Vista - Professional Development Programme for Women
Overview
In December 2020, DCU successfully led a collaboration with NUIG and DkIT and were awarded funding under the Higher Education Authority (HEA) Gender Equality Fund to develop Vista - a formal self-development programme for women at mid-career stage (both professional and academic) in the higher education sector.
For many women at mid-career stage, the systemic issues which have impacted on their careers are often compounded by the challenges of having spent some time out of the workplace through maternity, parental and/or caring responsibilities. Many women, at mid-career, are struggling to find their career identity and may find themselves pigeon holed into roles and self-identities that are no longer serving them well. They would greatly benefit from the opportunity to engage in ‘mid-career identity development and career re-framing’
This programme aims to tap into a cohort of women, who, with appropriate sponsorship and support, have the potential to create a diverse succession pool for leadership positions.
The pilot programme ran from January to May 2022 with a total of ten candidates chosen from each of the three institutions to take part. A second phase of the pilot programme took place from September to December 2022 with five institutions involved (DCU, DkIT, University of Galway, UCC, UL, TCD).
Target Audience
The target audience for Vista is women (or those who identify as women) who are at a mid-stage of their career and looking to review and/or re-energise their career trajectory.
With this in mind, we are specifically inviting applications from women with at least 15 years experience in the workplace, either in Higher Education or with a blended work history. Applicants should have the ambition to progress their career either by taking on a new challenge and/or working towards a new opportunity or promotion in the next 12-18 months.
The programme is open to all colleagues including academic, professional, technical and research.
Further Information
After a successful pilot programme, DCU in collaboration with other programme partners, are considering ways to continue to build on the programme and ensure it is a sustainable offering for institutions in the future. The next phase of the programme has not yet been finalised, and the programme will not run during the 2023/24 academic year.
In the meantime, if you have any queries on your professional development here in DCU, please reach out to colleagues in Learning & Organisational Development (learning.development@dcu.ie).