Professional Advisors Special Interest Group

The Professional Advisors Special Interest Group (SIG) provides a dedicated community for colleagues working in student advising, tutoring support, and related professional services roles. As institutions increasingly adopt professional-service models of advising, there is a growing need to recognise and develop the distinct expertise these practitioners bring. Unlike academic staff, many professional advisors come from administrative, student support or service backgrounds and may not have received formal training in tutoring or student engagement. This SIG offers a space to share practice, build confidence, explore training needs, and demonstrate the value of professional advising as an equally professional and impactful contribution to student success. By bringing together colleagues who operate at the interface between academic departments and wider student support services, the SIG will help articulate the unique strengths of the role, showcase innovative and proactive interventions, and support the development of flexible advising approaches that can be adapted across different institutional contexts.

Audience

This SIG is open to all, but will be of particular interest to professional personal tutors or academic advisors.

The key benefits of engaging with this SIG include:

• opportunity to connect with others undertaking similar work;
• exchange case studies and practical resources;
• contribute to evidence-based discussions about the future of professional advising; and
• developing resources, such as a Top 10 Tips for Professional Advisors.

We will do this by exploring topics including:

• the effectiveness of different advising models;
• the role of professional advisors in relation to teaching staff;
• approaches to student engagement; and
• the use of institutional data to identify and support students at risk.

Aims

In order to champion professional advisors, our key aims are to:

• highlight the capacity of professional advisors to dedicate time to relationship-building;
• commit to proactive outreach and student advocacy;
• explore contribution to student retention, wellbeing, and success;
• enhance best practice and problem solving; and
• generate new ideas and create a community of practice among professional tutors and advisors.