Apply for Calibre 2025
We expect to launch applications for Calibre 2025 in the spring.
If you are interested in the programme or have any questions, please contact the EDI Centre.
Video about Calibre leadership programme
Training overview
Calibre is a career development and leadership programme designed specifically for people who identify as neurodiverse, disabled, or who have a long-term physical or mental health condition. Dr Ossie Stuart, a disabled person and former academic himself, developed and has delivered the programme at Imperial since 2012. Today, academics and professional staff, not only at imperial, but also from universities across England have benefited from the programme.
Calibre is a unique programme, designed to address the singular issues that all university staff with a disability face in work and especially with career development. It equips employees with the leadership skills, confidence, and tools to enable them to thrive in ways that suit them best.
Calibre is a CPD accredited programme and has been proven to be the perfect disability leadership programme for employees with a disability employed in Higher Education.
Programme structure
There are four main parts to the programme:
- The taught section: The taught section consists of 6 sessions, which are listed in the schedule below.
- 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 below in the FAQs.
- Graduation ceremony: This is a public event to celebrate the success of each participant. It also showcases and enhances support at senior leadership levels for the programme.
- 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.
Calibre 2025 schedule
Session 1
Introduction to Calibre | What is disability?
2 April 2025, 10.00 - 16.00 (in person)
Participants will share their own experiences of disabling workplace environments with other participants. Also, during this session we will agree to adopt a shared understanding of disability. There will be an introduction to personal projects.
Session 2
Leadership and disability
15 April 2025, 10.00 - 14.00 (online)
This session introduces leadership theory to the participants, specifically the ‘Process Model’. Participants will learn how leadership, and the skills, tools and benefits it provides, benefit disabled employees more than any other group.
Session 3
Away Day
29 April 2025, 10.00 - 16.00 (in person)
At a venue away from Imperial, the day will be divided into two. In the morning, we will begin to explore personal projects, which you will complete after the taught section of the programme. In the afternoon, you will experience Forum Theatre. This will be led by skilled professional actors who will take you through entertaining and thoughtful scenarios to help you ground your learning.
Session 4
Disability and the law
7 May 2025, 10.00 - 14.00 (online)
You will learn about the Equality Act and understand the legal context of disability. The purpose is to provide you with the opportunity to help your organisation meet its legal duties as laid out in the Equality Act. Indeed, disabled staff are the key leaders in the space.
Session 5
Building confidence | Thinking about Personal Projects
20 May 2025, 10.00 - 14.00 (online)
The purpose of the four previous sessions is to build confidence, increase knowledge and learn how to improve interpersonal relationships. This will be continued during this final session, with discussions with a guest speaker who has participated in a previous programme. The purpose is to show participants what they can achieve. Also, during the second half of this session, we'll focus on how to complete your Personal Project.
Session 6
Presentation skills
Date TBC (week beginning 30 June 2025) (in person)
The purpose of this session is to learn various techniques to deliver effective presentations. This session is useful to all those who wish to build confidence in presenting and learn the art of presenting, and is especially important for those who are presenting at the Calibre Graduation.
Graduation run-through
Date TBC (week beginning 7 July 2025) (online)
During this session, delegates will have the opportunity to rehearse for the graduation ceremony by having a quick practice run-through of the day, including their Personal Project presentations. They will receive feedback and encouragement from the facilitators and the other delegates so that they can put the finishing touches on their presentations.
The aim is for delegates to come away from the session feeling confident and ready for the graduation ceremony.
Graduation ceremony
Date TBC (week beginning 14 July 2025) (in person)
The graduation acknowledges the achievement of participants and also demonstrates a commitment by senior leaders at Imperial to learn from your experiences.
You and your fellow participants will receive your well-earned CPD accredited certificates. It's also an opportunity for the wider university audience and senior leaders in particular to listen to selected project presentations presented by you and your colleagues.
CPD session 1
Personal reflections and tools workshop
22 July 2025, 10.00 - 13.00 (online)
This workshop looks at a few models and theories (for example the Johari Window, Iceberg Model, and Frame of Reference) that we can use, for example in professional conversations, to understand various perspectives and reflect on ourselves.
The session encourages self-reflection and personal understanding to help overcome perceived personal barriers.
CPD session 2
Career pathways
24 July 2025, 10.00 - 12.00 (online)
This workshop looks at various ways in which people can develop their careers at Imperial, so that participants can gain an understanding of careers at Imperial and potential routes to take.
More information and FAQs
- What are the key outcomes of the programme?
- Who is eligible to participate in Calibre?
- What should I do if I have access requirements?
- How much does Calibre cost?
- Can you tell me more about Personal Projects?
- Cancellation policy
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
We welcome degree level grade professional staff, and of course, academics of all grades are welcome, too.
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 particular requirement in relation to confidentiality etc., please email the EDI Centre.
There is space on the application form for you to tell us about your access requirements. If you are accepted onto the programme, please let us know as soon as possible if there are any additional access requirements not noted on your application form. It is important that you provide us with your full access requirements in good time prior to the beginning of the programme, so that we can ensure your requirements are met.
For internal delegates (Imperial College London employees) Calibre is free to attend.
We do accept external delegates on Calibre at a cost of £1,750.
For any queries from external delegates and about costs, please email the EDI Centre.
The Personal Project is mandatory. It is an important piece of work that must be completed by you within six weeks of the end of the taught section.
You can complete your project in anyway you choose. Whatever approach is chosen, your project must:
- Demonstrate a shift in your understanding of disability.
- Reflect the learning from the programme and how it will change the way you plan for the future.
- 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.
Considerable assistance is offered to help participants plan and complete personal projects. There will be an explanation of requirements during Session 3 (the away day) and time will be set aside for projects during Session 5.
Those enrolling on Calibre are expected to attend all the sessions of the programme.
If you cannot attend any session of the programme, you must email the EDI Centre as soon as possible.
Cancellation fees do 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.
Netiquette for online training
- It is important that you are fully present and an active participant, to create a safe space for sharing and discussion.
- For some of our training, you will be required to keep your video cameras on. Please ensure prior to attending that you have a fully functioning camera and microphone. If you have any issues with your equipment, please contact us as soon as possible. If you require your camera to be off as a workplace adjustment, please let us know in advance so that we can makethe trainer aware.
- Please ensure that you are in a private space where you can maintain confidentiality and the privacy of the other delegates.
- To maintain confidentiality, all delegates are asked to agree to keep what is said within the group, and not record or take screenshots/photos without permission. Pictures or quotes from the session should not be posted on social media or elsewhere without the express permission of those involved.
Need to cancel your training booking?
If a cancellation is made less than 5 working days before a training course, or if you fail to attend the full session, a charge will be levied. Please read Imperial's terms and conditions for internal training.
Some courses have specific cancellation policies that are detailed on their individual webpages.