RESEARCHER DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

The Researcher Development Program (RDP) is an open series of workshops designed to develop the knowledge, approaches and behaviors essential to the modern researchers. In an ever-changing sector, we expect researchers to be agile and adaptable in the way they interact with communities both inside and outside their institutions. To help them succeed, we strongly believe in listening to, and learning from, our research community to understand its needs and to shape our provision accordingly. In a recent institutional survey, the most valuable for today’s researchers include

• Approaches for Communication and Engagement
• All-round skills that focus on being an Effective Researcher.
• Knowledge about the Research high point involved in doing a research degree
• Information on Research Methods and Approaches
• Academic Reading and Writing

The corporation designed RDP to equip postgraduate and postdoctoral researchers with a full range of skills; to improve your effectiveness as a researcher and ensures that by the end of your research project, you are both highly qualified and employable in a variety of careers. The Researcher Development Program (RDP) will support you in obtaining the necessary skills, knowledge and attributes you need to complete your research degree, and for your longer-term career ambitions. The RDP is complementary to your research degree and offers you flexibility to develop your academic, professional and personal skills as and when you require. As you progress through your research degree different areas of the RDP will become important to you.

RDP is mapped to a recognizable international framework. To do this, we use the Researcher Development Framework (RDF), created by the corporation. The RDF articulates the knowledge, behaviors and attributes of successful researchers and encourages them to realize their potential.

No matter where you are in your research career, skills development has a critical part to play in your employability. The Researcher Development Program enhances the skills and competencies of researchers for successful careers within academia and beyond, and provides opportunities to:

• enhance your research activities at your university
• build your confidence by developing research-related and transferable skills
• identify and plan your own personal training package
• help fulfil your potential and succeed in a highly competitive employment market

AIMS OF PROGRAM

The aim of this program is to help you to develop the skills you need for your career – wherever that might lead you!  This could be in academia or beyond, and many research staff goes on to have successful careers in industries such as healthcare, law, education, engineering, business, NGOs, etc.  Surveys of employer practice have shown that employers would welcome more applications from doctoral graduates. 

If you are like the majority of postdoctoral researchers, you might not yet have definite ideas about your future career.  Finding the career path that is right for you can take time, and the help of those around you, colleagues, mentors, or family and friends. 

Most of all you will need to consider what motivates you and where your skills lie. This is why it is important to develop a plan.  While your career is your responsibility, the purpose of this Researcher Development Program is to help you to develop a rewarding career in research. 

The RDP aims to:

• Bring researchers together as a community so as to enable cross-collaboration on projects and knowledge transfer
• Greater self-awareness and awareness of others, leading to improved influencing and communication skills
• Enhanced research output
• Enable researchers to develop a long-term career strategy
• Promote leadership through the development of skills such as networking, influencing, presenting, time management, project management, grant writing and many more

PROGRAM OUTLINE

The Researcher Development Program gives researchers an opportunity to enhance their skills in key areas in diverse areas of human endeavors as essential in building excellence within the research community. The framework is structured into four domains covering the knowledge, behaviors and attributes of researchers. It sets out the wide-ranging knowledge, intellectual abilities, techniques and professional standards expected to do research, as well as the personal qualities, knowledge and skills to work with others and ensure the wider impact of research. These are:

1. Section A: Knowledge and intellectual abilities: The knowledge, intellectual abilities and techniques to do research
2. Section B: Personal effectiveness: The personal qualities and approach to be an effective researcher.
3. Section C: Research governance and organization: Knowledge of the professional standards and requirements to do research
4. Section D: Engagement, influence and impact: The knowledge and skills to work with others to ensure the wider impact of research

The Researcher Development Program consists of a suite or training programs and ‘lunch and learn’ sessions where researchers can learn the skills that they need to excel on their projects and enable them to forge their own successful careers. As well as the above, researchers on the program get an opportunity to meet postdocs from other faculties from other institutions, increasing their network and opportunities for collaboration.

WHY DO IT?

A PhD is an outstanding academic qualification but having a doctorate alone will not prepare you for your chosen career, whether in academia or beyond. The RDP is for all postgraduate research students. This includes full-time and part-time students, those studying a Master's, MPhil or PhD, and postdoctoral researchers.

With an aim to enhance the skills and competencies of researchers for successful careers within academia and beyond, the program provides opportunities to:

• Get the most out of your current research activities for your future career.
• Build your confidence through the development of research-related and transferable skills
• Identify and plan your own personal training package
• Help fulfill your potential and succeed in a highly competitive employment market.

HOW TO DO IT?

At IARSA Corporation, we are committed to developing researchers who are both highly skilled and employable. That's why it is important that while you are progressing with your research, you also develop the skills you will need to succeed in your chosen career. That’s why in addition to our range of development training, we offer a Postgraduate Certificate in Researcher Professional Development - a qualification which formalizes all the activities you will undertake as a postgraduate researcher and ensures you enter the employment market with a skill set and qualification which distinguishes you from other researchers.

As part of our commitment to your development, the Researcher Development Team endeavors to:

• Identify development needs in consultation with researchers, academic staff and Faculties
• Manage and deliver a range of training activities
• Ensure that all researchers have access to personal development planning

Our goal is to provide first-class, comprehensive development training opportunities for all researchers, and we look forward to supporting you on your research journey.

During this program, you will participate in:

• Sharing your experience of current professional and career development support;
• Creating a vision for professional and career development support;
• Identifying key aims and objectives to inform plans for this provision over the next two years.

BENEFITS OF RDP

The program builds essential leadership and management skills that are known to enhance researchers research output and career prospects, whether they chose to remain in academia or move into other areas of employment. These include:

• Strategic career planning
• Time management
• Project Management
• Personal development
• Resilience and independent working
• Communication skills
• Networking and influencing skills
• Writing and publishing skills

AUDIENCE

All research students and research staff are eligible to attend our sessions; member of research staff who can demonstrate that their primary responsibility is to conduct research and that they are employed for this purpose. This includes postdoctoral research staff (postdocs), Junior Research Fellows (JRFs), holders of research fellowships and research assistants (with or without a PhD).

BOOKING

Before booking you must be eligible to attend the course. Unless stated in the course details, you must book in advance for any event. Please do not turn up to a course without making a prior booking or before contacting us. You are responsible for getting clearance to attend from your department or manager, where appropriate.

ATTENDANCE APPROVAL

Some courses may require approval. You will be notified via email after you have expressed an interest in the course and you will either be asked to verify your status or your status will be confirmed on your behalf before your place can be confirmed.

CHARGING

There are costs associated with running these courses such as trainer, facility, refreshment and administrative costs; however, if you are eligible to attend the workshop, you are to pay $400USD only.

CANCELLATION AND NON-ATTENDANCE POLICY

We ask that participants do not book on training courses unless they are sure they can attend.

1. An administrative charge of $50 will be applied for late cancellations (less than 48 hours notice before the start of the course).
2. An administrative charge of $50 will be applied for non-attendance on any activity.

If you have any questions about a booking, or if you believe that your circumstances warrant further consideration, please contact us at training@iarsac.org as soon as possible.

NON-ATTENDANCE

If you have canceled within 48 hours or have not attended an activity you will be contacted to request further information. Administrative charges will be issued by email once per term and are payable to your account directly. If we do not hear from you, we will contact your Head of Department or College for additional details.

HOW ARE THE SESSIONS RUN?

The Researcher Development Program comprises of short sessions, half day and whole day sessions which take place in various locations across the campuses of colleges and universities worldwide.

For further information on the Researcher Development Program, please contact us at training@iarsac.org