'Preparing Students for the Professional World’  Ideas & Practices Sharing Conference

for University of Surrey Staff, Friday December 10^th 2010

This one day conference was organised by PTCC & SCEPTrE to encourage the sharing of good ideas and practices that are known to be effective within the community of professionals involved in helping students develop their professional capability.

Our ability to prepare students so that they a) get good jobs when they graduate, and b) are prepared for their chosen professional careers, is our most distinctive educational feature. But the world is changing fast and if we want to keep this distinctiveness we cannot rely on replicating what we have done in the past, we have to move forward consolidating and building upon practices that work and are cost effective.  Actively seeking new and better ways through experimentation and innovation

The conference set out to engage everyone who is involved in supporting the professional training enterprise and to encourage the sharing of established or new practices and ideas in five thematic areas:

1) Effective and efficient ways of managing and administering professional training

2) Effective and efficient ways of supporting, advising, mentoring or coaching students on placement.

3) Effective ways of using technology to enhance communication and interaction of students while they are on placement, and to help them prepare for their  

    placement experience and facilitate the transitions into and out of the placement experience

4) Effective learning, teaching and support strategies that help students develop their capability for being an effective professional.

These themes embrace the roles of everyone who participates in the professional training / clinical placement enterprise – teachers, professional training tutors and senior tutors, visit tutors, administrative and support staff and students.

Professor Neil Ward Conference Chair & Chair of Professional Training and Careers Committee

Programme    

12.00  Welcome and introduction Professor Neil Ward Chair PTCC

“SCEPTrE perspectives on Professional Training and the development of capability for being an effective professional”                                  Professor Norman Jackson           

12.45   Lunch SCEPTrE Reception (for PT Community)

13.30   Sharing Practice Pitches 5 min mini presentations + 5 -10 mins Q&A – can be illustrated using a poster, video clip or a small number of slides

15.00   Break (tea and coffee)

15.30   “Professional Training in the New Decade – Open Discussion”  Professor Neil Ward

16.00   Finish