P12 - Transitioning Beyond Academia: Preliminary evaluation results from a programme at Queen's University Belfast

Many PhD students begin their studies with an expectation of a career within academia.  However, across the globe, less than half of PhDs pursue academia careers.  So, non-academic careers are no longer the "alternative", but more of the norm.  PhD students and research staff seek career advice from their supervisors, who can offer guidance on an academic route, but lack knowledge of working in other environments.  In order to offer guidance, Organisational Development at Queen's University Belfast piloted a new programme for early career research staff exploring the transition to working beyond academia (n=10).  The programme included workshops on: Designing Your Career, Non-academic CV and Non-academic Interview, Personal Branding and Business Creation. Discussions with industry experts and one-to-one mentorship with non-academic mentors.  Closing with an employer networking event. Feedback given by participants through questionnaires revealed that participants gained the needed confidence to apply to non-academic jobs, improved online and offline presence and learned relevant insights from those who had completed the transition.