About our network

The Early Careers Staff Network was established in October 2023. It was founded by a group of professional service staff early in their career, who wanted to create an informal space to develop, share best practice and network with others. Since then our network has grown to over 100 members and we are regularly holding events across the year. 

As a network we strive to promote a culture of ongoing professional development and support for staff members who are new to their career in higher education. This includes staff who are at the start of their professional career and/or new to the higher education sector, but we welcome anyone who feels they would benefit from becoming a member. 

Membership is open to all permanent and temporary staff at Â鶹ֱ²¥ University, LSU and campus partners, including interns, placement staff, and doctoral researchers. 

During our initial formation, we held a launch events at both the East Midlands and London campuses to find out more about what our members would like to see from our network. Three key themes were identified: 

  • The opportunity to network and socialise with people from across the university, including people that you would not usually meet as part of your day job
  • Continued professional development including upskilling of staff for the future, including on platforms such as LinkedIn
  • Career advice, including more sessions with guest speakers to talk about their journey to where they are now

As a committee we are implementing these through a series of events and networking opportunities. So far this has included: 

  • Informal networking opportunities to allow members to socialise with others across the University
  • 'What I wish I knew' event for Doctoral Researchers to share advice and best practice
  • Lunch and Learn session with the careers team focused around creating your personal brand