Supporting Training, CPD and Staff Exchange for Business and Community Engagement Practitioners

This project is managed by Netskills under the "Enabling Change" strand of the JISC BCE programme. It will pilot, co-deliver and evaluate:

  • Training support in the use of technology and online tools for BCE, and technology-enabled enhancements to existing training and accreditation provision
  • BCE leadership, advocacy and staff exchange activities between BCE practitioners and information management, libraries and IT staff
  • Training enhancements which support the process and system needs of collaborative (cross-institutional) service provision

We are developing a series of tools to enable BCE practitioners to assess their own skills and to identify routes and opportunities to develop as professionals. A product of this will be an online catalogue of resources and materials available from the JISC Advance services that are of value to BCE practitioners. We will also be running a number of events around the country to promote this project and to highlight the resources that JISC Advance and other JISC-funded projects can make available.

This project is being run in collaboration with JISC TechDis, JISC InfoNet, JISC ProcureWeb, JISC Digital Media and JISC Legal with additional input from New Engineering Foundation and AURIL.

What skills do I need as a BCE practitioner?

A number of frameworks exist (such as those from Auril, the AUA, NEF and PRAXIS) that encapsulate the broad range of skills and aptitudes that BCE practitioners employ. These areas include:

  • Information and Communication skills
  • Relationship development and management
  • Project management
  • Working with the commercial sector
  • Legal issues
  • Problem solving and decision making
  • Leadership skills
  • Strategic Management

This project will deliver an online skills framework, developed in consultation with the above organisations, in which users can identify CPD opportunities.

How do I get those skills?

Current CPD opportunities include face-to-face training, conferences, team expertise sharing, online networking, staff exchange and online training. Our research suggests that face-to-face learning and staff sharing activities are the most popular and the most effective. JISC Advance Services support most of these approaches and have considerable expertise in these areas. This project will deliver innovative CPD in an innovative format.