The University of Louisville is offering a creative new way for employees to explore different career paths within the institution.
From March 2 to March 20, the Human Resources Employee Development and Success Office is taking applications for a pilot program in which staff members can spend time in a department or office different from the one in which they work. The short-term learning opportunity is similar to an internship or a practicum in which the staff member will get real-life experience in an area of interest and can learn from university colleagues.
The Staff Fellowship Program supports the 2019 Strategic Plan goal of ensuring UofL is a great place to work “because it is a workplace dedicated to personal growth and professional development.”
“Being a great place to work means giving employees a way to explore their career interests, especially at a university where education and growth are such pillars of our mission,” said Brian Buford, director of the Development and Success Office. “The beauty of working at a university is that there are endless opportunities to test the waters and discover new paths. You don’t have to leave UofL to figure out your perfect fit.”
The Employee Development and Success team will choose up to 10 employees for the pilot and work with them to create their fellowship placements. A fellowship will generally consist of 30 to 60 onsite days that could be done all at once or incrementally, depending on the nature of the work to be done and the employee’s workload in their home department. Participants will develop agreements with their unit heads for temporary staff release and to discuss how the employee will cover work assignments for the duration of the fellowship appointment.
“Giving employees the opportunity to consider other jobs might seem counterintuitive in some ways, because we don’t want to lose them. But I am confident the gains will far outweigh the risk of seeing good people leave,” Buford added. “When people work in departments where they feel valued, have opportunities to grow, and know that someone cares about their development, things like loyalty and engagement go way up.”
Visit here to apply or learn more.
