We encourage all students to continue to develop professional and research skills. This can be through formal training, but also through other opportunities, such as getting involved in teaching undergraduates, or undertaking an internship.
There are lots of training providers within the University, offering different things. You can browse what is on offer below. The CamRDF site is a good starting point, and has some tools you can use to identify areas you might need to develop. It is a good idea to keep a record of any skills training and other researcher development that you undertake. You should bring this to your Second Year Review, and it can also be included on your CV.
Researcher Development Framework (CamRDF)
The University's Researcher Development Programme team provide a suite of workshops and events to support research students from all disciplines across the University of Cambridge.
Your research degree is a time of training during which you will develop the skills needed to become a professional researcher. The Cambridge Researcher Development Framework (CamRDF) maps out what is involved in conducting up-to-date, professional research, in what is an ever more interdisciplinary and international context. It breaks this down into fifteen competencies, all of which are highly valued and sought after by employers both within and beyond academia. The work required to complete your research and write your PhD thesis is one part of that process, but you will also be able to learn through formal training and by applying your skills in non-research situations.
Cambridge University Libraries
The University Library offers training in STEMM Research Skills, including sessions on plagiarism, research data management, referencing and more.
In addition to the face-to-face teaching opportunities on offer this year, the STEMM Library Programme will now be supported by a Moodle space. Here you will find a collection of resources that will help point people in the direction of useful tools and services, as well as teaching materials from the programme itself: https://www.vle.cam.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=143281
Engineering Library
The Engineering Library team offer a range of training in communication, information and research skills. Many of these are offered as part of the RDCs or additional activities for students on taught courses, but some are available for anyone to book a place on.
Betty & Gordon Moore Library
The Betty and Gordon Moore science library offers a series of sessions called "Moore Methods", on research skills for students studying sciences.
Teaching experience: supervising/demonstating for undergraduates
There are plenty of opportunities to gain teaching experience, both in the Engineering Department or through your College. The department has an online marketplace, where you can search for demonstrator and supervisor opportunities. Face-to-face training in supervising is required and provided by the department, and the University also runs a complementary online-only training module for PhD students who are supervising undergraduates.
Division F Teaching Assistants Scheme
As part of the 'Engaging Others' stream of the Researcher Development Programme, which aims to ensure that researchers are equipped with the essential communication and collaboration skills for success, graduate students should engage in some teaching and supervision. The Information Engineering Division (Division F) supports this by asking all graduate research students to teach undergraduates for four hours per week for three terms, over the course of their PhD – the Division is flexible about when during the PhD this takes place. Teaching can take the form of demonstrating in labs or supervising small groups of students, and will be paid at an hourly rate. Students who are unable to fully commit to this should discuss their circumstances with their supervisor.
Teaching Associates Programme
The Cambridge Centre for Teaching and Learning offers the Teaching Associates’ Programme (TAP), designed for Cambridge early-career academics and researchers (including non-first year PhD students) who teach Cambridge students. The flexible programme supports you in extending your understanding of teaching and learning and is accredited by the Higher Education Academy. To participate fully in TAP, you will need to devote approximately 10 days during the academic year to taking part in core sessions, independent study and practical teaching development exercises.
Centre for Languages and Inter-Communication (CLIC)
The Engineering Department's Centre for Languages and Inter-Communication is free to all students and staff of CUED and offers:
- Foreign language courses at the basic, intermediate and advanced levels in Chinese, French, German, Japanese and Spanish
- Communication for Global Engineers for all research students and postdocs to support their academic and professional skills development. The programme includes online group sessions and/or individual support for:
- Achieving excellence in Engineering writing
- Speaking Fluently & Appropriately
- Presentation Skills
- Perfecting Core Skills
- Excelling in Industry
- Inter-communication skills
- Teaching Engineers in English
- English support for international research students and postdocs tailored to Engineers.
- CLIC Global Engineer Digital Badge scheme to showcase participants’ effective communication skills as global Engineers, including excellence in academic writing and presentation skills, expertise in more than one language, and effective inter-communication skills.
- A range of trips and cultural activities.
University Computing Service training
The University Computing Service offers face-to-face, online and self-taught resources on many software packages, hardware and online applications. You can browse them on the University's training booking system.
Careers Service
The University's Careers Service has a range of key resources and tools relating to job searches, including writing CV, cover letters and application, being interviewed and negotiating job offers. They also run face-to-face sessions and events, such as talks by employers, interview practice sessions and careers fairs.