Transferable Skills for Postgraduate Students

The Division of Social Anthropology is careful to ensure that students gain a thorough training in transferable skills during the course of its research degree. Thus, students gain experience in generalizable research skills (problem definition; research design; writing research proposals/grant applications; data analysis; modes of presenting results), environment and management, individual as well as group communication and presentational skills, networking and teamwork, research ethics, and personal effectiveness through the mechanisms of individual study in close discussion with a supervisor, and through the extensive course of research and fieldwork training undertaken in the first year. We note that many transferable skills are an entrance requirement for postgraduate study, and thus present on commencement. Where our students feel the need to develop their skills in any of these areas further we strongly encourage them to do so using the full range of courses available through the School. We also recognize with appreciation that many Colleges also offer services (such as writing skills workshops) which complement our graduates’ professional training.

1. Ongoing activities each year

1.1 Students are encouraged to attend the various personal and career development courses run by the Joint Schools and the University, according to their own needs. When students attend any of the courses we ask them to inform us of their attendance and then note it on their files. These courses are advertised to the students by means of:

  • Posters in the Social Anthropology building
  • Discussion of the courses with the student cohort as a whole, at both pre-fieldwork level and post-fieldwork level.
  • Discussions with their supervisors. Where supervisors note down students’ training needs, such notes are held on the student’s individual file in the dept.
  • Individual Skills Development meetings with one or more members of the PhD committee soon after return from the field, with the aim of identifying any specific skills training required. Among other skills this meeting helps to develop is that of Career Management, without creating excessively high expectations of future academic careers and of direct support from the Division for such careers. The notes from this meeting are held on students’ files.

1.2 Individual support for students. Subject to a divisional application process (via the PhD committee) we support students who wish to:

  • Undertake language classes
  • Attend courses elsewhere in the UK that develop their transferable skills.

When students attend such a course, we will note their attendance on their files held in the department.
1.3 We support the Cambridge University Social Anthropology Society (CUSAS), by means of a small grant to fund the organisation of seminars and other events throughout the year. This helps foster organisational skills, but most particularly networking and teamworking skills across the postgraduate student population.
1.4 For the post-fieldwork students: We provide financial support for the students to organise graduate conferences, thus developing organisational, networking and presentation skills, and so on. Students’ roles in organising such events are noted on their files.

2. Future plans

2.1 We gather feedback from students regarding their own perception of their skills-training needs. Subject to student demand, we organise specific courses on an ad hoc basis each year. We anticipate running a workshop on the use of digital technologies for research and dissemination of research findings.

School of Humanities and Social Sciences’ transferable skills training

Transferable skills training aimed specifically at Humanities and Social Science postgraduates is provided through a School-wide programme of courses and events which run throughout the academic year. Skill areas covered by these courses include:

  • Presentation Skills
  • Communication Skills
  • Time Management
  • Writing Skills
  • Preparation for the Viva
  • Planning & Project Management
  • Publishing
  • Effective reading (speed reading)
  • Negotiation skills
  • Stress Management

For up-to-date details of the skills training available to you please consult the transferable skills pages of the School website (http://www.cshss.cam.ac.uk/students/skills/postgrads/index.html).

Please also see the University of Cambridge Transferable Skills Training programme for its graduate students and postdoctoral researchers. The aim of the programme is to help you, as a researcher, broaden your horizons above and beyond the focus of your research work and to provide you with some key skills for your future career, whatever that may be.