For Research Managers
How do you help your researchers to plan their careers?
- Have you struggled to find an effective way to train PhD students and postdocs in career planning, and support their career development?
- How do you co-ordinate career training efficiently given the busy schedules of researchers and their supervisors, and the constraints of workshop-style courses?
- Do you find supervisors are willing to help, but are not necessarily equipped to offer the support young researchers need to make the right career choices?
Connect your researchers to their futures
Career Control for Researchers is an 8-week online career planning course for PhD students and postdocs needing to get their career directions clear and their priorities straight.
The program gives emerging researchers the tools and confidence to take responsibility for their own careers. It enables them to structure and advance their own professional development, and sends a strongly positive message about their parent institution's support.
View a PDF of the program's
structure and components.
Benefits for your institution
- Cost-effective, scaleable career development training
Career Control for Researchers offers the opportunity to manage career planning for researchers across all disciplines, in large numbers if necessary. The program is a fully out-sourced service that does not put a burden on staff at sponsoring institutions. - High levels of engagement
The flexible, on-line delivery of core modules caters for the diverse schedules of PhD students and postdocs. The program runs twice each year, offering a choice of start dates.
Career support for your researchers
- Customising and branding options
While delivery of the training is fully outsourced, the program can be tailored and branded for institutions that register larger groups of researchers. This can include establishing a registration portal and members' page unique to the parent institution.
- Attracting and retaining researchers
The program provides for a shared experience and networking that support cohesion amongst researchers across multiple facilities. The training is also an attractive point of difference to anyone considering taking up PhD studies or a postdoc position at your institution.
Benefits for your researchers
- Informed choices
Participants map their strengths, preferences and 'non-negotiables' so their choices are well informed and realistic, and they learn the capabilities they need to reach their goals. - Personal Career Plans
Participants create comprehensive Career Plans with specific milestone goals to meet, and actions to take to accelerate their progress. - Confidence in career development
The program's step-by-step approach builds participants' self-awareness and their assurance in taking ownership of their careers. It complements regular professional development arrangements and enables researchers to be more focused when seeking advice from supervisors and mentors. - Designed for the time-poor
The program is structured to suit those undertaking a PhD or working full time as a postdoc. It requires no more than 2 hours a fortnight over 8 weeks to complete. - A platform for self-development
An investment in Career Control for Researchers secures each participant a credit for US$120 towards the full cost of the comprehensive Postdoc Career Success program. This provides a natural next step for researchers keen to go on themselves to access additional support for career development.
“I really enjoyed the program and it was great that the GradSchool made it possible for me to participate. It gave me a clear structure of how to plan my phD, how to create the goal on what comes after that, how to identify and value my strength and a reason why I should complete my phD.”
“I've taken part in several career workshops and none helped me as much as yours did. I think it is the way you frame questions that makes a huge difference. It also helps that this was a step by step process.”
“The step by step pace led to some in-depth soul searching and helped me focus on what I am good at. I have totally changed my expectations of career post-doc and feel very relieved that there are a lot more options out there for when I finish.”
“I found that the course offered a very different perspective on how I should be viewing my future career. The techniques taught during the course were highly valuable as they are topics which are rarely discussed with early career persons.”
Co-ordination and oversight
Career Control for Researchers is a fully outsourced service, but administrators and supervisors can register as Program Leaders to have visibility of the program content. Program Leaders can also access PostdocTraining's personal email advisory service, for support on any career-related matters raised with them by PhD students or postdocs.
Take the next step: start with a pilot program
Institutions secure substantial savings against the standard program price (US$147 per person) by registering groups of researchers.
Our simple 5-step pilot process helps you test whether the program would suit your early career researchers. To find out more click the button below (includes pricing in US$ for cohorts of different sizes)
Further questions?
We invite you to explore pricing, timing and options for customisation with us. To discuss your training needs, please contact Stephen Evill or Kerstin Fritsches by using the form below.