Being an effective researcher requires more than just technical knowledge of your specialist field. You will face a variety of challenges during the course of your research journey, and will need to develop and use a wide range of skills. In some cases this will mean "filling gaps", in others it will mean further developing your existing skills.

Developing your skills will help you right now in your current project, but it's also advisable to consider the longer-term. Employers look for evidence of abilities and experiences that can be transferred into the work area. This is not something that happens overnight, and it requires a plan. To help you in this, we have developed the Action Planning Tool. 

This is an application which helps you assess your competence in a number of key skill areas, both for your current project and for the future. From a short series of multiple-choice responses, it helps you gauge your strengths and the gaps in your skill set. From this it offers advice and suggests workshops that will help you develop your skill set and fill the crucial gaps. 

The application is intended to act as a guide. Ultimately, however, you need to take control of your future, actively consider your training needs and plan your development, in conjunction with your supervisors and others as appropriate. 

For those just starting out on your research degree programmes, the recommendations are suggestions to get you started on your journey. Have a look at the workshops it suggests but do not forget to browse through all the other workshops available. You may identify others not listed in the Planner which may also be useful to you. For those in the later stages of your course, the results of the self-audit exercise can be used to revise earlier milestones and targets.

We hope you find the application useful, and we will continue to develop it over time. We welcome your feedback and comments on it.