearly 100 women from Keele take part.
What is the course about?
The workshops are designed to ensure that
the participants get to know and trust each
other in order to help define their personal
and professional goals, and work together to
achieve them. Attendance at the workshops
is only one part of the course. Groups of
three participants meet between workshops
to support each other using peer support
and the principles of coaching. There is a
workbook that the course participants also
use to explore their values, define their
goals and to develop the skills they need to
achieve them. Topics covered by the course
include assertiveness, projecting yourself
in the workplace and reaching your goals
Why do you think this
course is a positive step
for women who want to
progress their career?
Springboard is a great course for people
who want to take stock of where they are in
their career, or their personal life, and make
changes or achieve goals. The focus on
assertiveness, finding your core values
and setting goals leads to notable changes
in the confidence and aspirations of
participants. As they work towards their
goals, with the s upport of their peers,
their success drives their confidence
and their ability to further succeed. Perhaps
unsurprisingly, for many participants one
outcome of the course is the desire to
develop their professional profile further.
Women who complete the Springboard
course report being more confident in
their own abilities and clearer about their
ambitions and aspirations for both their
work and home life.
Springboard, unlike any other programme
I had attended, well and truly surpassed
my expectations both professionally
and personally. The group of academics
and professional services staff provided
a supportive environment to discuss career
aspirations, goal setting, navigating the
challenges of work/family balance and
offered pragmatic solutions. It’s one of the
few programmes available that provided
this holistic overview, a space to reflect on
decisions made in the past that impacted
on the present day and mapping out plans
for the future.
How has the course benefited
your career progression?
The course supplied a simple yet powerful
tool, a Springboard workbook. The workbook
offered opportunities to reflect on my
‘whys’ and areas that mattered most to me.
By completing the programme, it was evident
that I am particularly interested in the world
of technology, past, present and future.
At the time of taking the course, I worked
in the School of Medicine in e-Learning
and e-Assessments. When the position of
Faculty Learning Technology Officer was
advertised in September 2015, I immediately
realised this area fell further in line with my
core interests. I now work with six schools
within the Faculty of Humanities and Social
Sciences primarily responsible for advocating
the innovative use of learning technologies
to enhance staff and student experiences.
I also recognised that instead of being a
passive bystander I can be a change catalyst
for matters close to my heart, which has
led to me pledging to raise money annually
for causes related to education access,
and I am now involved in the Athena SWAN,
Race and Equality Charter, and Equality
and Diversity initiatives. This year, I will be
attending the Aurora Women’s Leadership
programme which aims to address the
under-representation of women in leadership
positions in higher education.
Three years on from Springboard,
I have received enormous support
and encouragement. For me, the biggest
take-home was the support available,
mentorship, coaching and defining what
matters to each individual, including a
fantastic network of supportive women.
It may sound clichéd, but Springboard truly
was a springboard in my life and I would
definitely recommend the programme!