Leadership Lab
Advance your skills and your institution's sustainability goals with the EAUC Leadership Lab, a three-day transformative leadership course designed for senior professionals in post-16 education.
Applications for the 2027 course are now open. Submit your application by 30 November.
Next course
Tuesday 23 to Thursday 25 March 2027, University College Birmingham
Overview
The EAUC Leadership Lab is an intensive, executive‑level programme designed for sustainability leaders who are already operating at senior or strategic levels and who are leading systemic and transformational change within their institutions or across post-16 education.
The programme brings together a small, highly engaged cohort of leaders from post-16 education, creating a trusted space for deep reflection, peer challenge and practical application.
Participants work with real‑world, complex leadership challenges, and engage with perspectives and case studies from across the sector.
This is not an introductory leadership course. It is designed for those with significant responsibility, influence and ambition to create change at scale.
The 2027 course will be held from 23 to 25 March 2027 at the Baskerville House Conference Centre, University College Birmingham.
Who should apply?
The Leadership Lab is suited to you if you:
Operate at a senior, executive or equivalent strategic level
Lead or strongly influence institution‑wide, cross‑institutional or system‑level change
Are responsible for shaping strategy, culture, policy or long‑term direction
Are looking for time and space to step back, reflect and deepen your leadership practice, rather than be introduced to leadership theory for the first time
If you are working on discrete projects, operational delivery or narrow functional roles, you may find the programme less suited to your current stage of leadership.
2027 application timeline and process
Express your interest by registering for the event here using the "waiting list" button
If you're eligible to apply, we'll send you a link to the full digital application form within two working days. We ask you to provide a purchase order number as approval from your organisation as part of the application form
The application form must be completed and returned to us by Monday 30 November
Applications will be reviewed by members of the EAUC team and facilitator, Professor Wendy Purcell FRSA
You will be notified of the outcome of your application by the end of December 2026
If you're successful, we'll send you the delegate pack and request your accessibility and dietary requirements.
The programme will take place from Tuesday 23 to Thursday 25 March 2027 at the Baskerville House Conference Centre, University Birmingham College
2027 fees
ÂŁ1,681.84 (including VAT) which includes:
Accommodation at Ibis Styles Hotel Birmingham Centre on Tuesday 23 and Wednesday 24 March
Meals and refreshments
Course materials
Access to the Leadership Lab alumni network
ÂŁ2,522.71 (including VAT) which includes:
Accommodation at Ibis Styles Hotel Birmingham Centre on Tuesday 23 and Wednesday 24 March 2027
Meals and refreshments
Course materials
Access to the Leadership Lab alumni network
About the facilitator
Professor Wendy Purcell FRSA is a practitioner and academic specialising in leadership and sustainability.
She is the current vice chair for education and professor in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health and Justice at the Rutgers Universities in New Jersey, the USA. She continues to research global leadership and governance for sustainable transformation in higher education.
Prior to joining Rutgers, Wendy led research on this topic at Harvard University. She also worked at a strategic level with a number of health organisations including the NHS, the UK Council for Healthcare Scientists and Health Education England.
Wendy has authored over one hundred publications and has edited a number of books on higher education, the Sustainable Development Goals, climate change strategies, leadership and organisational development.
What previous participants have said
"The Leadership Lab helped me build confidence in my leadership approach, connect with passionate individuals across the sustainability field, and expand my network. It also gave me the space to explore diverse perspectives and reflect on complex challenges in a more strategic and creative way.”
Julia Durkan University of Manchester
"By far, the best CPD I've ever had."Â
2024 participant
"One of the strongest elements of the programme was the peer network. Being in a room with leaders facing similar system‑level challenges created rich discussion and meaningful connections that continue beyond the programme.”
“The Leadership Lab provided a rare opportunity to step back from day‑to‑day pressures and reflect on sustainability challenges in a much broader, strategic context. Hearing how other universities are approaching change was enormously valuable.”
University of Sheffield 2025 participantMore learning opportunities
