About Us
Worcester Students’ Union is a registered charity, independent of the University of Worcester, devoted to the interests and welfare of all students at the University, and every student studying at Worcester and on a University of Worcester registered course is automatically a member of the Students’ Union (SU).
Why do we have a strategic framework?
The SU had a five-year strategic plan, which started in June 2016 and took us up to July 2021. As this plan was coming to an end, we were still emerging from the Covid-19 pandemic and life was very uncertain for our students in many respects, including socially, financially, and environmentally. To reflect what was happening at the time, we implemented a short-term operational plan, rather than devise a new strategic plan straight away. At the beginning of the 2022-23 academic year, we felt we were in a position to work towards creating a new strategic framework to reflect the changing needs and priorities of our members.
How have we created our strategic framework?
We wanted to gain as much student input as possible and undertook an extensive student consultation with the aim of gaining as much insight as possible on every aspect of students’ lives. We wanted students to provide us with honest feedback, both positive and negative, with this feedback helping to shape our priorities going forward.
During the 2022-23 academic year, we launched our insights survey, using the theme of ‘Tell Us How You Really Feel’, alongside creative pop-ups asking more targeted questions aimed at capturing feedback from more underrepresented student groups. Over 900 responses were received from students, with much of this coming from in-person promotion and direct conversations, providing us with feedback on a wide range of experiences and concerns.
Using the expertise of Marianne Melsen, Student Voice and Insights Manager at Queen Mary Students’ Union, this feedback was compiled and analysed, resulting in a comprehensive report on where our key strategic challenges lay. The insight Marianne provided was invaluable and we are incredibly grateful for her expertise and support.
The SU staff team and Officers took part in workshops to identify how to meet these challenges and, ultimately, provide the best possible experience for our students. Conversations were lively and constructive, and resulted in fantastic ideas and suggestions from across all areas of the SU.
Click here to find out more about our vision and values.
Click here to find out more about our key strategic themes.
