Career and development
UM strives to challenge and encourage staff to get the best out of themselves. Read more about some of the many initiatives to optimally support employees during their career.
Staff Career Centre
The Staff Career Centre supports all Maastricht University employees in the areas of learning, development, mobility and participation. Sustainable employability is the starting point. You can contact the Staff Career Centre (SCC) for training, coaching and mentoring. But the SCC also helps with practical requests, such as advice on preparing a resume and cover letter or practicing a job interview. In addition, they provide information, hold regular meetings for various groups of employees and organize career events or workshops.
You can also come to them with questions about, for example, the deployment of an employee under the Participation Act, or questions about the end of your contract and applying for unemployment benefits.
Professional Development for UM Teaching Staff
To promote the quality of UM education and help our staff to excel in their educational roles and tasks, UM offers development opportunities to teaching staff at all levels of their career. All members of teaching staff involved in developing and delivering education are thereby encouraged to reflect on their knowledge and skills, and develop their teaching competences further. The opportunities available to teaching staff are outlined below:
For those new to UM teaching, in each faculty, there is training available for new tutors on Problem-Based Learning (PBL).
After completing this PBL and tutor training, UM encourages all staff involved in teaching to obtain the University Teaching Qualification (UTQ; BKO, Basiskwalificatie Onderwijs, in Dutch). UM therefore offers a programme that supports teaching staff as they develop and improve with regard to the competences needed for teaching at university and guides them in obtaining a UTQ certificate. These competences are directly related to the core tasks of teachers, namely developing education, teaching delivery and student assessment. The programme focuses on teaching staff gaining experience with these tasks. A description of the UTQ-programme can be found in the leaflet ‘UM University Teaching Qualification’.
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Once the PBL and tutor training and the UTQ have been completed, so that teaching staff can continue to learn new things, UM provides time each year to participate in Continuing Professional Development (CPD). CPD is specifically designed for UM staff with a UTQ and a teaching load of greater than 10% and provides opportunities to learn from and get inspired by the experiences of others. Eligible staff should reflect upon their teaching competences and discuss their specific development goals annually, together with their line-manager whilst making a plan for the year ahead. In engaging in CPD, a personal choice can be made regarding what, when and how to learn, both formally and informally.
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For experienced staff in educational leadership roles and responsible for managing or coordinating a significant proportion of education within their faculty, EDLAB offers an annual trajectory in Inspiring Educational Leadership. The aims of this trajectory are to equip participants with relevant skills for their tasks and to provide insights into best practices in education, innovation and change management. For more information contact EDLAB’s Educational Training Developer, Donna Carroll.
Maastricht Young Academy
The Maastricht Young Academy (MYA) is a group of early-career scientists from Maastricht University. Their aim is to operate as an independent - and, when necessary critical - platform within the university. It focuses on; science policy, science communication, interdisciplinary research, internationalisation. The MYA provides solicited and unsolicited advice concerning these topics to bodies across the university, including the Executive Board and the Board of Deans. In addition, it organises activities on these topics within and outside the university, for academics and for broader audiences. First and foremost, they represent the interests of young academics at the university.
Young UM Professionals community (YUMP)
The Young UM Professionals (YUMP) community is an independent and informal body that brings together dedicated young support staff members from across UM’s faculties and service-centers. YUMP facilitates dialogue and collaboration around the personal and professional development needs of young professionals.
Young Universities for the Future of Europe (YUFE)
Maastricht University (UM) and our European partners are; the Young Universities for the Future of Europe (YUFE), an idea of university that transcends geographical, political, social, linguistic, and disciplinary borders. An open, inclusive European university across 10 countries that offers better opportunities for all: an entirely new study experience with personalised curricula, career development and mobility for staff and a learning ecosystem that will benefit citizens in all partner regions. Students and staff will be able to move freely between different campuses and enjoy opportunities to learn, develop and volunteer in close contact with and to the benefit of local citizens.
Erasmus+ mobility for staff
The Erasmus+ staff mobility grant is an EU-funded grant that helps finance EU staff teaching and training mobility with other Erasmus+ partner institutions. The programme provides subsidies to promote European-level cooperation, exchange, follow-up training and traineeships for university staff members.
Language Centre
Maastricht University's Language Centre offers a broad range of language services to students, staff, companies, organisations and private individuals. We help them communicate effectively in an international environment. From language courses in modern languages such as English, French, German and Spanish to Arabic, Chinese, Portuguese and Russian– the Language Centre has something to offer for everyone.