Training plan

Within the first three months of your research degree, you should agree a training plan with your supervisor.

This is an opportunity to think about any support you may need in terms of your research or broader development at the beginning of your research.

Progress against the plan will be reviewed as part of the progress monitoring arrangements, including the first formal progress report, at the transfer stage and at the annual progress reviews.

It is recommended that PGRs undertake an equivalent of at least 10 days professional and career development during each year of study. The University offers wide ranging personal and professional development opportunities for PGRs. Please see the Postgraduate researcher development page of the OD&PL website.

You may also find it useful to look at the Vitae Researcher Development Framework (RDF), a reference point for researcher development widely used in the UK and internationally. The RDF was developed by Vitae, the UK’s national organisation for the development of researchers. The University of Leeds is a member of Vitae: you can create an account using your university email address, which will provide you with access to their resources. The training needs analysis tool in the development section of GRAD is based on the Vitae framework and designed to support you in thinking about your development needs. 

Your supervisor may suggest that you attend some taught modules to cover any gaps in your knowledge or to refresh your understanding of certain areas. You can take part in a module without assessment, this is known as “auditing”. Please review the page Module enrolment for postgraduate researchers on the For Students website and speak with your Graduate School.

Recording of the training plan is within the University GRAD system in the development section. There is also a guide to recording your training needs and completing your training plan; this is available under the ‘Guides’ section on GRAD.