How to deliver the day-to-day alongside managing organisational change

In this session, we're trying to give delegates some brief examples of how organisational change can happen in SU’s, while also delivering for sabbatical officers who are around for a short timeframe. The session will bring together the experience from several SUs who will all give a different perspective on their own journey. This isn't just about shouting about successes, it's also about recognising and sharing failure/things you would do differently if you did this again. We want to place this in a context of learning and recognise that such change processes are still ongoing.

Audience: Staff

Presenters:

• Emily Beardsmore – Interim Head of Student Engagement, Oxford SU
• Sarah Ellis – Chief Executive, Glyndwr SU
• Trish McGrath – Chief Executive, Aber SU
   

 

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In Principle and Practice - getting more out of the 'Good Practice Framework'

In this session we look at how Students' Unions, associations and guilds can get more out of the OIA’s operational guidance on complaints and appeals, the ‘Good Practice Framework’. The GPF is a resource primarily written to help Higher Education Providers, but is equally useful from an SRBs perspective. Delegates who attend the workshop should leave with a better understanding of: the 8 core principles of the Framework; how and where these principles should apply; and how SRBs can work with providers to ensure that procedures reflect the principles in practice.

Audience: Membership Engagement staff

Presenters:

• Barry McHale - Student Liaison Officer, Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education
• Gemma Slade - Provider Liaison & Information Coordinator, Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education

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Totum – Engaging your members - A session for Student Officers

Totum, powered by NUS extra will better engage students and provide more features and benefits for students' unions. Learn more about the digital features of NUS extra and how it can help you as an officer, from engaging with your students, through to learner voice, elections and supporting clubs and societies. This session will be co-hosted by Ali Milani, VP Union Development and will give you opportunity to work through some of the ways that Totum will help you deliver your manifestos this year.

Audience: Student Officers

Workshop Presenters:

• Ali Milani - NUS Vice President, Union Development
• Elizabeth Bone - Student Discounts and Partnerships Director, NUS

 

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Using the SU Governance Code

The Governance Task and Finish Group adapted the Charity Sector Governance Code for the SU context and designed a support offer following some research into governance in SUs. This session will introduce the SU Governance Code and why it’s important we connect to drive up governance quality in our unions, a peer verification scheme supported by NCVO, the support available for governance to trustees, staff and officers and what’s to come in 2018/19.

This workshop is ideal for CEOs/Senior Managers responsible for Governance.

Audience: Staff

Presenters:

• Peter Shilton-Godwin – Chief Executive, University of Central Lancashire Students' Union 
• Anneessa Mahmood – QSU Programme Manager, NUS 

 

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'Could we do better?’ Building excellent staff performance in Students' Unions

All organisations want to create a culture where staff are engaged and supported to perform at their best and to reach their potential. Many will have developed performance measures, competencies, personal development plans and annual appraisal systems to do this.

This workshop looks at research results from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development around what works best in managing performance. In particular, it presents a practical case study from Birmingham Guild of Students on how they have recently changed their scheme for managing staff performance. This case study shows how they have integrated the research, built a new competency framework based on the NUS model and changed their approach to rewarding performance.

Audience: Staff

Presenters:

• Emily Badger - Director of Operations, University of Birmingham Guild of Students 
• Claire Marsland – HR Senior Consultant, NUS 

 

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Digital Transformation- Follow the yellow brick road

Sharing lessons learnt from the digital transformation journey KCLSU has been on told in an engaging way by using characters from the wizard of oz to cover the journey of transforming internal systems (the Tin Man needs a heart), use of data (the scarecrow needs a brain) and student communications (Lion needs courage).

Audience: Elected Officers and Staff

Presenters:

• Mayur Paul - Director of Digital and Communications, Kings College London Students' Union

 

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Making a Step Change on Mental Health

This session will provide an overview of the step change campaign, based on the UUK framework, to support students' mental health.

It will also provide a space to discuss tactics and relative priorities of different institutions and their Unions.

Audience: Elected Officers and Staff

Presenters:

• Fleur Priest-Stephens - Policy Consultant (Welfare), NUS 

 

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Active Students Fund

Following the successes of last years’ Activities Fund & the Union Development campaign work around barriers to participation in sport, the brand new NUS & Sport England project Active Students focuses on getting students who don’t normally participate in sport to take part in physical activity. Come along to the session to find out more about how your students’ union can get involved.

Audience: Staff and Officers

Presenters:

• Rosie Hunnam, Student Opportunities Consultant, NUS
• Ali Milani, Vice-President Union Development, NUS

 

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Funding the future of your retail, catering and bars

At Convention this year members voted to ringfence £150,000 of funding to support students’ unions in Trading.  This session will take you through the new practices this funding could support, how you can bid for funding, and the difference commercial health checks could make to your students’ unions.

Audience: Staff and officers

Presenters:

• Lynn King, Trading Support Director, NUS

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Making the Most of Your Membership

Our movement is committed to building a just and sustainable future.  We are successful where NUS, students’ unions, and our partners, work together effectively.  In this session we’ll take students’ unions through how you can get the most out of your membership, to make a difference in your students’ union, and to our national movement.

Audience: All delegates

Presenters:

• Jen Hope, Membership Enagement Manager, NUS

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