Overview

Now celebrating its 19th year, we are delighted to announce that we will once again be hosting a live Summer School event this June! Summer School is an intensive, 4 day residential learning experience bringing together leaders and senior managers to address key issues on a specific leadership topic.

We welcome the opportunity to continue to support our colleagues from across the Welsh public and third sector. The 4-day Summer School programme is a fully immersive experience which is both inspirational and insightful!  You’ll discover new perspectives and ideas that will enhance your skills and knowledge to take on the challenges your organisations face right now. You will experience valuable reflection time, facilitated learning and the opportunity to network and build relationships with peer leaders across all areas of the Welsh Public Services and third sector will widen your networks beyond the service you work within, as well as increasing your visibility as a public sector leader.

Academi Wales holds a unique position in the Welsh landscape. With access to leaders across public services, an understanding of the leadership and transformation needs of our current and future leaders, and high levels of expertise in delivering meaningful, impactful interventions, we have a key role to play in the future of Wales.

The new Academi Wales strategy introduces our ambitious purpose to transform Wales through excellence in leadership.

Several golden threads run through everything we do: Embedding the Wellbeing of Future Generations Act, the ethos of One Welsh Public Service, a strong focus on equality, diversity and inclusion, championing the Welsh Language and utilising digital and hybrid approaches to support high quality delivery.

Academi Wales embodies and delivers on the First Minister’s ethos of One Welsh Public Service. A One Welsh Public Service is about improving economic, social, environmental, and cultural well-being to help us create a Wales that we want to live in now and in the future. It is a way of thinking and behaving – developing a future where we can all work together with a joint purpose, having shared vision and values.

Chairs and speakers

The full and varied exciting 4-day programme will feature speakers who are academics and experts in their chosen field. The Summer School experience will provide you with the opportunity to attend a range of interactive activities delivered by academics, authors and providers who can provide insight and knowledge to support you, your organisations, and the community you serve.

Benefits to you

The One Welsh Public Service Leadership Summer School is designed to give you the opportunity to review and refresh your skills, build new knowledge, and gain insights into your leadership practice. It provides the opportunity to explore innovative ways to ‘deliver the business’, drawing on a wealth of global knowledge and experience.

Thoughts from the delegates of Summer School 2023:

Leadership behaviours

This learning programme will help you to develop your leadership behaviours in the following areas:

Target audience

This event is aimed at senior level managers and leaders working in the public, third or voluntary sector in Wales. To benefit most from attending Summer School, it is important you are at the right level in your career journey.

Summer School is suitable for those leading a team, branch or department in their organisation, with a responsibility for creating an effective working environment for their staff, and for identifying and facilitating any changes needed to deliver their organisation’s objectives.

Please note the Summer School places are limited as the demand for places each year exceeds our capacity.

Cost

There is a nominal delegate charge of £600 + VAT for Summer School which covers a contribution to the learning costs for the event.

The closing date for applications is Wednesday 22 May 2024.

Please note that should you be awarded a place at Summer School and then withdraw from the programme, your organisation may be required to pay an administration charge.

Bursaries

We are offering a limited number of bursaries to cover 100% of the delegate cost of Summer School 2024. We encourage applications from underrepresented, minoritised, and disadvantaged groups and/or where employing organisations have limited funds.

To apply for a bursary

Please provide evidence that you meet the eligibility (50 to 100 words). Your response needs to align to the criteria below:

• You are part of an underrepresented, minoritised, or disadvantaged group within your organisation, and/or your organisation has limited funds.
• The size of your organisation.

How to apply for Summer School

There are limited places available for this event which will be offered through a competitive selection process and places will be awarded to those applicants who provide strong objectives for participating in the Summer School and can evidence their return on investment.

Demonstrating return on investment has never been more important than in today’s climate. Return on investment is not simply about financial gain. It's the sustainable impact of the learning for both you and your organisation and how this links to services provided for the people of Wales. It is particularly relevant for those who are working through challenging times and seeking to make significant improvements to their organisational outcomes.

Application process

If you work in the public services or third sector in Wales, and would like to be a part of this dynamic learning community, apply for Summer School 2024 by 22 May 2024.

Your application will need to be validated by your line manager. Please provide their contact details within your application form.

If your organisation is on the following contact list, you may wish to notify the organisational contact to inform them that you intend to apply.

We will let you know whether you have been awarded a place at Summer School by 30 May 2024.

More information

To find more details, please see our detailed information.