February 20, 2018

Conference prepares administrative staff for roles of tomorrow

UOW administrative staff encouraged to 'be future ready'. 

More than 100 administrative staff from across the University of Wollongong (UOW) were welcomed to the Innovation Campus last week (Thursday 15 February) for a day of developmental opportunities and networking.

The biennial UOW Administrative Professionals Conference, organised by Professional Organisation and Development Services (PODS), provides an invaluable opportunity for staff to network, collaborate, learn and share ideas.

The conference theme, 'Be Future Ready', highlighted the key forces shaping the work of administrative staff and how this is likely to impact roles into the future, with renowned learning and development strategist Michelle Ockers delivering the keynote presentation.

Attendees participated in a range of workshops, including working smart with MS Outlook, how to rock your LinkedIn profile, an exploration of different career pathways at the University, future technology at UOW and how to develop a growth mindset.

The event provided administrative professionals with the opportunity to network, collaborate, learn and share ideas. In addition to a keynote conference by UOW Chief Administrative Officer, Melva Crouch CSM, attendees were given the opportunity to engage with UOW learning partners LinkedIn Learning, who informed participants about how to network externally and promote University initiatives.

UOW Vice-Chancellor, Professor Paul Wellings CBE, attended the conference to present the Administrative Professionals Excellence Awards, with 22 nominations from faculties and divisions across the University.

Suzana Kouzan, Teaching and Learning Coordinator from the Faculty of Social Sciences, took out top prize, while Karen Ford, Executive Assistant from the Centre for Medical Radiation Physics within the Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences, and Tracy Creal, Administrative Assistant from the School of Education within the Faculty of Social Sciences, were presented as this year's runners up (Highly Commended).

During the conference PODS also launched two new learning resources; UOW KnowHow, a gold-winning resource that provides just in time access to high quality online resources, as well as the Career Pathways Project which allows professional services staff to explore career pathway opportunities at UOW.