In August this year Oxford Brookes received the news that it had maintained its gold status by Investors in People (IIP).

Investors in People helps businesses around the world realise the potential of their staff, improve their standards and gain accreditation.

It is the UK’s leading accreditation body focusing on improving people management, something which we believe is so important to working life at Brookes.

Out of the 40 accredited universities in the London and south region, only two others have achieved gold status, so this is a huge credit to all of the staff across the university who have worked so hard to develop the organisation.

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Just seven per cent of accredited organisations in the UK maintain the IIP gold status.

The IIP assessor gave us very positive feedback following interviews with more than 60 members of staff from various parts of the university.

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  • The exterior of the John Henry Brookes building

Brookes has changed significantly over the last decade and IIP has provided a framework that has been integrated into our working lives.

As the eighth largest employer in Oxfordshire, we take pride in investing in processes such as personal development reviews, career development support and coaching and mentoring programmes that are all a part of working life at Brookes.

More than 84 per cent of our staff live in Oxfordshire, so it is equally important for us to support our staff and recognise our place within the surrounding communities.

One highlight that has come out of this year’s report is the success of our work on enhancing the student experience.

This year much of it came in the form of our new John Henry Brookes and Abercrombie buildings on the Gipsy Lane campus, that have provided a creative and open space for students to socialise and learn.

Our strategy of continuing to improve the student experience will involve ensuring teaching is cutting edge and relevant to contemporary contexts and improve opportunities for our students that will enhance their employability in their chosen workplace or industry.

The report also highlighted Brookes’ exemplary practice on promoting equality, diversity and inclusion.

We are proud that everything we do is underpinned by our commitment to these values and is not just about compliance with legal requirements.

The university seeks, through all its policies and actions, to be a genuinely inclusive organisation and integrate the principles of equal treatment and promote diversity in all aspects of the university’s day to day life.

As well as celebrating the university’s successes, the report also gave us guidance on areas the institution can enhance in the future.

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  • The Abercrombie building

These suggestions included improving the staff experience even further. We will continue to work on enriching our staff development opportunities as well as well-being initiatives throughout the following year.

IIP Gold is a great result, but we are not complacent; there are plenty of challenges for us to focus on in the future.

We want to continue to attract, develop, and retain staff of the highest quality, and therefore it is important for our staff to feel valued and proud to work for Oxford Brookes University.

Alison Cumpsty is a Staff Development Consultant Oxford Brookes

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