Aurora

The AURORA Women's Leadership Programme is a holistic learning experience for colleagues who identify as women, who look to upskilling and developing their leadership & management capabilities within Higher Education. All women colleagues on Academic, Research, and Professional Services career tracks are eligible for this programme. At present, programme looks to developing women colleagues at Band 6 roles. 

Housed in LSE's Organisational Learning team  (OL), the AURORA Programme is an imperative part of OL's Management and Leadership Development Offer. 

• Online Sessions: At LSE, the AURORA programme runs online each term, and consists of :

1. A Welcome and Introduction,
2. Four Development days, and
3. Two days devoted to Action Learning Sets.

The AURORA Development days and Action Learning Sets (ALS) are spaced out over a period of 5-6 months. Have a look at the Development Days and ALS on the right-hand side of the page.

• Final In-person Session: Owing to the importance of Networking as part of the AURORA Learning experience, Aurora participants conclude the programme with a final face-to-face, in-person development day ,Your Future in HE (YFIHE), where all particpants from different cohorts and Higher education insitutions meet to network, share their learning and experiences as well as inspire each other and engage with the broader AURORA community. 

The YFIHE is followed up by an Action learning set hosted by participants in their groups/cohorts, giving them the opportunity to keep up their AURORA community spirit, shared learning and communication.

Please see the application form attached on the right-hand side of this page.

To apply for the AURORA programme, you must fulfil the following eligibility criteria:

1.  Have been employed at LSE for at least six months and successfully passed your probation.
2. Be at a Salary Band 6 and above.
3. Have the ongoing support and endorsement of your Line Manager.

You can be a member of Professional Services staff, Researcher staff, Policy staff or an Academic at LSE to qualify. 

If you meet the eligiblity criteria:

1. You must fill an Application form: This application form asks important questions about developmental aspirations and future career development in order to gauge if AURORA is the right programme for you.

2. Line Manager's endorsement: The application form also has a section for Line Managers of applicants, where they are asked to recommend their team member for the programme. 

3. Have a look at the Programme dates: Please have a look at the programme dates and ensure you are available to attend them. You can see the upcoming cohort's programme dates below:

              AURORA Winter term cohort- October 2026:

• Aurora Learning Journey and LSE- Online Drop in session with Organisational Learning: tbd
• Welcome and Introduction: Friday, 16th October, 2026 (10:00-12:30)
• Identity, Impact and Voice: Friday, 23rd October, 2026 (10:00am-3:00pm)
• Core Leadership: Thursday, 10th December, 2026 (10:00am-3:00pm)
• Action Learning Set (ALS)1: Friday, 8th January, 2027 (10:00am-3:00pm)
• Politics and Influence: Tuesday, 9th February, 2027 (10:00am-3:00pm)
• Adaptive Leadership: Tuesday, 16th March, 2027 (10:00am-3:00pm)
• Your Future in Higher Education (YFIHE): Friday, 16th April, 2027. Location- Leonardo hotel Tower Bridge. (9:30am-4:00pm)
• Action Learning Set (ALS) 2, Delegates Self-host: Tuesday, 27th April, 2027 (10:00am-3:00pm)

Please note: if you apply for the AURORA programme, you must be available for the cohort dates. If you apply for this cohort, we'd suggest you hold these dates in your diary until you receive confirmation on your place in the programme.

Application submission and deadline: We are accepting applications to the Aurora programme for this Autumn term cohort till 5:30pm on 18th September, 2026. Please send your application to hr.learning@lse.ac.uk. The completed application form can be returned to as a word document or pdf.

 While the AURORA programme is extensive and holisitc, there is bespoke support and resources that aim to support AURORA participants during the course of the programme:

• Support from your Line Manager: While on the programme, it is important that you and your line manager keep in touch about your progress and overall experience. After you have completed the AURORA programme, it is important that you discuss valuable feedback from the programme and next steps for future career development with your manager. 
• Support from the Organisational Learning Team: When it comes to logistical concerns, additional guidance, mentoring and learning resources, programme feedback and applying your AURORA experience to your role as well as using it to give back to the LSE Community- Organisational Learning will make sure to support all of that and more. 
• Support from your Mentor: As part of the AURORA learning journey, each participant will have an LSE mentor to help guide your programme journey, discuss your takeaways from each modules, and help put things into perspective. Participants can identify their own Mentor, or ask to be assigned a Mentor by Organisational Learning. The wider benefit of Mentoring is that it gives you the opportunity to learn from someone who is an expert in the HE sector and will be able to guide you through a variety of lived experiences. To find out more about Mentoring, please visit our Mentoring page. For more information on Mentoring as part of AURORA, have a look at the dedicated AURORA Mentoring Guide on this webpage. 

Aurora at LSE: After completing the Aurora programme, we encourage participants to not only think about their future development, but also share their learning experiences with the wider School community. To that effect, Aurora alumni can:

1.Get involved with LSE's Staff Networks,

2.Consider next steps in training and development opportunities- get in touch with Organisational Learning,

Aurora Community Network:The AURORA programme aims to have a lasting positive impact on those who go through it. Alongside ongoing conversations about future development post-Aurora, you will also have the option of continuing to be part of the Aurora Community!

The Aurora community is specifically tailored for women who are completing Aurora as well as Aurora alumni and serves as a platform for ongoing growth and collaboration.

How can i become part of the AURORA Community?

By joining the AURORA Community Connect Network! You will have access to a diverse group of individuals who are passionate about advancing women's leadership and gender equality.  You can expect to build upon the conversations explored within the Aurora programme through:

1)Thought-provoking and relevant content,

2)Engaging in lively networking events, and

3)Sharing your experiences and perspectives as part of a supportive community. 

You can join the AURORA communiy connect network by filling in the form at the bottom of this webpage: Aurora Community | Advance HE (advance-he.ac.uk)