Graduate School

GRADschools

'...concentrating on developing the skills I need to complete my research is helping me to work more effectively and efficiently now, and will be invaluable in my future career whatever I choose to do"

Increasingly the development of generic or transferable skills is seen as an important element in a PhD. GRADschools are designed for postgraduate research students to assess their personal skills, develop team building skills and career management skills.

There are different types of GRADschools, so there is bound to be something to suit you.  UK Research Council funded research students are entitled to attend free-of-charge a National GRADschool in their final or penultimate year.

2011 National GRADschools

1st - 4th March, Windermere

14th - 17th June, Bournemouth

11th - 14th October, Windermere    

For further details about the national options: http://www.vitae.ac.uk/researchers/15672/GRADschools.html

Places book up quickly so we recommend that you sign up as early as possible.

 

North East Local GRADschool - Communication Skills + More

Monday 25 – Thursday 28 July 2011

Collingwood College, Durham

 

A four-day residential course for Ph.D. researchers in any discipline, full-time or part-time.

 Places at this GRADschool will be offered to all Ph.D. researchers but preference will be given to those in their penultimate or final year and studying in the five north-eastern universities (Durham, Newcastle, Northumbria, Teesside and Sunderland).  All Durham Doctoral Fellows are encouraged to attend the North East Local GRADschool during the term of their fellowship. 

 

The course will allow you to:

  • identify ways to develop
  • see the relevance of your skills in different environments
  • feel more able to promote yourself and your abilities
  • work more effectively with other people

 The main focus of the course is to develop your communication skills – in the widest sense – but it will also cover personal effectiveness, problem solving, networking, teamworking skills and will include career sessions.

 All GRADschools adopt an experiential learning style and operate on the principle of ‘Challenge by Choice’.  Working in small groups, everyone is encouraged to experiment and explore unfamiliar areas.  No one has to take on any challenge with which they feel uncomfortable.  Throughout the course, time is taken to reflect and discuss.  We ask participants to come with an open mind and to be prepared to contribute to the course.  The courses are hard work but enjoyable: learning is genuinely fun.

The course will run from 09:30 on the morning of Monday 25 July and finish on Thursday 28 July at 17:30.  Participants will be required to attend all sessions of the course.  The course will be residential and all meals will be provided.  Accommodation will be in single bedroom in Collingwood College, Durham University. 

 

For more information contact Carolyn McAlhone, Graduate School, Durham University, email: carolyn.mcalhone@durham.ac.uk

Telephone: 0191 334 4576.

Please register your interest online: https://apps.dur.ac.uk/tcbs/?mode=details&schedule=4086