Friday 21 February 2014, GCHQ, Cheltenham
The third IMA Employers’ Forum was held at GCHQ Cheltenham on Friday 21 February. The theme for the day was ‘Career Development’. About 35 members from Corporate Affiliates, other employers, universities and other organisations took part.
The morning session included presentations from representatives of GCHQ describing their career stream structure and how recruitment and career development took place within an organisation employing over 100 mathematicians. A presentation on Reward and Recognition was given by Dr Malcolm Macleod, Dean of Fellows at Qinetiq, describing their fellowship system for recognising outstanding achievement by scientists and engineers.
During the lunch break, participants were shown some of the exhibits in the GCHQ internal museum, including the last surviving piece of Colossus, the electronic computer developed at Bletchley Park.
The afternoon sessions were devoted to discussion sessions in which ideas and good practice were exchanged among the participants, and a list of potential action points for participants, employers and for the IMA were drawn up. Among points for further consideration by the IMA were developing the career narratives on the website to show the various career stepping stones that might be encountered in a mathematics career; investigation of reward and recognition schemes and giving consideration to how the IMA might reflect them; and enhancing professional development.
The organisers thank the GCHQ Outreach team and the IMA support staff for their work in making the day run smoothly and productively.