The future of working together in Wales: a shared vision. Euros Evans Chair AGCAS Cymru Wales MANY THANKS TO HELEN FOR THE WARM WELCOME AND PROVIDING US WITH SUCH AN EXCELLENT START TO THE CONFERENCE – SO MANY THANKS TODAYS WILL BE AN OPPORTUNITY TO GET TOGETHER – TO NETWORK – AND TO HELP SHAPE THE FURURE OF AGCAS CYMRU WALES BEFORE I SHARE WITH YOU SOME OF THE THINKING BEHIND WHY WE DECIDED TO ESTABLISH AGCAS CYMRU WALES I WOULD LIIKE TO TAKE THE TIME TO THANK THOSE WHO HAVE MADE TODAY POSSIBLE IT HIGHLIGHTS I THINK THE EXCELLENT COLLABORATIVE WORKING THAT ALREADY EXISTS IN WAES

1ST OF ALL I WOULD LIKE TO TAKE THE OPPORTUNITY OF THANKING ALL OF YOU FOR BEING HERE TODAY MANY NEW FACES AND SOME FAMILIAR ONES IF NOTHING ELSE TODAY WE HAVE SUCCEEDED IN BRINGING YOU TOGETHER OVER 90 DELEGATES WHICH IS FANTASTIC THE CULTURE WE WISH TO DEVELOP IS ONE OF SHARED COLLABORATION FOR ALL STAFF WHO WISH TO PARTICIPATE I HOPE THAT STARTS TODAY 2NDLY TODAYS EVENT HAS BEEN KINDLY SPONSORED BY TARGET CONNECT WE THANKS THEM FOR THEIR SUPPORT PARTIUCLARLY MARK BLYTHE – SO MANY THANKS 3RDLY OUR FIRST CONFERENCE WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN POSSIBLE WITHOUT AGCAS WHO ENTHUSISTICALLY SUPPORTED US FROM THE BEGINNING - AS PART OF THEIR REGINAL STRATEGY FOR OUR PORFESSIONAL ASSOCIATION ELAINE BOYCE (CHIEF EXECUTIVE) HAS ALWAYS PROVIDED SOUND ADVICE AND SUPPORT OUR NEXT SPEAKER SHELAGH GREEN WHO IS THE PRESIDENT OF AGCAS WILL PROVIDE US WITH THE NATIONAL CONTEXT - AND UPDATE US ON NEW DEVELOPMENTS WITHIN AGCAS … AND SCOTLAND (4TH) LAST OF ALL – A SMALL AND ENTHUSIASTIC WORKING GROUP HAS MADE TODAY POSSIBLE – IT HAS BEENA REAL COLLABOARTIVE EFFORT SO A BIG THANK YOU MUST GO TO JANE GOODFELLOW – VICE CHAIR OF AGCAS WALES WHO HAS BEEN A DRIVINGFORCE BEHIND ORGANISING THE CONFERENCE HOWEVER SHE HAS HAD A BETTER OFFER AND IS NOW IN CHINA ! MANY THANKS TO RHIAN AND SEAN FROM CARDIFF LLOYD WILLIAMS FROM USW SIAN FROM ABERYSTWYTH AND GARETH FROM SWANSEA LAST OF ALL A HUGE THANKS TO GEMMA AND STACEY FROM THE USW CONFRENECE TEAM FOR THEIR PATIENCE AND PROFESSIONAL ATTITUDE AT ALL TIMES SO AS YOU CAN APPRECIATE ORGANSIING THIS CONFERENCE WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN PSSIBLE WITHOUT A CONSIDERABLE AMOPUNT OF TEAM WORK

Building on success – Team Wales ! SOME BACKGROUND TO START WITH AT THE START OF THIS YEAR THE BOARD OF AGCAS AGREED TO ESTABLISH AGCAS CYMRU WALES WHICH REFLECTED THEIR STARTEGIC VISION FOR WORKING AT A REGIONAL LEVELS THIS WAS THEN ENDORSED BY ‘UNIVERSITIES WALES’ – THE VICE CHANCELLORS GROUP SINCE THEN WE HAVE SET OUR IMMEDIATE PRIORITIES FOR THE FIRST YEAR WHICH HAS CULMINATED IN THIS INAUGRAL CONFERENECE BUILDING ON SUCCESS – TEAM WALES AGCAS CYMRU WALES BUILDS ON A GREAT DEAL OF COLLABOARTIVE WORK WHICH HAS TRADITIONALLY BEEN A PART OF WORKING IN HIGHER EDUCATION INDEED I REMEMBER WHEN I STARTED WORKING IN HE BEING EXTREMELLY IMPRESSES WITH HOW SUPPORTIVE EVERYONE WAS AND THAT SHARING BEST PRACTISE WAS SUCH A POSITIVE BENEFIT AND A HUGE BONUS TO MY PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT IN WALES WHECS WAS ESTABLISHED SOME 20 YEARS AGO AS A COLLBORATIVE GROUP BY HEADS OF SERVICE AND REPRESENTED HE CAREERS SERVICES ACHIVEMENT’S HAVE INCLUDED DEVELOPING A PAN WALES PLACEMENT PROGRAMME WHICH DEVELOPED INTO GO WALES THE AGCAS BIENNIAL CONFERENCE WAS HOSTED HERE IN WALES IN 1999 IN JANUARY 2012 CARDIFF AS A CITY HOSTED THE AGCAS HEADS OF SERVICE CONFEREENCE WHECS HAS WORKED CLOSELY WITH WELSH GOVERNMENT AND HEFCW AND HAS HAD REPRESENATION ON REGIONAL AND NATIONAL GROUPS HOWEVER DURING THE LAST FEW YEARS WE HAVE SEEN A GREAT DEAL OF CHANG IN THE WORK WE DO AND CHALLENGES IN SOME RESPECTS THIS CAN FOCUS OR INTENTIONS ON INTERNAL PRIORITIES WITHIN OUR INSTITUTIONS WHICH CAN HAVE AN IMPACT ON THE PROFESSIONAL NETWORKING WE DO THE DANGER IS THAT WE BECOMETOO INWARD LOOKING AND FOR OUR PROFESSIONAL WORK IN RAISING THE ASPIRATIONS OF OUR STUDENTS THERE IS A DANGER IN DOING JUST THAT

