Training sessions and courses
Our 2026-2027 Researcher Development Programme
We're currently working hard to put together our programme for the upcoming academic year. Each year we use the Summer months to plan and schedule our workshops, before adding them to the booking platforms and these webpages. So if the course you're interested in doesn't currently have any workshop dates, please check back in a couple of weeks! The majority of workshops will be bookable by the start of Semester One, with Semester Two's in-person sessions being advertised around January/December, due to room bookings.
Upcoming training
Each iteration of our training workshops has it's own event page, with upcoming workshops showcased below. The event pages each contain further information about the workshop, including a booking link - SkillsForge for Postgraduate Researchers or Learning Management System (LMS) for Staff (you will need your York username and password to sign in). To explore more of our workshops, please see our 'Research Themes' further down this page, or the York Researcher Development Programme course list.
Understand how IP and commercialisation processes can be used to increase your research impact, develop new funding opportunities, and strengthen your grant applications.
Explore how your experiences demonstrate leadership potential, independence and readiness for fellowship success
Identify what successful engagement, impact, reflection and learning would look like within your fellowship project and the outputs and resources needed to achieve these ambitions.
This workshop supports participants to think strategically about how they will deliver their fellowship project by exploring the Valuing Voices principles of Environmental Sustainability and Strategic Risk Mapping.
Develop a deeper understanding of the principles of research integrity and the importance of ethical decision-making in your work.
Meet members of York's Open Research Team and learn about the workshops they offer
Research Themes
Our online and in-person workshops are organised into Research Themes, in case you have a broader professional development goal, and to help you discover potential workshops you maybe wouldn't have otherwise considered.
If you're not quite sure where to start, see the section below for help with Planning your Professional Development. Further down the page, we have collated a wide range of Resources (guides, self-led training etc), sorted by whether they are Internal or External to York. Finally at the bottom of the page, we have highlighted Events which you may want to attend to further develop your skills.
Planning your Professional Development
We appreciate your time is precious, and that you want to attend the appropriate training to develop yourself, your research skills, and contribute to a positive research culture. Therefore we want you to be able to make informed choices about the sessions you book on to. Information on each workshop can be found on the event pages, as well as on the booking platforms. Additionally, all of our sessions are mapped to Vitae’s Researcher Development Framework (RDF) - a guide to those involved in research, on the knowledge, skills, and behaviours of effective researchers.
For Postgraduate Researchers (PGRs - PhDs, Masters by Research and MPhil), training is bookable via SkillsForge, where you can also access your training record. Your skills training record, along with your Professional Development Plan (PDP), should be discussed as part of your regular supervisor meetings and meetings with your Thesis Advisory Panel (TAP).
For Research Staff (including Postdocs, Research Associates, Fellows, academic, technical and research enabling staff), training is bookable via the Learning Management System (LMS). Research Staff should use the Looking Beyond Horizons resources to plan and make informed choices about individual career and professional development needs.
