AHEP Events

Using AI in professional services: where it helps and where it doesn't

AI is already drafting letters, summarising casework and ranking applications in professional services teams across the sector. The tools are fast and fluent. When they get something wrong, the error usually surfaces months later, found by the person it affected at an appeal, a complaint or a subject access request. This webinar, led by Craig Clark, Lead Consultant with AHEP Consulting, sets out where AI earns its place in professional services work and where it brings more risk than it saves. It explains why a secure, licensed tool can still produce an inaccurate or unfair result, and the principle that holds throughout: AI changes who does the work, but never who is accountable for it. Attendees will leave with: A clear view of where AI helps in professional services, and where it should stay out of the decision A six-question test to judge any use of AI they are asked to adopt or sign off An understanding of why a secure tool is not necessarily a compliant one

Open to AHEP members and non-members. Counts towards the AHEP Professional Framework: Responsible practice; Wider context.

Webinar: Invest now or pay later? The future of professional services in higher education

HEPI is hosting a webinar on Thursday 12 November to explore the findings of The invisible majority (HEPI Report 205), a study of the professional and support staff who make up 56 per cent of the UK higher education workforce and 48 per cent of its pay bill. These staff run student services, maintain buildings, manage research grants and operate digital systems. Yet most institutions respond to financial pressure through restructuring, hiring freezes and outsourcing, cutting the very capability they need to recover. Hosted with support from TechnologyOne and AHEP Consulting.

Focusing on what you can control at work

When change keeps coming, it is easy to feel that everything is being decided somewhere else and that there is little you can do about it. This one hour session, led by Amanda Owen-Meehan, Consulting Director at AHEP Consulting, is about small, practical steps rather than big changes. You will look at what is on your mind, separate what is in your hands from what is not, and choose one or two small things to act on this week. Expect to work through your own situation rather than listen to a talk. For a longer look at keeping your energy up through repeated change, Staying resilient through repeated change runs on Thursday 26 November. Attendees will leave with: A clear view of what is in their hands and what is not One or two small actions to take this week A quick check to use whenever the next change lands

Open to AHEP members and non-members.

Getting the most from your AHEP membership

Most of what AHEP membership offers is there whenever you need it. This 45 minute session, led by Amanda Owen-Meehan with the AHEP team, takes you through what your membership includes and how to make it work for your development: recording your CPD against the AHEP Professional Framework, using the self-assessment to plan your next steps, joining a Special Interest Group or regional network, and what it takes to become an Accredited member or Fellow. It is for any member who wants to know more about the benefits of their membership. Attendees will leave with: Their CPD record set up and their first entries logged A clear view of the next membership level to aim for, and what an application involves A Special Interest Group or regional network to join

AHEP Members Only

Ask the consultant: leading your team through a restructure

Part of Ask the consultant, AHEP’s monthly series of free lunchtime drop-ins for members. Leading a team through a restructure means managing your own uncertainty while helping others with theirs. This drop-in gives managers 45 minutes with Neal Chamberlain of AHEP Consulting to talk through the questions that come with it: what to tell your team before decisions are final, how to keep the work going while roles change, and how to support people whose jobs are at risk. How it works Send your question when you book. You can also come along just to listen. Neal will group similar questions and answer as many as possible in the time, with others picked up in the chat. Questions are discussed without names or identifying details, and the session is not recorded. Cameras are optional.

AHEP Members Only

Making a bigger role work after a restructure

Restructures often leave roles broader than they were: new responsibilities, a team absorbed from elsewhere, a new manager, and less time to work any of it out. Respondents to The Invisible Majority (HEPI Report 205) described roles that had grown well beyond their original scope. This two hour workshop is for staff who have come through a restructure with a bigger role and want to make it work. It covers how to get a clear view of what the job now involves, where to focus first, how to agree priorities with your manager, and how to make the value of your work visible. Attendees will leave with: A clear picture of what the role now involves and where to focus first A plan for agreeing priorities with their manager A simple way to record the impact of their work, for appraisal and their next career step

Open to AHEP members and non-members

New to higher education: how a university works

Universities run on structures, calendars and acronyms that nobody explains on day one. Who is a Pro Vice-Chancellor and who is a Dean? Why does everything stop in some weeks and peak in others? What does everyone in the meeting mean by REF, NSS and HESA? This free one-hour session is for professional services staff in their first year or two in higher education. It covers the basic shape of a university, who does what, how the academic year runs and where it breaks its own pattern, and the terms you will hear most. It includes a live activity and a jargon buster you can keep adding to. It is the first session of AHEP's new Introduction to Higher Education series, which runs from January 2027. Booking for the full series opens at the end of the session. Attendees will leave with: A clear picture of how a university is organised and who does what An understanding of the academic year and its pressure points A jargon buster to keep and add to

Open to AHEP members and non-members

Staying resilient through repeated change

Restructures, new systems and shifting priorities have become a constant in professional services, and the strain builds up. The Invisible Majority (HEPI Report 205) found change had affected 79% of staff earning under £40,000 negatively. This 90 minute session is for anyone in professional services feeling the effect of change that keeps coming. Led by Dr Maria Kukhareva, whose doctoral research whose doctoral research is on resilience as a resourcefulness framework, it looks at what resilience is and is not, what drains you and what restores you at work, and how to protect your energy without switching off from the job. Attendees will leave with: An understanding of what resilience is, and why it is not about toughing it out A personal map of what drains and what restores them at work Practical steps to look after themselves through the rest of the academic year

Open to AHEP members and non-members

Ask the consultant: using coaching skills with your team

Part of Ask the consultant, AHEP’s monthly series of free drop-ins for members. A coaching approach helps the people you manage work through problems themselves rather than bringing every problem to you. This drop-in gives managers 45 minutes with Dr Maria Kukhareva of AHEP Consulting, to talk through how to use coaching in everyday management: asking rather than telling, helping someone find their own way forward, and knowing when coaching is the right approach and when it is not. How it works Send your question when you book. You can also come along just to listen. Maria will group similar questions and answer as many as possible in the time, with others picked up in the chat. Questions are discussed without names or identifying details, and the session is not recorded. Cameras are optional.

