More and more graduate students are looking for ways to gain practical skills and experience to ensure success in their studies and to be more prepared when looking for work.
In fact, “soft skills” such as teamwork, problem solving, communication and interpersonal skills, time management, leadership capabilities, and proficiency in planning and organization are often just as important to employers as your technical and academic skills.
We know that grad students are extremely busy – juggling their classes, research, TAships, family and relationships, work and generally trying to kick start a career. But professional training can enhance your grad experience while setting you up for success when you graduate. It’s not ‘just one more thing do.’
And there’s an added bonus. You can connect and network with other grad students, making friends outside of your department.
Graduate training at Carleton used to be geared at TAs. With the introduction of Grad Navigate two years ago, all graduate students can now access a wide variety of training topics. And for those who are TAs, all workshops count toward TA hours.
What training is available? You can find workshops in the categories of Research & Writing, Professional Skills, Teaching Skills, Career Planning and Wellness. Here are just some of the topics we offer:
• Project Management
• Facilitating a Discussion Group
• NVivo Qualitative Research Management for Grad Students
• Media Training
• Resumé Writing and Skills Identification for Grad Students
• Finding Work Outside Academia
• Networking Strategies and Interview Skills for Grad Students
• Managing Challenging Teaching Situations
• Improving Your Teaching Through Feedback
• Giving Effective Presentations
• Managing and Decreasing Stress Levels
• Balancing Work, Life and School
• How to Handle Procrastination
As you can see, there is something for everyone! In fact many of the workshop topics were created because graduate students requested them.
FGPA is delighted to collaborate with fantastic people from Coop & Career Services, the Educational Development Centre, International Student Services Office, Department of University Communications, MacOdrum Library, and Health and Counselling who offer most of the workshops.
So you might be wondering – When is the best time to start developing your professional skills? We encourage you to start RIGHT NOW! This is an ongoing process with no set timeline, but it’s always a good idea to plan ahead especially since the whole experience can be time-consuming. Take a look at the available training and see which workshops you are most interested in and which fit with your schedule. If you can squeeze in two or more workshops per term you are a rock star! As these workshops fill up quickly, it’s a good idea to register as soon as possible.
To see upcoming workshops, visit the Grad Navigate website and click on each category to see what’s available. Be sure to also follow @CUGradStudies on Twitter and look for TheGraduate@Carleton newsletter in your inbox to hear about upcoming workshops and events.
You can also access online training through MyGradSkills.ca. However, please note that these online training modules do not count towards paid training hours for TAs.
For other questions, or if you have an idea for a workshop, please email Holly Gilroy, Co-ordinator of Graduate Professional Development at: holly.gilroy@carleton.ca.
And don’t forget about our Grad Research Link initiative. You can find out all the details about going to this website.
Tuesday, September 8, 2015 in News, Professional Development
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