InKForgeDr Kay Guccione

Researcher Training & Development Advisor

Early Career Group

Post-graduate Research Committee

• InKForge• Training workshops• Fellowship coaching• Career seminars

• Thesis coaching• Mentoring• SURE scheme• Non-Academic

Network

RCUK Vitae(national policy)

Researchers(current needs)

Employers(current needs)

Supervisors(current needs)

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Long term aims for the project:• Increasing awareness of industrial career

paths• Increasing the networks of our researchers• Increased opportunities for work

experience for researchers in industry• Increased success of our researchers gaining

industrial positions• Increased collaboration for research with

industry

Why?2010 Baseline data show that few of our researchers know what to expect from a career in industry*

(*Lee et al 2010)

EMPLOYER INTERVIEWS – 2 QUESTIONS• What is industry is looking for in an

employee?

• How can we develop our training programme to improve the potential of our researchers in getting positions in industry?

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FINDINGS 1 – Interviews • No technical ‘skills gap’ between

academic researchers and industrial positions.

• The missing skills were referred to as ‘qualities’ and were deemed to be an ‘attitude gap’. Or ‘lack of well roundedness’.

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FINDINGS 2 – Focus groups• The quality of CV and application from

academic researchers is low.

• Researchers often perceive industry as being an easy option and are unprepared.

• Academic researchers cannot articulate:• What application their research has• An awareness of business language and terminology

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INDUSTRY SAID… we recommend that you…

• embed a culture of interaction with industry at every level, across the Faculty, to allow researchers to interact with industry representatives, ask questions and become more aware.

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ACTION PLAN – Some suggested activities• Guest seminars • Research open days – e.g. Krebs Symposium, Medical

School RD

• Industrial Career Day – range, roles and career paths, a day in the life, career development essentials

• Industrial CV workshops

• We can fund your event if it has an industry angle

• …Industrial mentoring

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DEPT. TAILORED ACTION PLAN• What career are you aspiring to?

• What activities, experiences and skills do you need?

• Your chance to find out…MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR DAY

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DEPT. TAILORED ACTION PLAN• inkforge@sheffield.ac.uk - enquiries,

suggestions, feedback• k.guccione@sheffield.ac.uk mentoring• l.lee@sheffield.ac.uk Think Ahead• s.soubes@sheffield.ac.uk Science• sarah.j.bell@sheffield.ac.uk Arts &

Humanities, Social Sciences and Engineering

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