Careers Network isn't just here to help you work out what you want to do after your Postgraduate Research, or apply for jobs. We're here to help you more widely with your professional development: that is, with the ongoing process of building your skills, gaining experience, and developing your networks.
Careers Network offers a range of professional development support to PGRs, including those outlined below.
Careers Network Mentoring Scheme for PGRs
Our Careers Network mentoring scheme offers you access to one-to-one advice from an experienced professional working in a sector of your interest. Your mentor can offer insights into their career experience so far, top tips for working in your chosen sector, and perspectives on how skills gained as a PGR can be applied to careers beyond academia. Many of our mentors are UoB alumni, including a number with PGR qualifications.
Our mentors can help you achieve your career goals by providing real insights into working in sectors beyond academia, advice around how specific skills developed as a PGR can be applied in the workplace, insights into routes for into a particular job role or industry and support in developing your self-awareness and confidence. For more details, visit the Careers Network mentoring scheme website.
Postgraduate Work Experience Bursary
The Postgraduate Work Experience Bursary is designed to support current postgraduate students to take part in unpaid or low-paid (i.e. in line with the national minimum wage) UK-based work experience or similar opportunities that will contribute to your career development. This doesn't just cover formal work experience placements, but other opportunities such as:
- Internships
- Work shadowing
- Volunteering
- Presenting at conferences
if you have identified an opportunity you'd like to take up and need financial support, or want to find out more about the bursary and the criteria to apply, visit the Postgraduate Work Experience Bursary website. You can also contact the Bursary team on workexperience@contacts.bham.ac.uk
The Birmingham Award
The Birmingham Award is the University of Birmingham's free skills award. It's a chance to enhance your personal and professional development, showcase your skills and gain recognition. The award is open to students of all levels, including PGRs.
As a Postgraduate Researcher you may be involved in many professional development opportunities which support you in developing your transferable skills and attributes, which can be recognised through The Birmingham Award. To gain the award, you will need to declare your participation in four actvities that are non-mandatory elements of your research programme, and that have supported yoru professional development whether within or beyond academia. It's a great way to demonstrate that you have taken proactive ownership over your career development (a key element of the Researcher Development Framework), and to show your ability to apply academic expertise to the real world.
To find out more about the award, how to get it, and key dates and deadlines, visit the Birmingham Award Postgraduate website.
Professional Development Opportunities beyond Careers Network
As a PGR, you have access to many other opportunities to develop your skills for your research and for your future. These include:
- Development opportunities through the Doctoral School, including the annual Three minute Thesis (3MT) research communication competition.
- A range of training and development related to research skills, skills for the thesis and more, such as PGR group coaching.