Aurora Women's Leadership Development Programme

Unfortunately there is no funding available for academic year 2025-2026, we are hoping to support staff in 2026-2027.

Participation in the programme will involve attending a series of development days and action learning sets, as well as opportunities to network with women at Liverpool Hope who are participating, or have participated, in the Aurora programme.

All Aurora sessions are now be delivered online.

What is Aurora?

Aurora is a unique partnership bringing together leadership experts and higher education institutions to take positive action to address the under-representation of women in leadership positions within the Higher Education sector. The programme aims to enable women in academic and professional services roles to envision themselves as future leaders, equipping them to influence institutional direction and cultivate essential leadership capabilities.

As part of our core values, we are dedicated to fostering an environment that supports women in reaching their fullest potential. By collaborating across academic and professional services, we aim to nurture future leaders and ensure that all women have the opportunities and resources they need to succeed.

Selection Process

Applications are invited from women who feel they would benefit from taking part in the programme. The Aurora Application Form below should be completed, supported and signed by the line manager and returned to the University’s Aurora Champion, Shauna Anton on antons@hope.ac.uk

Mentors

Aurora participants are required to have a mentor to support and guide them throughout and after the end of the formal learning process. Mentors may be any gender, and should be well-established and knowledgeable members of the institution who will usually be more senior than the Aurora participant.

Mentors will:

• Be considered successful in their careers;
• Be knowledgeable and experienced in their organisation and understand its culture;
• Have sufficient time available to work with the mentee;
• Have the endorsement of their Aurora champion;
• Have sufficient general higher education experience to be able to offer advice and support;
• Be a good listener;
• Have a genuine interest in helping women to develop their careers and particularly support his/her mentee;
• Have a supportive or ‘coaching style’ of communication.