The ACU recently launched the Administrative Staff Training Initiative (ASTI), designed in association with the UK’s Staff and Educational Development Association (SEDA), to provide training for university administrators in developing countries.

The training programme runs for about three months, comprising a workshop and post-workshop projects. The programme aims to help participants identify ways they can contribute more effectively to their institution’s wider development. It is currently being piloted with a group of African university administrators who are mostly in middle-management level positions, and based in central offices within their respective institutions.

The workshop for this year’s programme, took place last week (1-5 June 2015), at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London.

Following the success of the workshop, the participants have returned to their respective institutions, to work on their projects and will report on outcomes in early September.

For some years, the role of university administrators has been undervalued in several parts of the world. Often, little training exists, and even less is accredited. With the introduction of the ASTI training, the ACU hopes it can change this position, by enabling administrators to contribute directly to the design of key policies and procedures.

For further information contact Roz Grimmitt, SEDA Administrator, by email [email protected] 

To look at photos from the workshop, check out the ACU’s Flickr account.