Career Opportunities in Regulatory Affairs and Medical Writing in the Pharmaceutical Industry.

What is the rationale for doing this?

How does it fit with institutional strategy?

What are the main features of the provision?

What are the aims and expected outcomes?

The Divisional Programme aims to provide graduate students and postdoctoral researchers with the resources to develop and manage their own career. This is achieved through a number of different events which explore careers opportunities in academia and industry,networking opportunities, writing your CV and successful interview techniques.

The Division seeks to equip all Graduate Research Students and Research Staff with a comprehensive set of transferable skills that aim to maximize potential and build foundations for a successful career. These events fit with the career management and development part of the Division's programme.

These events have been running 2-3 times a year for the past two years. They demonstrate the real opportunities available to those wishing to explore a move away from academia into a career in industry and specifically medical writing and communications.

The aim of the these events are to provide opportunites for graduate students and postdoctoral researchers to explore careers away from academia and network with industry representatives. To date 12 attendees have secured job offers as a direct result of attending these events. These events have also become popular with students and staff external to Oxford.

Are there any pre-requisites for engagement, e.g. levels of skill, years of experience, essential pre-activities?

How many participate in each 'activity'?

Whilst these events are open to all graduate students and post doctoral researchers those nearing the end of there course or contract are actively targeted and encouraged to attend.

The Division currently has approximately 1000 graduate students and 2000 contract research staff and aims to cater for demand. These particular events are also open to students and researchers from other regional universities to attend. The introductory event attracts between 50 - 100 attendees and the workshop offers 25 places.

How do you monitor effectiveness?

Who do you seek feedback from?

Do you have benchmarks?

These events have received very positive feedback and have directly led to attendees securing interviews and job offers.Levels of attendance have been good with students and researchers from other regional universities attending.

To engage researchers and students in the programme and encourage both students and researchers to maximise the opportunites for additional training available to them. Participation by students is raised at their progress reviews at: (i) transfer from Probationer Research Student to D.Phil. status, three-to-four terms after starting, and (ii) at the end of six-to-eight terms at confirmation of D.Phil. status. Provision of skills training for research staff is included in the remit of the University Research Staff Working Group (RSWG).

The Division is currently planning to run further Medical Writing Events through 08/09 including a 2-day 'Medical Writing in the Medical Communications Industry: Introductory Workshop. The Division's main objective is to embed the Divisional programme (including the Medical Writing events) into a student's/postdoc's research career. The Division will continue to monitor the feedback and effectiveness of these events. In particular the number of interviews and job offers which have directly resulted from attending these events.