Deadline this Friday to apply for UCOP’s Take Charge program
December 8, 2014 •
Are you a UCOP employee in an administrative or support position looking for ways to increase your skills and advance your career?
If you don’t already know about UCOP’s Take Charge, a professional development program designed specifically for administrative and support staff, check it out. The program is seeking applications for 2015, and the deadline to apply is 5 p.m. Friday, Dec. 12.
“The program gave me a lot of practical skills and helped me think beyond my work, to develop skills I can use in my private life,” said Lily Wang, administrative assistant III in Communications. “It’s about improving yourself as a person.” The skills she found most valuable, Wang said, were negotiating and collaborating, and she is more confident in drawing on past successes to get her through workday pressures.
“I used to be wary of taking classes because I didn’t feel like I had the time,” Wang said. “Now I realize I have the skills to handle some pretty crazy issues. I’ve never had a disaster, so why should I doubt myself?” Her supervisor encouraged her to enroll, and she is now participating in the Mentorship Program.
Take Charge, now in its third year, holds regular sessions from January to June 2015. Program content includes workshops in managing up, self-promotion, negotiating, resume writing, networking and interviewing skills. Also included are self-guided assignments and peer mentoring sessions.
All eligible administrative and support staff are encouraged to apply by the deadline of Friday, Dec. 12. See the Take Charge website for criteria, answers to frequently asked questions and the 2015 application form. Up to 16 participants will be selected for next year’s program.
Take Charge is sponsored by UCOP Local HR Learning & Development.
