The Graduate School

• Background & Importance of Professional Skills Development

• Professional Skills Development

• Cohort building

• Accredited GTA Training Programme

• Events

Background

Sergio SantosLearning

Technologist

Elaine WalshHead

PostgraduateDevelopment

Caroline Hargreaves

Senior Teaching Fellow

Paul SeldonSenior Teaching

Fellow

Helal AhmedTeaching

Fellow

• Dedicated team of tutors

Background and the Importance of Professional Skills Development

• Current funders of doctoral programmes expect that you spend time on professional development, including: courses, presentations and extra curricular activities (RCUK, 2013)

• Important to develop a broad skills set to enhance your employability

Doctoral students’ main motivation for study varies, often interest in the subject.

Why take professional skills courses?

Figure 5 How important is it for you to be able to recruit people with postgraduate qualifications?

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Masters

Doctorate Essential

Preferred

Unimportant

(CIHE 2010)

Some employers consider qualifications, others look for skills:

Background and the Importance of Professional Skills Development

Possible challenges during the Doctorate….

• Getting to know your postgraduate community• Uncertainty over what is required for a doctorate• Changing expectations• A certain number of practical problems• Understanding support systems• Balancing the doctorate and life• Dealing with the emotional side

Expectations http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/graduateschool/qualityassurance/phdstudentsandsupervisorsThe PhD experience: what they didn’t tell you at induction. Kearns, H., et al., (2005) Flinders Press

• To improve your ability to carry out your research successfully• To enhance your employability enabling you to progress in your

chosen career• To support and accelerate your personal development• Enhance your overall experience at the College

Background and the Importance of Professional Skills Development

Professional Skills Development

For Doctoral students there are four stages:

• Underpinning, Consolidating, Completing and Enriching

• Within each stage are the courses considered most relevant

• BUT – you can take the courses you need at any stage

Professional Skills Development

• 4 courses from underpinning must be taken by your Early Stage Assessment (‘ESA’ ~ 9 months)

• Chose courses most relevant to you and don’t leave it till 8 months in, as they may be full up!

Underpinning

Professional Skills Development

• Personal Effectiveness• Information Management• Career Options• Project Management• Presenting• Professional Conduct• Statistics• Writing• Residential Course

Underpinning

Professional Skills Development

• 9-20 Months• Advanced Presentation Skills• Advanced Writing Skills• Progressing• Career Planning

Consolidating

Professional Skills Development

• 20+ months• Career Action• Making your Thesis Open Access• FUMO• Planning and writing your thesis and preparing for

the Viva

Completing

Professional Skills Development

• Business and Enterprise (EE project)• Mini MBA

Professional conduct• Public engagement (outreach, public engagement

champion)• Leadership and working with others• Take these courses at any time

Enriching

“In my previous profession (as a lawyer) I was obliged to attend many courses of a similar nature but few as enjoyable and instructive as Imperial's…delivers at every level and I learned a great deal from it whilst not being overwhelmed and left feeling re-assured and very positive indeed.”

Award winning - Research Skills Development Course

“Great – illuminating, fun, interesting. All more so than I had expected.”

“I think it’s a very valuable way to generally improve your clarity, objectively and fitting into an academic environment. Most importantly it genuinely improves the quality of your research work.”

Wide range of courses to take you through your programme

• You may find courses in different stages useful earlier on (look in the stages)

• Courses can be taken at any stage of your doctorate

Choose courses appropriate for you• Online resources, course descriptions• Recommendations from students in your

department• Supervisor recommendations

Online Resources

• Compulsory Plagiarism Awareness Course (prior to ESA)• Intellectual Property and its Importance to Researchers (not

compulsory) • Growing provision in this area

Other online resources:

• Catch up Maths and Stats• 2 short films - Presentation Skills and Passing Your Viva

 

Career Planning During your Doctorate

It’s easy to let your doctorate take up all of your time: • Invest time in refining ideas about what you want to do next• Careers workshops at each stage: Options, Planning,

Action, online help-sheets • Build experience and record evidence of your skills

throughout your doctorate• Consider setting up internships / relevant research /

collaborations• Make use of the Careers Service:

www.imperial.ac.uk/careers resources, events and interviews

Finding and booking the courses

Just sign up online

 

 

Doctoral students

http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/graduateschool/currentstudents/professionalskillsresearch

http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/graduateschool/currentstudents/professionalskillsresearch/howtobook

“It was really fun working with other postgrads outside the lab, which allowed us to think about the research process in a different way”

“I have just been offered a lectureship …which is essentially my dream job. I’m sure the interview went well thanks to the training received in the GS courses.”

Professional Skills Development - Student and Alumni Feedback

Professional Skills Development - Employer feedback

Consulting: “It is useful to help students develop these skills so when they leave imperial they are more prepared for industry or commerce.

Agribusiness: “Very impressed to see how comprehensive it is … wish I had the opportunityto do something similar”

Oil company: “Fantastic opportunities … gives support to the student to be able to prove these skills in assessment centres”

International Doctoral Summer Schools

• Encourage participants to explore elements of team working, networking, effective communication and project management.

• Programme of exercises allowing participants to take away relevant lessons and skills to use within their chosen careers or in academia.

• As well as being part of your supervisor’s research group, your department will also assign you to a cohort of other students

• Cohorts will have a cohort leader and are designed to provide you with an additional support network

• Graduate School courses can be tailored for your cohort

• Graduate School provides some funding for cohort activities – staff or student led

http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/graduateschool/cohortbuilding

Cohort Building

Accredited GTA Training Programme - STAR

• Recognition for teaching carried out by PhD students

• Flexible framework provides ways in which to recognise departmental GTA* training programmes and may lead to accreditation from the HEA**

• If your department does not have a programme, you can sign up to the Graduate School’s programme

*GTA Graduate Teaching Assistants** Higher Education Academy

Who is there for you in the PG world?

Resources include:

www.imperial.ac.uk/registry/researchdegrees/supportwww.imperial.ac.uk/registry/currentstudents/researchstudents/contacts

SupervisorPostgraduate tutor

Director of Postgraduate StudiesHead of DepartmentStudent representativeAcademic mentorFaculty student representative

College Tutors

Graduate Students’ Union Graduate School Health centre Counselling Disability Advisory Service Careers Service

Events and Competitions!

• Promote interdiscplinary interactions and provides opportunity to network

Ig Nobel Awards Show

Annual Research Symposium Annual Chemistry Show

3 Minute Thesis

The Graduate School

For further information see…

www.imperial.ac.uk/graduateschool

Email: graduate.school@imperial.ac.uk

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