Accelerating women's careers: define and achieve your career ambitionsÂ
A transformative, in-person programme to achieve career progression
WHEN's Career Accelerator is a proven, credible career development programme where you can:
- explore what's important to you
- define your ambitions
- translate ambition into achievable plans
- draw on the power of community and build meaningful connections through face to face engagement
Career development that really works
A unique opportunity: This is going to be the most inclusive, supportive and impactful environment for developing your career that you might have ever experienced, we say with absolute confidence.Â
Proven impact: 380 women across the sector have experienced this so far, with transformative outcomes. We are contacted on a weekly basis with stories of progression from our previous cohort members.Â
Achieve clarity: You will leave our programme with clear sense of what exactly your ambitions are and a clear plan of the next steps you need to take in order to make progress.Â
Career coaches: We respect and value your time, and make the most of every minute you have chosen to prioritise your own development. We achieve this by organising participants into peer groups of up to six women, each facilitated by a career coach.
Embedding: The in person workshop is framed by coaching exercises to start your reflection and in-person, coach-led action learning sets to sustain your momentum.Â
Three ways to experience the programme
1. Bespoke, in-house
We believe in the power of networking and want to encourage you to build strong, peer group networks within your own university. That's why our preference is to deliver the programme in your university to a cohort of up to 30 women. There is no overnight stay required so that women can return to their homes, just like a normal working day.Â
2. Semi-bespoke, regionalÂ
Based on demand, we have created the option of a regional programme, whereby your university can partner with other local universities to deliver a cohort for up to 30 women. There is no overnight stay required so that women can return to their homes, just like a normal working day.Â
3. Open-enrolment, nationalÂ
We are listening to your feedback and after more than 400 requests from individual women wanting to attend the programme, we have decided to run a pilot open cohort open to all women from across the sector. This programme includes two overnights at a hotel in Leicestershire.Â
Option 1 & 2: Programme cohorts for universities
We work with a range of universities to offer targeted Career Accelerator training as an in-house programme, for groups of up to 30 women.
Interested in offering a session for your staff?
Course structure
Option 3: Programme for individuals
For the first time, we are offering the chance for individual women to sign up for our unique career development programme. Ideally, we would like to see six women attending from one University, so that a local peer group can be formed. Where that's not possible, we will aim to cluster participants based on their place of work in the country to support networking opportunities.
- Key dates: 7th - 9th May 2025
- Programme location: The Midlands (more information coming soon)Â
- Programme fee: ÂŁ2,195 + VAT
Course structure
What do women say about this programme?
So far, we've supported 350 women from all levels and roles on the programme, some of whom have attended the Aurora programme, Springboard or another university advancement programme; for others, this is the first time they’ve invested in their own development.
Here's what they got from the Career Accelerator programme:
Transformation
“I’d accepted that I’d reached the ceiling of my career and there was no point because I’d already tried and failed...I joined the WHEN programme, to tick a box for my appraisal form. It’s been eye-opening and heartbreaking, and I feel like my heart is beating again and I’ve finally found my community.”
Strategic approach
“I finally understand how to be strategic in my career, rather than reactive. I feel proud.”
“I think the biggest difference is that I don’t want my career to be something that just happens to me, I want to be in control of it and I’m feeling braver."
Motivation
“I would recommend this programme to all. It allows you to dedicate quality time to visit your inner self and gives you the motivation to adopt a different outlook and the drive to pursue whatever you wish in your career path without focusing on boundaries and limitations, but instead on your own qualities.”
