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Recently there has been growing interest in an alternate business model, social enterprise. This is a different way of doing business that trades for a social purpose whereby the social or environmental aims of the business are of equal importance to its commercial activities. Consequently the skills required for running a successful social enterprise combine those typical of enterprise activities generally with a strong motivation and passion for social improvement. We have found that this aspect is useful in engaging researchers because at the heart of social enterprise is a strong commitment to achieving a better society, a motivation that resonates with that which typically drives the research agenda and researchers themselves. This collaborative project with Vitae has been successful in developing written and associated video materials to explore enterprise skills with early career researchers. There are plans to disseminate the resources via Vitae as part of the ongoing move to produce development resources that are freely available to HEIs as part of the research skills development agenda, this is likely to be in January 2011.

This Forum allows research staff the valuable opportunity to join discussions, hear developments, share practice and network.

We have developed a PGR progress tracking system called ‘MyPGR’ which is an online tool capable of managing and monitoring PGR students. The system provides a record of interactions between students, supervisors and professional services staff. It also allows for the prompt provision of management information related to PGR students. The system will be operational for all students on MPhil/EdD/Phd programmes from commencement of the 2010/11 academic year.

A drop-in day at the Careers Advisory Service for postgraduate researchers, with bespoke resources and mini-presentations advertising the range of services available.

A five-part progamme covering all aspects of career management, from choosing what career is right for you, through the application process and beyond to continued career 'healthchecks'.

Staff workshop to introduce techniques and resources to maximise the visibility of publications and track citations. It explores key sources of citation data, open access publishing, using Cardiff University's Institutional Repository (ORCA), measuring citation impact and finding citations to researcher’s own work. The sessions include a presentation and then the opportunity to search databases to track own citation impact.

1-1 coaching for research staff focussing on issues such as work-life balance, career decisions and confidence.

4 day programme of highly interactive workshops and personalised, one-to-one coaching is designed to equip ECR with skills and approaches for leading a team and developing their personal style and impact. The aim of the course is to develop effective and confident leaders who have their own, genuine style – rather than adhering to any generic mode of leadership. These leaders know themselves and their team, and practice the fundamental attitudes, approaches and tools to get the best from both.

Research staff are observed on six competencies highly valued in industry and academia. They receive feedback and a report via coaching meeting. It is unique in that it is a developmental activity which is focused on how individuals behave in different situations and is combined with information from psychometrics to form a tailored report of strengths and areas for development.

A new and custom-adapted automated system designed to support managers and researchers by prompting timely induction and probation review discussions between them.