De Montfort University Leicester (DMU) is celebrating securing not just one but two coveted student services accolades.
DMU’s Library and Learning Services team has received three more Compliance Plus awards after the 2022 Customer Service Excellence Standard reviewed the team’s offerings, while DMUworks, the university’s award-winning career support team has been accredited to the matrix Standard, the Department for Education’s internationally recognised quality benchmark.
The Customer Service Excellence Standard is an independent review of the services that an organisation or education institution offers. Every three years, 57 elements of a service or offering are assessed over five key areas including, customer insight, information and access, and quality of service.
To achieve a Compliance Plus award, assessors must be satisfied that the team is achieving above the required standard in each element. This latest report praised the positive impact that the Library and Learning Services team had on students, with the information provided through the library’s website highlighted for its imaginative and visual delivery.
Writing in its report, the Customer Service Excellence Standard said: “DMU is one of the most diverse universities in the UK and what you are doing in relation to ensuring all customers are treated equally is fully embedded. Your policies and working practices are fully embedded in the mindset of Managers and staff and its processes and systems in ensuring equality of access to your services.”
The Library and Learning Services team is the only services team within its sector to hold 25 Compliance Plus awards at once, a feat that Dave Parkes, Director of Library and Learning Services, is particularly proud of.
He said: “The team are fully dedicated to the student experience, compliance plus demonstrates behaviours or practices that exceed the requirements of the standard and are viewed as exceptional or as an exemplar for others, this award recognises the team’s innovation, commitment, professionalisation and dedication it is a great recognition of the work they deliver every day for students and staff across the institution”
DMUworks, the university’s specialist career team, also had cause for celebration as its careers education and information, advice and guidance were deemed worthy of the matrix Standard.
It joins an illustrious list of organisations, including the English Premier League, to receive the accreditation after an examination of the team’s services.
The assessor’s report, published earlier this year, identified several strengths in DMUworks’ offering to students. In particular, it highlighted the team’s effective organisation and ability to put students at ease with their non-judgemental, practical approach.
The accreditation is another in the long line of accolades that the DMUworks team has received, which includes the 2021 NUE Award for Best University Careers Service and the Times Higher Education Award for Outstanding Support for Students in the same year.
Richard Bowden, Interim Head of Graduate Success at DMU, said: “We’ve been on a pretty challenging journey the past few years as we pushed ourselves to become a modern, dynamic careers service and all of this recent recognition makes it all worth it.
“We owe much to our recently departed Head of Department Adele Browne but the real work is done on a day-to-day basis by colleagues who deliver support, programmes, events and initiatives for our students and graduates.
“We also need to recognise our students for engaging and embracing the opportunities that we provide them as without their effort and commitment to achieve and progress we wouldn’t be able to demonstrate the impact and outcomes that you need to evidence to win or be shortlisted for these awards.”
The full matrix Standard report can be read here.
Speaking of both teams’ achievements, Jo Cooke, Executive Director of Student & Academic Services, said: “I am so proud of these two teams for gaining these awards. As part of our strategy, the student experience is absolutely key and the fact that these areas have gained accreditation is a great example of how we can support our staff to provide an environment in which our students can flourish and we can enable them to fulfil their potential.”
Posted on Thursday 23 June 2022