Calibre leadership programme

There are four main parts to the programme:

1. The taught section: The taught section consists of 6 sessions, which are listed in the schedule below.
2. Evidence of learning: On completion of the taught sessions, each participant must complete a Personal Project within six weeks. Further details about Personal Projects are available in the FAQs below.
3. Graduation ceremony: This is a public event to celebrate the success of each participant. It also showcases and strengthens senior leadership support for the programme.
4. Continuing Professional Development (CPD) sessions: In addition to the core Calibre workshops, there are 2 additional CPD sessions offered following the graduation, listed in the schedule below.

Here is a list of some of the many outcomes you can expect to achieve by participating in the programme:

• A better understanding of the following:
  • Disability
  • The real problems of disability
  • Leadership and how to be a leader
  • The law
  • How to negotiate change effectively
• Increased confidence
• Increased self-respect
• Empowering insight into the world of work and disability

In addition to attending all the workshops, the Graduation preparation session, the Graduation Ceremony, and the CPD sessions listed in the schedule above, we also expect delegates to design or draft a project that applies what you learn from Calibre to a project of your choice and demonstrates how you will remove barriers. Projects can be done in any format you choose, e.g. written, recorded, done artistically, etc.

Some delegates will be presenting at the graduation ceremony. If you are one of them, you will need to prepare a presentation for Graduation Day.

The Personal Project is mandatory.

You can complete your project in any way you choose. Whatever approach is chosen, your project must:

1. Demonstrate a shift in your understanding of disability.
2. Reflect the learning from the programme and how it will change the way you plan for the future.
3. Show how these changes will benefit you, your colleagues and Imperial/your organisation as a whole.

The Personal Projects can, with permission of the author, be used by Imperial to improve disability access and also policies in relation to disability and beyond.

We offer considerable assistance to help participants plan and complete personal projects. Session 3 (the away day) will explain the requirements, and Session 5 will set aside time for projects.

We assess each application based on the following criteria. The more of these you meet, the more likely you are to be accepted on the programme. The criteria have been listed in order of importance.

• What you are looking to get from the programme and what you believe your personal barriers are – we want to ensure that the programme will meet your development needs and that the programme will align with your goals and help you address your personal barriers.
• Whether you have other leadership, management or talent qualifications – priority is given to those who do not have other such qualifications, as we want to allow those who have not benefited from similar programmes before.
• Whether you can commit to the duration of the programme – we require delegates to attend all the sessions to complete the programme, so unless there are extenuating circumstances, we do not normally accept delegates who cannot commit to the whole programme.
• How long you have been working at Imperial/your organisation – priority is given to those who have been working at Imperial longer, as we encourage those who have only been at Imperial for a short time to get to know the organisation better and explore other training and development opportunities first. However, if you wish to discuss this criterion further, please contact the Inclusion Team.
• Your job level/grade – priority is given to staff members across all job levels, including those who are more junior, as this is a development programme intended to boost the confidence of those who may not have had the chance to develop their leadership skills.
• How your manager will support you through this programme – we want to see evidence that you have considered the time commitment required and that you will be supported in managing it alongside your normal workload. If you have any concerns about this, or if your manager has not expressed support, please email the Inclusion Team to discuss what you would need to help with your participation before you apply.

• We welcome degree-level or equivalent-grade professional staff and academics of all grades to apply for this programme.
• You must have disclosed your disability to your university. This is a mandatory requirement in order to participate. If you have any concerns about this requirement, including confidentiality, please email the Inclusion Team.
• Internal delegates (Imperial College London employees) can attend Calibre for free.
• We do accept external delegates on Calibre at a cost of £2,000 per delegate.
• For any queries from external delegates about costs, please email the Inclusion Team.

Those enrolling on Calibre are expected to attend all programme sessions.

If you cannot attend any session, you must email the Inclusion Team as soon as possible.

Cancellation fees apply:

• If a cancellation is made less than ten working days before the programme start date, a cancellation fee of £100 will be levied.
• If you miss one session as a delegate, a £50 charge will be levied, but you can stay on the course and complete the other sessions.
• If you miss more than one session, a £150 charge will be levied. You will be taken off the programme and will have to re-enrol next year unless agreed with the course organiser.

Cancellation fees do not apply in cases of extenuating circumstances.