In the second of our ARMA Secondments Blog series, Joanne Mills from the University of Wolverhampton shares her experience of being on secondment…
I was looking for an opportunity to challenge myself and apply the wide range of skills I developed during my professional and research work to date into a clear project. In particular I was very interested in making a difference within our Place and to see in practice how research can be used to further understand and inform policy and practice. At the University of Wolverhampton, we are passionate about making a positive impact on our students, our local community and beyond and a key factor in undertaking the secondment was the shared ethos across The West Midlands Regional Economic Development Institute (WMREDI) partners on making a difference within our region.
I heard about WMREDI and read about their successful initiatives supporting inclusive economic growth in the West Midlands. As an impact officer and also an artist I thought about what I can bring to develop their programmes. I particularly enjoy working closely with researchers, finding out what motivates them about their subjects, and in particular, how this, in turn, can inform or transform lives outside of academia. Just as an individual gains a subjective experience of an artwork, there too is the potential to receive an outcome or impact from another’s research. Whether through informing policy, education, developing products or services, creating alternative, innovative methods for information sharing, or pioneering techniques (among other methods of applying research), research has the potential to make a difference to society.
I contacted WMREDI and with support from my manager, in September 2021, I joined the institute on secondment as part of the ongoing collaborative partnership with regional universities, Local Authorities, Chambers of Commerce, and Local Enterprise Partnerships in order to help set up a new regional initiative: the Evaluation Lab.
I was tasked with the practicalities of ensuring supporting infrastructure for the Evaluation Lab including building capacity ‘behind-the-scenes’ through case studies, and online resources – including a review of evaluative studies of cultural and heritage sector activity in the West Midlands.
I thoroughly enjoyed this secondment and alongside its learning and stepping outside the day to day job, the benefit of undertaking a secondment at a partner institution was the opportunity to be part of activity at cross-organisational level, to take part in the development of resources and a regional evaluation event, and to be able to bring the knowledge gained through the secondment to my own role, in supporting our Research Centres and inter-disciplinary Research Institutes to develop further impact and policy engagement which sits at the heart of all our activities.
Joanne Mills, University of Wolverhampton
If you would like to share your experiences of secondments, why not take part in our Survey?
To find out more about the ARMA Secondments Project, click here or read Mark Taylor’s introductory blogpost
