Research and Employability Skills Training

Research and Employability Skills Training (REST) is a compulsory, structured training program for all HDR students, based on the Vitae Researcher Development Framework (RDF) and the Flinders University Doctoral Graduate Attributes.

The aims of REST are to:

• Provide a structured and comprehensive skills development program for all HDR students which includes research and transferrable skills employers seek;
• Ensure all HDR students, regardless of their physical location, are able to access the program through online delivery and activity completion;
• Enable students to identify their development needs and plan, document and control their professional development journey, reflecting on their learning;
• Ensure that upon completion, students are able to articulate and demonstrate the skills and attributes they have developed throughout their candidature through documented evidence and certification. 

REST is a skills training program that consolidates all research and transferrable skills training across the university into one program. It is an individualised program, where students choose the development most relevant to them at particular stages of their candidature. The program uses a self-reflective approach, asking students to reflect on their skills proficiency rather than meeting certain criteria (such as a set amount of points or hours under a domain). REST recognises all development activities, including experiential activities, taking into consideration the skills the students already posses through prior training or work experience. 

How will you benefit from this?

REST will provide you with a skills training framework that you can take with you to further studies or careers. It is a tool to analyse, record, reflect on and demonstrate the skills you gain throughout your candidature, be that through structured training activities or the everyday learning that happens throughout your studies. Through structured development activities and milestones, you will be asked to reflect on the skills you are acquiring and the ways you are utilising those skills. 

This is not extra work or training that you have to undertake - REST recognises everything you are already doing and helps you reflect in the skills you are developing. It also consolidates all training activities relevant to HDR students in one place, under the one framework, so that the development is readily available when you decide that you need it. 

Why focus on skills development?

We have built the skills development module to be an iterative, reflective process, helping you to assess, identify, develop and demonstrate the skills you already have, those you need to develop and those that you are already developing. In the process of a HDR, you gain a lot of knowledge, produce new knowledge and develop a lot of new skills. Throughout this time, you are busy planning and conducting your research study, writing up your findings, publishing papers, producing a thesis. Most of these will be skills you previously did not possess, but develop throughout your study without really realising that you are developing them. 

At the end of the thesis, when applying for jobs, grants or promotions, you will be asked to demonstrate those skills. Having a structured skills development process, where you plan, identify and reflect on the skills that you are gaining as you are developing them, will help you identify, reflect on and demonstrate those skills at the end. Throughout your candidature, you will be producing a skills profile (through skills completion), compiling evidence of skills development (though activity completion) and addressing criteria (though Graduate Attributes at REST Certification), that will help you produce a portfolio to assist with the next step beyond the HDR. 

How do you get Started? 

To get started, it is important to understand the different components of REST and skills development. There are two systems in place - the REST FLO site, and the Inspire skills development module.