PGR Opportunities Hub: Supporting your students professional development
The UK Research Councils and other funders expect doctoral students to demonstrate a commitment to professional development, particularly in the area of transferable skills. They recommend that postgraduate research students undertake the equivalent of 10 days (70 hours) of researcher development opportunities each year. By 'Researcher Development' we mean the training, opportunities, experiences, conversations and reflection that your students do alongside their research, to develop their skills and knowledge and to help achieve their career aspirations.
Your supervisees will need your support in planning their professional development and ensuring that the options for training and development they choose align with their professional needs and career aspirations. Having your support and encouragement to take part in training and development will be essential for your students.
Professional development conversations
There will be both formal and informal opportunities for you to discuss professional development needs with your supervisees. At the start of each year, each student should be asked to complete some kind of Training Needs Analysis (TNA) and support should be provided to them to do this. Progress with this TNA should be discussed and submitted as a core part of their Annual Progress Review each year.
The TNA works if supervisor and supervisee are clear about its objectives. These are:
- To equip supervisees with the skills and knowledge necessary to complete their degrees successfully.
- To support supervisees’ career aspirations.
However, ideally supervisors will build in discussions of professional development needs and career aspirations into their regular meetings with supervisees. The types of questions it would be good to ask your supervisee, include:
- “Where would you like to be, career-wise, in five years’ time?”
- “What other options are there?”
- “What skills and knowledge do you have, and what might you need to work on, to achieve your goals?”
Don’t worry if you don’t feel equipped to support answer some of these questions. Your students have support from their School, Graduate School, central Researcher Development, and the Careers, Employability and Opportunities Service to turn these initial conversations into action. See the links for these services below.
What training and development support is available for my students?
The tabs below will link you to the main sources of training, development and careers support for your students. All of the mandatory, optional researcher development and research methods training and development opportunities are outlined for your students on the PGR Opportunities Hub: Training and development webpages. This training is available at School, College and University level.
For careers support, they can access extended Careers consultations and a range of application, interview and CV advice via the Careers, Employability and Opportunities Service. In addition, the central Researcher Development Team offer a range of initiatives and support to support your students’ career direction.
Finally, there are many student-led development opportunities you can encourage you students to participate in from attending and presenting at conferences, student competitions, seminars and reading groups, and even publishing.
Please review our guide to Supporting PGR Professional and Career Development to help you plan your professional development discussions with your students.
If you have any queries about any aspect of your students’ professional development needs please contact the College Employability Officer, Dickon Copsey.
Careers support and guidance
Careers guidance, planning and job search
Career direction training and skills development support
