Find Training and Development Activities

The Doctoral College provides a focal point for professional skills development to equip doctoral researchers for success in their research and chosen career path: Professional development for doctoral students (bath.ac.uk)
Through MyDoctoralDevelopment doctoral researchers can access a wide range of training opportunities, online learning resources and get access to a variety of development opportunities throughout the year. We hope that these will help you to get the most out of your doctoral study and to enhance your future
career prospects. Many of these skills are transferable and will enhance your employability both within and outside academia. We align our activities to the Researcher Development Framework (RDF) supporting
your learning in the following key areas:

• Knowledge and intellectual abilities
• Personal effectiveness
• Research governance and organisation
• Engagement, influence, and impact

You may find it helpful to watch our Introductory Video to help you navigate around MyDoctoralDevelopment.

The Bristol Doctoral College (BDC) is dedicated to supporting the personal and professional development of all postgraduate research students, providing a hub of information and resources to help you get the most out of your time at Bristol.

The BDC organises university-wide events such as the Festival of Postgraduate Research and the Three Minute Thesis Competition specifically designed for researchers to develop communication skills, raise awareness of their work, and meet other researchers from across the University.

Alongside the specialist training you will receive in your own faculty, the BDC oversees the University’s central Personal and Professional Development (PPD) programme for postgraduate research students. This includes over 160 interactive workshops, seminars and resources covering everything from ‘Planning and Managing your PhD’ and ‘Writing quality papers’ to ‘Mindfulness workshops’ and ‘Developing a social media strategy’.

The full central PPD programme is available on the BDC website: Bristol Doctoral College | Bristol Doctoral College | University of Bristol
Every postgraduate research student has at least one annual progress monitoring (APM) review a year. This gives you the chance to reflect on your progress and confirm your plans for your next year of postgraduate study. You can find out more here: Annual progress monitoring | Current students | University of Bristol

The Researcher Development Programme at the University of Exeter is for Doctoral and Early Career researchers, to enhance the professional skills associated with undertaking higher level research projects. The programme is aimed at assisting students to complete their research project on time, and to progress in their chosen career. The Research Development Team can help you through workshops, courses, careers guidance and funding to help you design your own development programmes.
For more information please visit: Researcher development | | University of Exeter

The Researcher Development Programme at the University of Plymouth supports postgraduate research students and research staff. The programme offers research specific skills training as well as supporting researchers continuing into diverse careers. Sessions are complimented by diverse and experienced
facilitators and involve participants from a mix of disciplines. Sessions are delivered both in class and via webinars.
For more information please visit: Researcher development programme – University of Plymouth Follow on Twitter @ResearchSkills1

At UWE Bristol we are committed to supporting the development of postgraduate researchers throughout their research degree programmes, from admission through to final examination. The nature of undertaking a higher degree by research has changed in recent years; there is now greater emphasis on
the development of personal and professional skills as part of a research degree as well as the production of a thesis.

In recognition of the broader range of skills and abilities that need to be developed, UWE postgraduate researchers gain a minimum of 60 credits related to professional and personal development. The Doctoral Academy provides skills development workshops that, together with discipline-specific modules students
may choose in Colleges, are designed to ensure that all areas of the Researcher Development Framework (RDF), published by Vitae, are addressed. The skills development programme is available across the whole University with the focus on the transferable and/or generic elements to support the
subject specific provision within Colleges.

Skills development – Postgraduate research study | UWE Bristol

The Researcher Development Programme at Bath Spa is informed by the work of Vitae and its Researcher Development Framework (RDF) and provides training, workshops, development opportunities, resources and events to suit the individual needs of the researchers within our community at
Bath Spa University.

The programme offers a diverse array of sessions – from publishing, public engagement, resilience, research bidding, impact, communication, project and time management, supervision, or developing yourself or your research. These workshops are led by external specialists and internal practitioners and
take place across the university campuses.

Alongside the central programme, we also offer a wide range of opportunities for development including ESR mentoring schemes, the Journeys in Research Series (in which ESR and PhD researchers lead funded events for their colleagues), and MA modules in Research Supervision and Researcher Development. Opportunities are also available for students to gain experience as Research Assistants on our seed funded research projects scheme, working alongside academic staff on their research.

Training and Development – Bath Spa University

The Doctoral College Researcher Development Programme (RDP) is designed to support PGRs’ independent learning and progress, offering the flexibility to enhance research skills and professional development. With the support of their supervisory team, PGRs should identify and document their strengths and training needs and review their development regularly. A training needs analysis template can be found on the Doctoral College Brightspace. In accordance with the Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers, researchers are expected to engage in a minimum of 10 days professional development pro rata per year. How this is achieved will be individual to each PGR’s needs.

Doctoral students can access a wide range of training opportunities aligned to the Vitae researcher Development Framework (RDF). Training is offered both online and in person, with sessions offering an opportunity to mix with other postgraduate researchers and academic staff from different disciplines.
Regular writing retreats and writing cafes are also offered as well as opportunities to present ongoing research in seminar sessions. The programme of events is available on the PhD Zone.

Every postgraduate research student has an annual review meeting with the PGR coordinator and their supervisory team. This offers an opportunity to reflect on progress and plans as well as consider additional development needs.

More information can be found on the Doctoral College website.