Financial pressures are now a defining feature of the higher education landscape. They influence decisions at every level, from strategic investment and workforce planning to course viability and the student experience. 

Leaders are not expected to be finance specialists. However, they increasingly need the confidence and capability to interpret financial information, ask the right questions, and make informed, values-led decisions that support long-term institutional success. 

Learning outcomes

By the end of the workshop, participants will: 

  • Increase confidence in understanding and using university financial information
  • Strengthen their ability to make informed, responsible and values-led decisions

Upcoming Workshops

Event type

Workshop

Event times

Event time
1
Event time

Tue 3 Nov 2026 – Tue 3 Nov 2026

Event prices

Leadership Skills: Leading with Financial Literacy 25/27: Early Booking Member TicketMember Ticket (Early Bird)£215
Leadership Skills: Leading with Financial Literacy 25/27 Member TicketMember Ticket£225
Leadership Skills: Leading with Financial Literacy 25/27: Early Booking Non-Member TicketNon-Member Ticket (Early Bird)£285
Leadership Skills: Leading with Financial Literacy 25/27 Non-Member TicketNon-Member ticket£300

Workshop 2

Date: 23 February 2027

Workshop 3

Date: 4 May 2027

Workshop content

Financial realities in higher education

  • Key financial drivers and constraints shaping the sector 
  • Income streams, cost pressures and institutional risk factors 
  • The relationship between strategy, finance and long-term sustainability 

Core financial concepts for leaders

  • Understanding budgets, forecasts and financial reports 
  • Fixed and variable costs, contribution and break-even thinking 
  • Capital and revenue and the implications for decision-making 

Interpreting financial information with confidence

  • What leaders need to notice, question and challenge
  • Avoiding common misunderstandings and assumptions
  • Working effectively with your finance business partner 

Applying learning to real scenarios

  • Case studies drawn from higher education contexts
  • Group discussion of live and emerging financial challenges

How the workshops work

Duration: 3 hours per workshop, delivered fully online 

Audience: Global – open to all HE staff with leadership responsibility 

Participation: Breakout groups for discussion and networking 

Structure: Each session includes introductions and connectivity, expert input, group sense-making, and intention-setting 

Resources: Supporting digital learning environment with pre- and post-session materials for asynchronous learning and community building 

Delivery: Individual places available, or institutional bundles for groups of 10 plus

Recognition: Digital badge awarded for each session completed; a series badge for completing multiple workshops 

A smiling group of people sat around a table

Who are the workshops for?

These workshops are open to anyone with leadership responsibility in a higher education institution – regardless of title or seniority. If you lead a team, manage a project, or hold responsibility for others in an HE context, these workshops are designed for you. 

The workshops are particularly relevant for: 

  • Anyone preparing for greater leadership responsibility
  • Academics stepping into their first management or leadership role
  • Research leads and principal investigators
  • Professional Services managers and leaders
  • Heads of Department and Deans

Why participate? Why choose a Leadership Skills Workshop?

Just-in-time, not just-in-case

No waiting for cohort formation or a new academic year. Attend when the challenge is live and the learning is immediately relevant.

Grounded in higher education

Every workshop is built around the Framework for Leading in Higher Education. The examples, the conversations, and the frameworks are all rooted in the sector you work in.

No time away from your institution

Three hours online. No travel, no accommodation costs, no days out of the office.

Peer connection across the sector

Learn alongside leaders from other HE institutions and build lasting networks with people facing the same challenges.

Practical from the first session

You work with your own real cases and situations. You leave with clear intentions you can act on straight away.

Visible, credible evidence of development

A digital badge for every session completed, and a series badge for attending multiple workshops – suitable for appraisals, CPD records and succession planning conversations.

Are you interested in bookings for your team, department or institution?

Booking multiple places helps teams and departments build a shared leadership language and culture. When colleagues attend together, they can apply learning to their own context, support accountability and use workshops to drive ongoing team development.

Group bookings also offer greater value and flexibility, with the ability to secure multiple places on different dates of the same workshop to support wider participation across teams.

Bulk booking discounts are available for groups of 10 (5%) and 20+ (10%). Please note that bulk bookings apply to multiple places on the same workshop only and cannot currently be used across different workshop types.

Speak to us about booking multiple spaces 

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Please complete the form below to register your interest in the workshops we will be in touch when bookings are open. We use the information we collect to ensure that the event you are interested in is right for you and to contact you about your interest in the event.


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