Dimensions of Employability Curriculum Design & Delivery Work Experience Student Enterprise Strategic Integration NSS Graduate Outcomes Student Experience Careers Advice & Planning Employer events Online delivery Graduate Attributes Open Days Welcome Week Staff Development THE SERVICES WE PROVIDE ARE MORE DIVERSE NOW THAN EVER BEFORE AND WILL VARY IN HOW THEY AR BEEING DELEVERED DEPENDING ON THE PRIORITIES OF OUR INSTITUTIONS IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER THEY INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING AND REFLECT THE STUDENT JOURNEY ... OUR WORK HAS VERY MUCH INFORMED TODAYS CONFERENCE PROGRAMME THESE ARE COMPLEX AND OFTEN CHALLENGING ISSUES SUPPORING EACH OTHER WITH DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES IS SOMETHING WHICH WILL UNDERPIN THE DEVELOPMENT OF AGCAS CYMRU WALES

Why AGCAS Cymru Wales ? WHECS AFTER 20 YEARS NEEDED TO BE REFRESHED REPRESENTED JUST THE HEADS OF SERVICES NEEDED TO BE MORE INCLUSIVE OF ALL STAFF MANY NEW STAFF START STRATEGIC FIT WITH THE DIRECTION OF TRAVEL FOR AGCAS AND THE REGIOAL AGENDA MAYBE OTHER INIATIVES HAVE HIJACKED OTHER OPPORTUNITEIS FOR COLLABORATION THE TIME SEEMS TO BE RIGHT TO GIVE IT A GO TODAY IS ANENDORSEMENT OF THAT

What are our priorities ! Research Projects Collective Voice Professional Development OUR SHORT TERM PRIORITIES INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING PROFFESIONAL DEVELOPMENT THROUGH COLLABOARTION – WITHIN WALES AND CONNECTED NATIOANLLY THROUGH AGCAS A SURVEY WAS CONDICTED ON THE TRAINING NEEDS OF STAFF AND THI S HAS INFORMED SOME OF OUR THINKING THE SESSIOJN THI AFTERNOON WIL COVER THIS IN MORE DETAIL 2. APPLIED RESEARCH – POTENTIAL FOR INFLUENCING SOME CRITICAL ASPECTS OF POLICY MAKING IN RELATION TO EMPLOYABILITY EXAMPLE – RELATED TO GRADAUATE OUTCOMES IN WALES / DEPRAVATION AND ASPIRATION – AN ISSUE ALSO FOR HE STUDENTS 3.PR AND COMMUNICATION – PROMOTE THE WORK WE DO AND THE VALUE OF HE AN INDEPENDENT VOICE DEVELOPMENT OF ONLINE PLATFORMS AND SOCIAL MEDIA

A shared vision ! Expert organisation for higher education in relation to student career development and graduate employment We support the best possible outcomes not only for individuals but our institutions, society and the economy Recognised as the expert organisation for policy development in relation to employability Professional standards and development Collaborative projects and applied research WE HAVE DEVELOPED A DRAFT TERM OF REFERENCE CONNECTED TO THE AGCAS VISION SEE ABOVE LIST

Shaping the future ! Collaboration which benefits us as individuals, our students and institutions - Inclusive professional networking Sharing best practise Working Groups Conferences and training events Shaping the future together Informed research & development Sharing expertise and resources Influence on regional and sector policy Enabling and supporting the work you do Enrichment and a broader perspective SHAPING THE FUTURE WHAT BENEFITS SHOULD YOU GET OUT OF TODFAY SEE LIST CERATINLY A SENSE EOF BELONGING TO A WIDER GROUP OUTSIDE YOUR INSITITION WHICH CAN HELP THE WORK YOU DO FOR YOUR INSTITUTION

Have an enjoyable & useful day ! THIS CAN ALL START TODAY NOW IS A GRAET OPPORTUNITY TO NETWORK AND BUILD RELATIONSHIPS IT GIVES YOU A VOICE IN SHAPING THE FUTURE OF AGCAS CYMRU WALES AND GIVES YOUSOME OWNERSHIP WHICH WILL HELP YOU WITH YOUR OWN DEVELOPMENT HAVE A GREAT DAY !