Finding training opportunities

The Training Decision Tool

The E4 Training Decision Tool was designed to help you identify training and activities (such as conferences, public engagement etc.) that are relevant to your research area/project and specific needs. This was based on the students’ training logs from previous years but this is an evolving document at a starting point and we count on you to help us make it grow and become more and more complete and relevant.

This consists of 2 different documents:

1. The Prezi presentation which is the starting document that you need to use to explore the different areas of training relevant to the natural environment sciences – Training and activities are numbered.

TRAINING ACTIVITIES by E4DTP University of Edinburgh on Prezi Next

2. The spreadsheet which lists all the activities of the prezi presentation, by number, and gives more information on them with links etc and rating from students when they were available. There is a second tab “How to use” to give guidance on terms etc.

E4 DTP Training Decision Tool - Full Activities Listxlsx

The above Training Decision Tool spreadsheet is available on Teams (as a tab to the E3 E4-specific channel) so that everyone can update it and add to it. Feel free to include everything that you think relevant which is not in there already. If you do that, please let Stephanie know the number(s) of the activity you have added and where it should go on the Prezi presentation so she can then update the Prezi tool (the Prezi cannot be easily made editable for all).

The DTP List of Expertise is meant to gather information on students' expertise in all areas and techniques so that other students can ask for information and help. If you are happy to share your skills with others, please complete the spreadsheet with your details.

Other Training With or Out with the DTP 

Training course opportunities are usually emailed by the DTP manager or posted on the Noticeboard of the GeoSciences PGR Student Information Hub (Learn Pages - access through MyEd). However students are encouraged to enquire directly towards the organisation which provides training, sign up for newsletters such as NERC's email update and investigate further opportunities by clicking on the links below or following their supervisors' advice e.g.

• Ad-hoc training within DTP e.g. Nature Writing Workshop, Writing Retreat (usually twice a year in February and July) etc.

• Generic PhD training course (in each school). In GeoSciences, it is called Research Planning and Management in GeoSciences for geophysics students and Research Design in Human Geography for human geo students (more info on the GeoSciences PGR student Hub on Learn). Please refer to your gradschool for information on your own school's generic training.

• Peer-to-peer initiatives such as Coding Club in GeoSciences (open to all schools), Edinburgh Carpentries 

• The Institute for Academic Development (IAD) has a wide range of training courses on offer for PhD skills such as presentation, poster, thesis workshop, writing skills etc.

• There is a list of Research groups, reading groups and seminar series on the GeoSciences PGR Students Teams Channel (everyone can join the Teams), you can add to it if you know a group which is missing.

• Undergraduate and PGT courses are open to PhD students (please check availability and consent from the Course Organiser) - see the DRPS Course Catalogue.

• LAUNCH.ed will help with entrepreunarial projects through coaching and workshops (Student Start-up workshops e.g.)

• The Edinburgh Teaching Award offers training to obtain the HEA Fellowship qualification, awarded by the Higher Education Academy (HEA)

• NERC Research Centres postgrad training programmes (see a summary here)

• Ad-hoc training with the E4 DTP partners e.g. CEH (wide range of courses on offer with possible discount for DTP students), NCAS Summer Schools (Climate Modelling, Atmospheric Modelling), BioSS advanced statistics courses, Scottish Mathematical Sciences Training Centres courses (Probability, Statistics), BGS GeoSchool’s Geostatistics and GIS courses, NCEO (National Centre for Earth Observation: AI/Machine learning, remote sensing, data assimilation), NEOF (NERC Environmental Omics Facility)

• Training with other NERC DTP/CDTs (opportunities are regularly emailed to DTP students by the DTP Manager)