Reports

Joint Report of the Council and the General Board on the governance of the Careers Service

The Council and the General Board beg leave to report to the University as follows:

1. In November 2016, the Council agreed to conduct a review of the Careers Service. A report setting out the conclusions of the Review Committee was received by the General Board and the Council in July 2017. The Review made nine recommendations, which were broadly welcomed by the Council and the General Board. These included a recommendation proposing changes to the arrangements for oversight of the Service. This Report makes recommendations for the implementation of revised governance arrangements, which are in alignment with the Review Committee’s objectives and findings.

2. The Council and the General Board endorse the Review Committee’s recommendation that the governance of the Careers Service should be amended, and agree with the proposals to establish an executive body responsible to the General Board and Council, supported by an advisory body. This recommendation is also supported by the Chair of the Careers Service Syndicate and the Director of the Careers Service.

3. The Council considers that the Careers Service should have direct accountability to the General Board and Council, given (i) its highly significant role in supporting students, postdoctoral researchers, and alumni, and (ii) the increasing focus on career destinations and employability as a Key Performance Indicator for the University, for example, in securing Research Council funding and as part of the assessment for an award in the Teaching Excellence Framework.

4. The Council further considers that the Director of the Careers Service should be assisted in her or his duties through improved integration into the strategic and financial planning processes of the University.

5. The Council and the General Board propose that a new Careers Service Committee is established as the executive body providing greater accountability, and that the Syndicate, which already provides a forum for the Service’s stakeholders, becomes the advisory body.

6. Other recommendations of the Review will be taken forward separately, under the supervision of the General Board and its Education Committee.

7. The Council and the General Board recommend:

I. That a Careers Service Committee be created, reporting jointly to the Council and the General Board, and that regulations for the Careers Service Committee, as set out in Annex A to this Report, be approved.

II. That the revised regulations for the Careers Service Syndicate, as set out in Annex B to this Report, be approved.

11 December 2017	Stephen Toope, Vice-Chancellor	Alice Hutchings	Michael Proctor
	Richard Anthony	Darshana Joshi	Philippa Rogerson
	Daisy Eyre	Fiona Karet	John Shakeshaft
	Anthony Freeling	Umang Khandelwal	Susan Smith
	Nicholas Gay	Stuart Laing	Sara Weller
	David Greenaway	Mark Lewisohn	Mark Wormald
	Nicholas Holmes	Susan Oosthuizen	Jocelyn Wyburd

29 November 2017	Stephen Toope, Vice-Chancellor	Darshana Joshi	Helen Thompson
	Philip Allmendinger	Martha Krish	Graham Virgo
	Abigail Fowden	Martin Millett	Mark Wormald
	David Good	Richard Prager
	A. L. Greer	Susan Rankin

ANNEX A – Careers Service Committee Terms of Reference

Careers Service Committee

1. There shall be a Careers Service Committee of the Council and the General Board which shall be responsible for the administration of the Careers Service.

2. The Committee shall consist of:

(a)the Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Education) as Chair;

(b)two members of the Careers Service Syndicate appointed by the Council;

(c)a member appointed by the General Board from among its members;

(d)a member appointed by the Senior Tutors’ Committee from among its members;

(e)a member appointed by the Graduate Tutors’ Committee from among its members;

(f)a member appointed by the Committee on the nomination of the Postdocs of Cambridge Society;

(g)a member of the University in statu pupillari[1] or an elected officer of Cambridge University Students’ Union, appointed by the Committee on the nomination of Cambridge University Students’ Union;

(h)a member of the University in statu pupillari[1] or an elected officer of the Graduate Union, appointed by the Committee on the nomination of the Graduate Union;

(i)no more than three persons co-opted by the Committee.

3. Members in class (b) shall serve for a period concurrent with their appointment to the Careers Service Syndicate and shall cease to be members of the Committee on ceasing to be members of the Syndicate. Members in classes (c), (d), and (e) shall be appointed in the Michaelmas Term for four years from 1 January following their appointment. Members in class (f) shall be appointed in the Michaelmas Term for three years from 1 January following their appointment. Members in classes (g) and (h) shall be appointed in the Michaelmas Term for the remainder of that academical year. Members in class (i) shall be appointed for such period as the Committee shall determine.

