We believe that a valuable research programme should provide a fully rounded experience for our students and to that end the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences is proud to offer you the Personal and Professional Development training programme. With an increasing emphasis being placed on the employability of students (and thus the courses they undertake) all the time, UEA is committed to equipping you with all those vital research and transferable skills you will need for your postgraduate research and beyond.

The Research Councils requirements stress the importance of generic training and preparation for a professional career and so you may find that the training sessions offered are general in their scope, interdisciplinary in approach and not subject specific. However, this has been derived from evidence presented in the Roberts' Report, 'SET for Success', which suggests that there are mismatches between the skills of postgraduates and the skills required by employers (for example, many are seen to have difficulty in applying their scientific and technical knowledge in a practical environment and to lack strong transferable skills). Our programme encourages you to be an active part of the Faculty's research community and, finally, a participant in the wider community with an emphasis on learning through experience and activity.

Although some of the training takes place in formal sessions, the programme also aims to create a distinct research community which draws together both research students and academics. Most of the sessions are provided by research active academic staff, but we also work with other parts of UEA in providing practical and technical training and career development for Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences research students. If there is a training activity outside of this training programme, that you and your supervisor agree is appropriate for you, this can also be taken into account. Skills gained from this programme will improve your ability to present your work to a variety of audiences, whilst helping you to develop an understanding of the role of research in the wider world.

The programme for 2012-13 is now available to download.