Skills development during your PhD

1
Skills development during your PhD

• Dr Tracey Stead
• Postgraduate Skills Coordinator

2
Destinations of Physical Sciences and Engineering
PhD Graduates in the UK

• 28 go on to a postdoctoral research role in
  academia
• 16 take up a research career outside academia
• The vast majority of the remainder go into
  alternative sectors manufacturing, business,
  finance and IT

Source What do Researchers do? 2003-2007
3
What skills do PhD Graduates Offer to employers?

• Planning and organizing
• Analytical
• Presentation
• Interpersonal
• Proactivity
• Ambition
• Adaptability
• Commitment

• Communication
• Intellectual ability
• Teamwork
• Creativity
• Enthusiasm
• Technical
• Tenacity
• Responsibility
• Goal orientation

Source Employers Perceptions of
Recruiting Research Staff and Students, 2005
4
Skills you will gain from your PhD

• Joint Skills Statement (JSS)
• Research skills techniques
• Research environment
• Research management
• Personal effectiveness
• Communication skills
• Networking/Teamworking
• Career management
• www.bath.ac.uk/research/pgskills/JSS

5
Skills training aims

• More effective researcher
• High quality research
• Awareness of skills
• Informed career choices
• Employability
• Time away on training courses is not time wasted!

6
www.bath.ac.uk/research/pgskills
7
(No Transcript)
8
(No Transcript)
9
(No Transcript)
10
(No Transcript)
11
(No Transcript)
12
(No Transcript)
13
eLearning modules

• 14 elearning modules available
• More being developed
• You must attain 75 or more in the post course
  quiz to get a record for completing these courses
• The course will not appear on your record
  immediately it may take up to 2-3 weeks

14
What is expected of you by the University of Bath?

• At least 10 days of skills training per year
  every year
• Annual skills assessment with your supervisor

15
Plan and record your progress
16
Course bookings

• Many courses have a high cost per head and long
  waiting lists, so please
• make sure you turn up to courses you have booked
  on to
• give plenty of notice (gt 24 hours) if you cant
  attend

17
Contact

• Postgraduate Skills Training Co-ordinator
• Dr Tracey Stead
• pgskills_at_bath.ac.uk
• www.bath.ac.uk/research/pgskills