4. The Chair and five other members shall constitute a quorum of the Committee.

5. The Director of the Careers Service shall act as Secretary of the Committee.

6. It shall be the duty of the Committee:

(a)to oversee delivery of the long-term strategy for the Careers Service, as determined by the General Board;

(b)to manage resources available to progress overall strategy;

(c)to oversee the operation of the Careers Service;

(d)to consult as necessary with other parts of the University engaged in supporting and developing students and postdoctoral researchers, to ensure appropriateness and continuous improvement of service;

(e)to make an Annual Report to the General Board and the Council, and provide such other reports as may be required from time to time.

7. The Committee shall meet at least once each term.

8. The Committee, or a subset thereof, shall form the Appointments Committee responsible for appointment of the Director of the Careers Service, and for other such appointments in the Careers Service as the Committee may decide. For the appointment or reappointment of the Director of the Careers Service, the Registrary, or a duly appointed deputy, shall act as Secretary to the Appointments Committee. For any other appointment, the Director of the Careers Service, or a duly appointed deputy, shall act as Secretary to the Appointments Committee.

9. The provisions of Special Ordinance A (vii) 5 concerning reserved business shall apply to the Committee as if it were a body constituted by Statute.

Staff of the Careers Service

1. There shall be the University office of Director of the Careers Service and such number of University offices of Careers Adviser as may be determined from time to time by the Council on the recommendation of the Careers Service Committee. The Director shall act as Secretary of the Careers Service Committee. The Director may designate one of the Careers Advisers as Deputy Director of the Careers Service.

2. The Director and any other University officer on the staff of the Careers Service shall be resident in the University during term and for four weeks in the Long Vacation.

ANNEX B – Revised Regulations for the Careers Service Syndicate

Careers Service Syndicate

1. There shall be a Careers Service Syndicate which shall consist of:

(a)the Vice-Chancellor (or a duly appointed deputy) as Chair;

(b)four members of the Regent House appointed by the Council;

(c)twelve members of the Regent House nominated by the Colleges, in sequential rotation;

(d)the members of the Careers Service Committee in classes (f), (g), and (h);

(e)not more than twelve persons co-opted by the Syndicate, to include members of employer organizations and the postdoctoral community.

Members in class (b) shall be appointed in the Michaelmas Term to serve for four years from 1 January following their appointment. Members in class (c) shall be appointed in the Michaelmas Term to serve for three years from 1 January following their appointment, four being appointed each year. The order of rotation of Colleges for the nomination of members in class (c) shall be as follows:

Christ’s College, Churchill College, Clare Hall, Clare College, Corpus Christi College, Lucy Cavendish College, Downing College, Emmanuel College, Darwin College, Fitzwilliam College, Gonville and Caius College, Girton College, Jesus College, King’s College, Hughes Hall, Magdalene College, Pembroke College, Murray Edwards College, Peterhouse, Queens’ College, St Edmund’s College, Robinson College, St Catharine’s College, Newnham College, St John’s College, Selwyn College, Wolfson College, Sidney Sussex College, Trinity College, Trinity Hall, Homerton College.

Members in class (e) shall be appointed in the Lent Term to serve for four years from 1 October following their appointment.

2. There shall be at least one meeting of the Syndicate in each academical year.

3. The duties of the Syndicate shall be:

(a)to provide information and advice about careers for all members of the University;

(b)to establish and organize means of communication between members of the University who are seeking employment and employers;

(c)to advise the Careers Service Committee on provision of careers advice and guidance, taking into account external and regulatory factors and market conditions in key employment areas;

(d)to promote the exchange of ideas between members of the University and representatives of other organizations on matters affecting the employment of graduate and postdoctoral members of the University, in particular by holding seminars and other informal meetings from time to time;

(e)to report annually to the Careers Service Committee on its activities and to make recommendations relating to provision of careers advice and guidance.

4. The following shall be paid to the funds of the Syndicate:

(a)contributions from organizations and individuals in aid of the purposes of the Syndicate;

(b)payments made in respect of commercial activities run by the Syndicate.

5. The Director of the Careers Service shall act as Secretary of the Syndicate.