GRADSKILLS DEVELOPMENTGRADSKILLS DEVELOPMENT – – enhancing postgraduate research enhancing postgraduate research

and employabilityand employability

Dr Ruth NeilandDr Ruth NeilandGRADskills DirectorGRADskills Director

University of St AndrewsUniversity of St Andrews

GRADskills AimGRADskills Aim:: ~ ~ to support the development of to support the development of personal, professional and personal, professional and

career career management skills by early management skills by early stage stage researchers at the researchers at the University ofUniversity of

St Andrews.St Andrews. “Roberts’ Agenda”“Roberts’ Agenda”

Winner 2007: Winner 2007:

““Outstanding Support for Early Career Researchers”Outstanding Support for Early Career Researchers”

Programme management– Centralised, University-wide programme– GRADskills website and database system – DNA, Logbook & Induction– Skills Working Groups

GRADskills Launched Oct 2005

Currently 150 courses & events per year

GRADskills Training & Development FocusGRADskills Training & Development Focus

‘Research’ skillsSkills needed to complete

PhD e.g.- working with a Supervisor- project management- presentation skills- effective writing- surviving the viva

Career awareness skills e.g.

- understanding academic culture and career pathways

- Research funding and fellowships- Mobility and alternative careers- What external employers look for?- Entrepreneurship & business skills

All Joint Skills Statement categories

ENHANCING RESEARCHERS’ EMPLOYABILITYENHANCING RESEARCHERS’ EMPLOYABILITY

ListeningListening to students and other users to students and other users of GRADskillsof GRADskills

Feedback, ideas & inspiration not only through assessment forms, student focus groups and questionnaire surveys,

but alsoi) analysis of engagement levelsii) involving Supervisors and PIs

Responding to the Research Community

GRADskills InnovationsGRADskills Innovations

• Video-tips projectVideo-tips project

- capturing the “student voice”- capturing the “student voice”

- inter-institutional collaboration- inter-institutional collaboration

- on-line sharing of resources- on-line sharing of resources

• Innovation GrantInnovation Grant

- being proactive and creative- being proactive and creative

- funding mechanism- funding mechanism

• RESEARCH FUTURES conferenceRESEARCH FUTURES conference- - inspirational forum on future career inspirational forum on future career potentials for researcherspotentials for researchers- advice exchange and - advice exchange and networkingnetworking

300 participants including300 participants including

leading policy advisers knowledge transfer experts industrial employers research funders publishing specialists,academics and early stage researchers

KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER SCOTLAND: KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER SCOTLAND: Policy & Practice ConferencePolicy & Practice ConferenceUniversity of St Andrews 4th April 2008 St Andrews & Universities Scotland RCC RT

KT & Researchers

Informing Public Policy

Facilitating Cultural Engagement

Stimulating

Economic Development

Sponsors: Scottish Funding Council, Scottish Enterprise, UK GRAD Scottish HubParticipants include: Scottish Government, RCUK, MIT, Stanford, Beacons of

Public Engagement, NESTA, Knowledge Transfer Programme, Researchers-in-Residence, Scottish Institute of Policing Research, Culture & Sport Glasgow…….

www.st-andrews.ac.uk/ktconference

Secret of our success……

• Knowing our audience • Responding to the

research community• Being innovative• Having a positive

message• Seeking to foster

external links

….and lots of hard work!

Thank you

www.st-andrews.ac.uk/GRADskillswww.st-andrews.ac.uk/GRADskills

gradskills@st-andrews.ac.ukgradskills@st-andrews.ac.uk