Nominations have now closed for the 2023-2024 round of the Women's Leadership programme Aurora. 

The deadline for expressions of interest was on Wednesday 9th August 2023. 

About Aurora

Aurora is a development programme run by AdvanceHE for individuals who identify as a woman and are in the early stages of their careers-normally up to senior lecturer level or an equivalent grade in professional services-who would like to develop and explore issues relating to leadership roles and responsibilities. 

Aurora is an opportunity for women to build strong peer networks with women from across the higher education sector, giving them the support and encouragement they need throughout all stages of their career. The programme consists of ongoing mentoring and development days, held online and spread over four months, plus 1 in person event. The scheme focuses on the following:

• Identity, Impact and Voice
• Power and Politics
• Core Leadership Skills
• Adaptive Leadership Skills
• Action Learning Sets
• a face-to-face day - 'Your Future in HE'
• Optional networking sessions

You can find our more about the scheme on the Advance HE Aurora website here.

How does the scheme work

• The scheme is split into cohorts each covering a different geographic area.

• You can apply to any geographic cohort, but please note that you will be committing to attend the relevant in person event for that cohort. Expenses incurred will need to be signed off by covered by your department/faculty/directorate, so please take this into consideration when choosing a cohort.

• You will attend 7 online sessions, and 1 in person session (location dependent on cohort).
• King’s would expect those taking part in the scheme to share what they learnt on the scheme with their colleagues upon completion and play a proactive role in supporting the development of peers (for example supporting the King’s More than Mentoring programme).
• Find out more on the Aurora FAQs page here.

How places are allocated

• Applicants can apply to any one of the 'Aurora cohorts' for 2023-24, each covers a different geographic area. Please note dates vary between each cohort.
• The cost for each place on the scheme will be £1025.
• In the first instance we ask King's applicants to obtain funding for their place from their department, faculty or directorate.
• If you are unable to obtain funding locally please contact the Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Team at the earliest opportunity. In exceptional circumstances we may be able to offer partial or full support. This will be dependent on the number of requests received and the merits of each application.

How to apply for a place

• Please check that you are available for the relevant cohort dates, a full list can be found here.
• The deadline for expressions of interest is 12:00BST on Wednesday 9th August 2023.
• Complete the King’s expression of interest form here before the deadline.
• If you have any questions about the scheme, please complete our EDI enquiry form here. 

We would like to see diverse cohorts of women participating in Aurora, and we especially welcome applications from underrepresented communities such as Black, Asian, Minority Ethnic, Disabled and LGBTQ+ people.

B-MEntor is a cross-institutional London-wide mentoring scheme for academic, professional service and research staff from Black, Asian, Mixed and minority ethnic backgrounds. It is run by University College London in partnership with King’s College London, Queen Mary University of London, St George’s University of London, University of the Arts London, the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS)

The programme supports King’s Race Equality Action Plan, specifically our commitment to attract, appoint and invest in talent.

The mentoring period is approximately one year, and a training and support package is offered for all participants. The deadline to register is the 4^th January 2024. There are two schemes-one for academic and research staff, and one for professional services staff. Please see below for information about each scheme.

Please contact the B-MEntor team if you have any queries about this scheme. A complete list of FAQs can be found on the B-MEntor webpage.

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Academic and research staff

The requirements for participation in the programme are as follows:

• Mentors: must be at Senior Lecturer, Associate Professor/Reader or Professorial level. Mentors can be from any ethnic background.
• Mentees: should be at Post-Doctoral to Lecturer level and self-identify as being from a Black, Asian, Mixed or minority ethnic background, i.e. not white European.

Mentees and Mentors must be available for the mandatory online training on one of the following dates:

• Mentee Training: Wednesday 6^th December at 14:00-15:30 or Wednesday 10^th January at 14:00-15:30
• Mentor Training: Wednesday 13th December 2023 at 14:00-15:30 or Wednesday 17^th January at 14:00-15:30

Academic Registration:

• Mentee Registration
• Mentor Registration

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Professional services staff

The requirements for participation in the programme are as follows:

• Mentors must be professional services staff from any ethnic background, from first-line managers (managing one person) to senior management – this is normally grades 6-8
• Mentees should be professional services staff up to the level of first-line managers (managing one person) – this is normally grades 1-6, and self-identify as being from a Black, Asian, Mixed or minority ethnic background, i.e., not white European.

Mentees and Mentors must be available for the mandatory online training on one of the following dates:

• Mentee Training: Thursday 7^th December at 10:00-11:30 or Thursday 11^th January at 10:00-11:30
• Mentor Training: Thursday 14^th December at 10:00-11:30 or Thursday 18^th January at 10:00-11:30

Professional Services Registration:

• Mentee Registration
• Mentor Registration

More than Mentoring is a mentoring scheme with a difference. We know of the value and many benefits of mentoring, this scheme offers this and more: the opportunity to network and develop a community through training, workshops and events.

Our one-of-a-kind positive action scheme gives staff the opportunity to be paired with a colleague within King’s for mentorship. Where possible, we match mentors and mentees with shared lived experience to enable a deeper understanding and connection between participants. Mentor pairs are encouraged to meet at least once a month for 5 months, (February- July) and attend our workshops and events which are designed to upskill and build a mentoring community.

For potential mentees, this is a great opportunity for you to connect with a mentor who can offer insight, advice, opportunity – and help you navigate the next stage of your career. King’s recognises that staff who identify as women, LGBTQ+ or have a disability, and those from Black and Minority Ethnic backgrounds are significantly underrepresented at senior level. Therefore, the More than Mentoring scheme prioritises these groups to take part.

For potential mentors, this is a great opportunity to give back, become a better leader, and refine your own skills and networks. In the past, the scheme has received more applications to be mentored rather than to be a mentor. We would encourage all the King’s community to consider whether they could undertake the mentor role. It can be easy to doubt what you have to offer, but many of us have valuable skills which could be shared and benefit others. You can read more about the benefits of mentoring and hear directly from our past mentors by reading our Blog on EDI Mentoring Schemes.

Recruitment for the 2023 intake of More than Mentoring closed in February 2023 and the scheme is currently underway. 

Recruitment for the next intake of this scheme will open in the Autumn of 2023.

Mutual mentoring’ distinguishes itself from the traditional model of ‘top-down mentoring’, and from ‘reverse mentoring’.  In the Mutual Mentoring scheme, everyone is a mentor (and everyone is a mentee). ​

To support the career development of staff from underrepresented groups, senior leaders share their professional experience and ideas, supporting their Lived Experience Mentor and passing on learnings. Senior Leadership Mentors are expected to act as sponsors for their mentor, enabling access to useful networks and support. ​

Lived Experience Mentors help senior leaders to develop self-confidence and knowledge of their chosen area of EDI. The primary purpose of Mutual Mentoring is to aid personal and professional development for both partners. ​

By creating open and honest discussion, we hope that both partners will bring their learning to work, resulting in more staff progressing within their careers, and feeling enabled to do so. ​

The third wave of Mutual Mentoring has been postponed.

For questions please complete our EDI enquiry form here.