Fresh Steps Development Programme (Grades 2-5)

About the Programme

Fresh Steps is a three-month innovative personal and work development course. It enables people to view their professional progress, reassess their priorities and direction and set and achieve new personal and work goals.

Who is the course designed for?

Fresh Steps is for anyone at work who wants to reassess where they are in their lives and work, review their priorities, explore new possibilities and set new goals.

If you’ve been asking yourself the following questions, this course could make the world of difference to you and provide the support you need to take a step in a new direction.

Are you wondering what might be next?
Do you feel stuck in your career?
Do you ever wonder what living your best life could look like?
Are you looking to be more fulfilled at work and at home?
Do you want to press the reset button?

Results from the programme vary from person to person as everyone sets their own aims and objectives. Some people concentrate on moving onward in their careers, whilst others prefer to focus on their quality of life outside work. Most have their own unique blend of both personal and work objectives. Participants walk away with a new spring in their step, open to new challenges and with a renewed sense of optimism and purpose.

The programme content includes:

A snapshot of where you are now
Your life in context
Your personal strategy for dealing with change
You and your work
Being fit for life
Setting priorities
Your relationships with other people
Your relationship with time
Clearing out your attic
Marking your successes
Presenting yourself and your experience positively
Risk and failure
Setting goals
Putting your goals to the test

Among many things, the programme aims to:

Boost confidence so enabling experienced workers to think about themselves more positively
Enable participants to appreciate the benefits they gain from work
Improve mental flexibility and stamina
Increase networking
Discover untapped ideas and skills
Tackle issues of inter-generational working, thus improving communication
Address real issues for real people inside real organisations, so is relevant and up-to-date
Massively increase the chance of participants putting ideas into action - ownership
Encourage people to try new things

This is what you need to undertake Fresh Steps:

The interest and desire to look into yourself and to change what needs changing
Be willing to spend time at home completing exercises and reading between sessions
The commitment to attend all workshops (in person and online). It is important that this time is agreed with your line manager

The programme will give you information, skills, and support but the rest is up to you – and we look forward to being on the journey with you!

Upcoming programme dates, booking information and taster session

We’re delighted to have had so much interest in our next Fresh Steps programme and we have now closed the interest list for the summer 2023 cohort.

You can now register your interest in our autumn 2023 programme (expected to take place September – December) by emailing peopledev@leeds.ac.uk.

To find out more about the programme you can also sign up for our virtual information and taster session on Monday 20 March from 9.30 to 10.30am. Join us to find out about the programme and get a feel for the interactions, activities and exercises. This is open to all interested parties, whether you are already on an interest list or just considering the programme for the future. Attending will not guarantee your space on the programme but will give you the opportunity to consider if it is the right programme for you.

What previous participants have said about the programme:

“I am enjoying the opportunity to take stock of things and to challenge some of my thinking”

“The course has made me actively think about things I had forgotten, achievements, coping strategies, the importance of stress management, relaxation to name but a few. I am currently feeling very positive and I know where I can go to refresh these feelings if they start to dip in the future.”

“I recently attended the Fresh Steps programme run by Leadership and Professional Practice. I felt static in my current role and thought this may be a good opportunity to consider where I wanted to be in my career and maybe why I felt ‘stuck’. There were small groups within the programme that really encouraged us to take action and focus on what is really important to us. It was great to network with people who I would not normally see on campus, and it helped to understand their struggles and realise I was not on my own.”

“It was harder than I thought it would be, you have to put in the hard work yourself”