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(Vitae Researcher Development Framework (RDF). Vitae, © 2025 Careers Research and Advisory Centre (CRAC) Limited)
Internal Resources
Academic Writing Centre
The Writing Centre offers advice and guidance on academic writing, critical thinking and analysis skills, developing effective study habits and communication skills. PGRs can book a virtual appointment to receive personalised support
Careers and Placements
The Careers Team offers support to current students and alumni at York, to help you identify and develop your skills, choose the right career, and apply for jobs. The team also has online resources, offers individual appointments, and advertises local jobs. Visit the Careers webpages to learn more
Interactive Guide to Creating Your Lab Handbook
This interactive guide is designed to help anyone in a research group to create a document which explains how your research group should work - by setting clear expectations, helping new people settle in, preventing potential conflicts and enabling people to work together effectively
Involvement@York Resource Library
The Involvement@York Resource Library contains a range of planning tools, how-to-guides and useful templates to make supporting and carrying out meaningful public involvement in research easier and simpler
Maths Skills Centre
The Maths Skills Centre offers advice and guidance on maths topics, statistical concepts and analysis, and preparing for numerical reasoning tests. Book a virtual appointment to receive personalised support, or browse the available workshops
Mentoring & Coaching for University Staff
The University Mentoring Scheme is open to all academic (i.e. research, post-doc, teaching and scholarship staff), professional services, and technical staff, including those on fixed-term contracts who will be employed for the full duration of the next mentoring cycle. Coaching is a way of providing additional, confidential one-to-one support to explore actionable insights and learning opportunities that can be supported back in the workplace
eResources Guide
Access the Library’s specialist databases, search engines and online archives, on- and off-campus. Explore the eResources Guide
Planning your Professional Development
To help you make informed decisions about your professional development, we’ve created resources to help you plan your professional development. PGRs should follow the Professional Development Plan webpage; while the Looking Beyond Horizons resources are available for Staff
Postgraduate Researcher Mentoring Scheme
To help you make informed decisions about your professional development, we’ve created resources to help you plan your professional development. PGRs should follow the Professional Development Plan webpage; while the Looking Beyond Horizons resources are available for Staff
Practical Guides
Specialised, in depth Skills Guides including Bibliometrics, Open Research, Systematic Research, Research Data Management, Open Access Publishing and Creative Commons for Researchers
Research Coding Club
Learn about a range of research coding topics, from version control to packaging and software lifecycle planning to testing and continuous integration. The theme of the programme is how FAIR (Findable Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) principles can be applied to research software
Skills Guides
Find videos, interactive tutorials, workbooks and links to specific help for developing your digital information searching and academic skills. Organised into three themes; Find and research; Organise and analyse; Create and communicate. View the range of Skills Guides, and upcoming Skills Training events
Subject Guides
Select your subject to book an appointment with your Faculty Librarian, discover books, journals and other resources and get help to improve the academic skills required for your subject. Learn more about the support available for your subject
The Anti-Racist Research Toolkit
The Anti-Racist research toolkit connects scholars and practitioners across disciplines, and provides the building blocks for developing new understandings of research processes and practices through an anti-racist lens. It is a key resource for those committed to producing research that is ethically driven and places social justice at its heart
External Resources
British Academy Early Career Researcher Network
The Early Career Researcher Network is an inclusive, researcher-led membership body accessible to all UK-based early career researchers (ECRs) (aka Postdocs) working in the humanities and social sciences – regardless of their funding source or background. The University of York is part of the Yorkshire and Humber cluster. Members benefit from mentoring schemes, training, networking events, grant-writing retreats, academic book publishing conferences, travel grants to attend network events and conferences, and seed funding opportunities
FutureLearn Career Management for Early Career Academic Researchers
This massive open online course (MOOC) includes articles, videos and reflective exercises to help researchers explore various career options, both within and outside academia, and build confidence in job applications and interviews. To access the course you will need to register for a free account on FutureLearn and enrol in the course. You will have 4 weeks of free access so choose a time when you will be able to complete it within this period
Narrative CVs
Information, guidance, and examples of best practice to support both research staff preparing narrative CVs and reviewers evaluating them for research grants and fellowships. Resources kindly provided by the University of Sheffield
Prosper Portal
The Prosper Portal offers a wealth of tools and resources to help postdoctoral researchers explore various career pathways, both within and beyond academia. The portal is structured around three key themes: Reflect, Explore, and Act. These themes guide users through identifying their strengths and interests, exploring different career options, and taking actionable steps towards their career goals. Watch our introductory session to help you get started with Prosper
Vitae
Vitae is an organisation dedicated to supporting the professional development of researchers. York is a Vitae member: after registering with your University email address you will be able to access a variety of resources and tools to help you enhance your skills, plan your career, and connect with others. Vitae resources include the Researcher Development Framework which outlines the knowledge, behaviours and attributes of successful researchers
White Rose University Consortium
The White Rose University Consortium is a strategic partnership between the Universities of Leeds, Sheffield and York, aimed at promoting collaboration and knowledge sharing. We recommend joining their newsletter to keep up to date with upcoming training and networking events and funding opportunities