17. a) Beneficial internships for doctoral Students: research benefits, student development and eployer engagement (Discovery Room 1).

Beneficial Internships for Doctoral Students: Research benefits, student development and employer engagement

Dr Hilary Jones (Careers Service), Dr Gavin Boyce (Research and Innovation Services)

 What is this about?

This session will report on the impact of  a doctoral internships scheme -  the Sheffield Internships for Postgraduates (ShIPs) – a competitive scheme for PGRs that has been set up in collaboration with Sheffield City Council and the Cabinet Office.  A winner from each faculty was selected, and an internship team of PGRs was put together to work with Sheffield City Council’s Lifelong Learning, Skills and Communities Department on a three-month project relating to unemployment, social exclusion and the roles of social enterprise and the third sector in Sheffield.

By reflecting on learning from the ShIPs project, the session will outline some tricks and tips to ensure that an internship is a success as well as considering how to measure the impact of an internship scheme  – particularly important when writing funding proposals or reporting to funding bodies.  The session will also outline the support available from the Careers Service.

 How will colleagues benefit?

Colleagues will benefit by:

a) finding out about support that’s available from the Careers Service regarding the set-up and management of internships
b) understanding how best to articulate and measure the impact of internship activities.  This can be useful in the preparation of funding proposals and in impact reporting
c) learning the tricks and tips to ensure that an internship brings the maximum benefit to the research, the student and the organisations involved