Profiting from Postgraduate Talent: Making the most of the skills agenda

Building on the implementation of the Roberts Review, the QAA Special Review outcomes, the Leitch review and latest European developments, this conference will take a strategic look at the future direction of our support for postgraduate researchers.

The UK GRAD annual conference will be an opportunity to:
> explore the implications for the postgraduate skills agenda of developments such as the Leitch Review of Skills, and the growing importance of enterprise, innovation, creativity and leadership skills to the UK economy
> ensure that the UK remains at the forefront of approaches and practice for supporting our researchers by reflecting on international approaches to delivering skills development to our postgraduate researchers
> debate issues around embedding personal and professional development and the sustainability of the skills agenda for postgraduate researchers in light of the Bologna Third Cycle
> focus on latest developments in career tracking of doctoral holders and the implications

Through a mix of strategic plenary presentations, practical workshop sessions, networking and sharing experiences participants will:
> consider and debate strategies for building on the Roberts agenda to support the development of higher-level skills such as creativity, enterprise, innovation and leadership
> hear how Institutions are embedding skills and career management support in RDPs in the context of an increasingly global research environment
> review progress of the national agenda and latest developments such as the outcomes from the QAA special review, the results from the national postgraduate researcher experience survey (PRES) and the work of the Rugby Team 2007 on measuring the impact of the skills agenda
> explore how we can gain leverage from the synergistic agendas of developing skills, preparing for academic practice and supporting an enterprise culture