Induction & Training

The Generic Skills Training Programme is a series of generic or transferable skills courses designed for research students to help develop their skills alongside their research.  The programme is not designed to replace the support and development provided by supervisors; it is intended to be complementary.

Many students who attend the programme find it also helps them to network with other students and develop interdisciplinary links.  Some of these courses are specifically designed to help students complete their degree, others help develop more general skills and aid a student's employability.  The Irish Universities Association Research Skills Statement identifies the acquisition and development of personal transferable and generic skills as an important part of postgraduate research training. 

WIT provides a central programme of Generic and Transferrable Skills Training.  As part of the preparation for academic registration, the postgraduate and supervisor should undertake a training needs analysis - what skills are already possessed, what skills need to be developed and how and when this will be done.   When a postgraduate submits a thesis they are required to submit a logbook, signed off by their supervisor, showing the Generic and Transferable Skills developed and the way in which this development was achieved.

2020 Schedule of Generic Skills Training for Postgraduate Researchers

 Form PG/TR1 for Generic Skills Training Log Book

Waterford Institute of Technology is committed to graduating creative professionals who are capable of developing innovative solutions to the problems facing society. This will be achieved in part through the traditional supervisory process, which develops professional and disciplinary knowledge and technical skills.

In addition there are a range of skills and attributes, which equip Levels 9 and 10 graduates to succeed in a wide range of different tasks and jobs and facilitate their contribution to the society they live in. While many of these skills are learnt as part of the supervised research process, they are often listed separately and referred to as ‘Generic and Transferrable Skills’. The main reason for doing this is to prevent their omission from training, which has been the case in the past in some situations.

The Generic Skills that are commonly agreed for postgraduates in English speaking countries are listed in Appendix D of

  WIT’s Research Postgraduate Regulations.

WIT will ensure that all research students have the opportunity and support to develop the research, subject specific, communication and other skills they require to become effective researchers, to enhance their employability and to assist them to develop good career pathways when they complete their degree.

Mature students and part-time learners may be exempted from some of the training if they can demonstrate that they have attained these skills through a record of prior training and a reflective journal.  An outline of the skills required of all WIT postgraduates before they achieve their award is given in Appendix F of the Research Postgraduate Regulations.  Postgraduate training will be monitored as part of the annual monitoring cycle.

Disciplinary Training is provided within the School. Further information is available through the School Office, School Research Coordinators and Research Supervisors.