Members only

Managing AI in a process you are responsible for

AI is arriving in registry, casework and student services faster than most institutions have agreed how to manage it. If a process is yours, so is the outcome, whatever tool helped produce it. This two hour workshop, led by Craig Clark, Lead Consultant with AHEP Consulting, is for managers and process owners in registry, student services, HR, finance, quality or governance who use AI, or are being asked to consider it, in a process they are accountable for. It gives you a straightforward way to decide where AI fits and how to run it well. Bring a real process, test it against six questions that show how much risk it carries, and leave knowing what checks and oversight it needs before it goes live. Attendees will leave with: The questions to answer before committing to AI in a process: what problem it solves, what data it touches and what the supplier can actually evidence A risk rating for their own process, and a clear call on whether it needs standard checks, enhanced checks, or AI kept out of the decision altogether A verification and labelling approach matched to the consequence for the person affected A route for correcting errors found later, and a clear view of which AI prompts and outputs fall within subject access and Freedom of Information requests

Open to AHEP members and non-members. Counts towards the AHEP Professional Framework: Responsible practice; Results and accountability.

Leading and influencing when you don't manage anyone

Much of professional services work means getting things done through people you don't manage: academics, colleagues in other teams, committees and senior staff. Many staff lead projects, coordinate change and advise decision-makers long before they have a team of their own. This two hour workshop is for professional services staff who need to lead and influence without line management responsibility. It covers where your influence comes from when it isn't your job title, how to build working relationships across the academic and professional services divide, how to move a proposal through a committee or a senior colleague, and how to lead a piece of work with people who don't report to you. Attendees will leave with: A map of the people they need to influence, and where their own credibility comes from A plan for one piece of work they need to move forward without formal authority Practical approaches for committees, senior colleagues and cross-team projects

Open to AHEP members and non-members. Counts towards the AHEP Professional Framework: Working together; Empowering development.

Managing performance in your team

Performance is easier to manage through regular conversations than at the annual review, but the review is often where it gets left. By then, small issues that a conversation could have settled have become harder to put right. This two hour workshop, led by Neal Chamberlain of AHEP Consulting, who [Neal to add one line on his performance management work], is for managers who want to help their team perform well and deal with problems early and fairly. It covers setting clear expectations, holding regular conversations about performance, working out what is behind a drop in performance, and knowing when informal support is no longer enough. Attendees will leave with: A simple structure for regular performance conversations A way to work out what is behind a drop in performance, and how to respond A clear view of when and how to move from informal support to their institution’s formal process

Open to AHEP members and non-members. Counts towards the AHEP Professional Framework: Results and accountability; Empowering development

Planning your next career move in higher education

Careers in professional services rarely follow a straight line. Promotion often depends on a vacancy appearing, and many people move sideways, across functions, or through projects and secondments before they move up. The Invisible Majority (HEPI Report 205) found that development routes are often unclear, particularly after restructuring. This two hour workshop is for professional services staff who want to plan their next step rather than wait for one. It covers how to take stock of your skills and experience, how careers in higher education professional services actually move, how to identify the role you want next and what stands between you and it, and how to close those gaps through projects, shadowing and development. Attendees will leave with: A clear view of their strengths and the experience they can build on A target next role, and the gaps to close before applying A development plan for the next twelve months

Open to AHEP members and non-members. Counts towards the AHEP Professional Framework: Empowering development.

Student Experience and Engagement SIG Sip & Share – Welcome Week Debrief

SIG Sip & Share focuses on a specific Student Experience and Engagement topic, creating an informal space for networking, discussion, and knowledge sharing. So if you survived Welcome Week on the front line, supported it behind the scenes, or are simply keen to learn more about Welcome Week and Orientation programs, this is the perfect opportunity to step away from your emails, grab your favourite drink, and join us for our first SIG Sip & Share. We’ll be reflecting on the highs, memorable moments, challenges, and everything in between. Join the conversation to celebrate successes, share lessons learned, exchange ideas, and gather inspiration for future Welcome Week and Orientation programs. Whether you gained a new best practice, a funny story, or a few extra grey hairs, come share your experience with other AHEP Members and feel reassured that everyone else’s plans changed at least once too! Please note: This session will not be recorded to encourage open and candid discussion.

SEE SIG Members

Managing People - the problems and the fixes

Open to Education, Administration and Management SIG Members. During this session he will discuss frequently asked questions including how to: • Plan interactions and support for staff in a way that provides a clear pathway to high performing teams • Address underperformance and know what to do with 'Can't do' vs 'Won't do' situations • Manage challenging behaviours, including repeated, minor issues through a 'core competencies' approach.

Open to Education Administration and Management SIG Members.