Starting signal for personnel development concept at the HSZG

The Saxon Higher Education Development Plan 2025 sets forth the establishment of comprehensive personnel development planning as an overarching goal for universities in the Free State of Saxony. In this context, universities are expected to establish sufficiently flexible and internationally compatible foundational structures to support the various career goals, paths, and phases of their staff. In the area of personnel development, this includes, in particular, identifying career development opportunities within the University at an early stage and creating suitable conditions to retain qualified staff on a long-term basis.

Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences will therefore develop a comprehensive staff development plan by June 30, 2019, which identifies relevant areas of action and supports them with specific measures.

The personnel development concept of Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences will be developed under the external guidance of CHE consult GmbH (Ms. Julia Klingemann) by a Personnel Development Commission established by the University Executive Board.

The Staff Development Commission consists of members of the University Executive Board (Rector and Chancellor), the Head (of division) of the Personnel and Legal Department (Mr. RD Christoph Duscha), as well as one representative each from the faculty groups (Prof. Dr. Maja Dshemuchadse, Faculty of Social Sciences) and the staff (Mr. Dipl.-Ing. Bert Salomo, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering).

To kick off the commission’s work, a full-day “Human Resources Development” workshop was held on Saturday, January 19, 2018, with all deans, directors of central departments, and the Heads (of divisions) of University Administration. The goal of the workshop was to ensure the involvement of HSZG’s leadership as key decision-makers and architects of the subsequent implementation of the staff development concept once the project begins.

The workshop was specifically designed to facilitate the exchange of initial information and recommendations from the University’s leadership to the Staff Development Commission. With CHE consult GmbH serving as facilitator, the participants discussed, among other things, the question: “In your view, what will hinder and what will promote the development and implementation of the staff development concept?” Likewise, the role of leadership in the context of staff development at Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences was discussed in detail and constructively against the backdrop of the objectives set forth in the target agreement with the SMWK.

Based on an overview of the current status of staff development, participants worked in groups to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the University’s existing staff development tools and support measures.

When the commission began its work on February 7, 2018, a schedule was drawn up that includes, among other things, a review of the progress of the staff development concept with the academic self-governing bodies, the employee representatives, and the Equal opportunities officer. The plan is to present the draft of the staff development concept to the committees in November–December 2018.

Another workshop with the leadership of Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences is again firmly scheduled as a forum for discussion of the draft staff development concept (November 2018).

The University Executive Board is scheduled to adopt the Human Resources Development Concept in February 2019.

At its second meeting on February 15, 2018, the commission first addressed the clarification of terms, fundamental issues, and the definition of tasks and task agreements.

The next Commission meeting will take place on March 22, 2018.

We have set up the following email address for information and suggestions:

PE_Konzept(at)hszg.de.