ABSTRACT
This chapter draws on the experience of the authors as the Deputy Vice-Chancellor and the Head of Educational Development at Thames Valley University during the four-year period immediately following the merger of the institution with Reading College and School of Arts and Design in 2004. Academic career structures reflect the divide between the sectors reinforced by different contractual conditions of service, education and training qualifications, and pension arrangements in a UK context. As funding levels for higher education are higher per student than for further education, there was never any possibility of a single contract with a single set of terms and conditions. Developing opportunities for staff to work across the sectors within the same institution and to develop their careers in flexible ways were recognized early on as paramount to the success of a comprehensive university. Educational Development Unit and the Graduate School was critical in making a step change in the research environment at Thames Valley University.
