This document contains feedback from researchers who attended various career development and professional skills courses provided by the Researcher Development & Careers unit. The feedback is overwhelmingly positive and describes how the courses helped researchers gain confidence, motivation, inspiration, and new skills and perspectives that will help them in their careers. Researchers found the courses useful for exploring career options, improving communication and presentation skills, managing their PhD projects more effectively, and gaining a better understanding of themselves and their supervisors' roles.

1. Researcher
Development &
Careers Support

5. Just to say a big
"thank you" to
everyone involved
in the Millport
experience for a
very interesting
and stimulating
few days.
In the beginning, there was Millport

6. “These courses make us
look at PhD under a
different perspective.
“Have you thought about
this?” questions like these,
open our minds to our PhD.
It inspire us to do better.
Personally, I’m far more
inspired when I look at my
PhD than I was before.
‘Specially because now I
know that I can do
something interesting with
it when I finish it.”

9. Feb 2011: Enterprise &
Entrepreneurship
“Having an experienced
person doing the workshop
is also an extra point so he
can tell you ( from his
experience) some things
that you cannot find in
books”
“I would recommend the
course to anyone who has
even a slight idea about
starting a business because
it gets you motivated and
perhaps a more realistic
view on what it takes to
start.”

13. “I truly feel motivated
and enthused about
the next chapter in my
life and what I need to
do to get to my goals!
Thanks to everyone.”

14. I'm moving on from Glasgow in January (I have a permanent
lectureship back in NZ) and I just wanted to let you know that
I've really enjoyed and benefitted from the working lunches
that you've organised over the last couple of years

15. These communication courses have
really made a difference to me as I was
at a conference last week and I'm
much more confident and my
presentation has improved!
Jennifer Maclachlan (3rd year ICAMS
PhD student)

16. “These courses make us
look at PhD under a
different perspective.
“Have you thought about
this?” questions like
these, open our minds to
our PhD. It inspire us to
do better.
Personally, I’m far more
inspired when I look at my
PhD than I was before.
‘Specially because now I
know that I can do
something interesting
with it when I finish it.”

17. “Try to keep it
alive and running
for the following
years. If there
must be cuts let
them be not
about the
GRADSchool!”

18. “Having an experienced person doing the workshop is also
an extra point so he can tell you ( from his experience) some
things that you cannot find in books”

20. “The preparation, planning and organisation of
this course was excellent. The tutors were
highly professional and supportive. I have been
on several similar events in my life but this one
was superior in that it explored a depth and
seriousness of professional/ career issues that
was very useful. But all of this in a lively, playful
and good-humoured way. Well done folks!”

21. Just to say that I found this
course extremely relevant and
useful. I am postive about
altering my approach and
working on the areas that I have
fallen down in the past!

22. I can say that I definitely
understood more about
myself after attending the
GRADschool and would
recommend it to any
final-year students.

23. Effective Researcher
I thought the way it helped you view your supervisors job was quite enlightening
and since then I have been able to get a better relationship with mine.
''Lots of practical solutions. I feel considerably re-motivated and refocused"

24. Thank you so much for the opportunity to attend Voice of Young
Science. I found it extremely useful and am planning on applying for
funding from the SGM so we can have a similar event for postdocs
and PhDs in Glasgow. I used to feel that I wasn't 'expert' enough to
communicate with the media, but this day convinced me that I am.
After all, we have a duty to society and the tax payer to explain wha
we are doing with all their money! I have signed up to many of the
programmes considering an internship following my postdoc.
I strongly believe that these courses are excellent value for money
and I will carry on applying the skills that I learnt. i now feel much
more confident about communicating with the media and, once my
paper has been published, will be shouting about my science to
anyone who will listen!

25. Shortlisted for a Times
Higher Education Award
on 6 occasions (winning
once, as part of the
Scottish KE and Crucible
collaboration)

26. 7 research staff conferences
150 cross-university training
events a year (and the 200++
events taking place in the
Graduate Schools)

27. Empowering researchers to take the
lead in their own development

28. 67 researcher-led projects have
received ‘New Initiatives’
Funding (£45k)

30. 194 researchers have completed
our accredited leadership
programme

32. The course helped me be more assertive, showing
me I am capable of presenting and coming up with
good ideas. It will change my time management as
I’ve realised how much time spent 'working' is
unproductive. It taught me how to work in teams
more effectively, bringing together the skills and
attributes of each of us whilst trying to maintain a
common vision for our business plan.

33. GRADschool
I attended the Glasgow Local
GRADschool in the final year of my PhD
to take the opportunity to realise some of
the new skills I had learned during my
post-graduate studies. My aim was to
take the time to get to know what I was
good at and where my skills fell short so
that I could make a better judgement on
what job I should consider after
graduation.
The GRADschool was really good as the
whole course was focussed on allowing
everybody to try out the professional
skills which we gain from post-graduate
study. The school involved many fun
activities that highlighted the
transferable skills which are so important
when trying to decide which career you
are best suited.

34. Leadership Programme 2010
“I’ve been able to deal with some conflict situations which I would have
shyed away from before this course…I’ve started taking more
responsibility for things”

35. I was very impressed with the
fact that most of the speakers
who presented at the event had
'created' their own jobs by
identifying gaps in existing
provision. I think this factor was
extremely encouraging and I've
certainly been highlighting this
to colleagues who like myself
are all on short term
contracts….
Making an
impact

38. “Kind of nice that this
university is finally
starting to feel a little
bit smaller”
‘Since most of the
archives I need are
situated in my home
country Sweden I
appreciate the
opportunity to do this
course online.’
The experiences by
other researchers are
Gold!