Wageningen Graduate School Courses

Below you can find a list of competences, skills and career oriented courses which are organised by Wageningen Graduate Schools (WGS) in which the 7 Graduate Schools of Wageningen University (EPS, PE&RC, VLAG, WASS, WIAS and WIMEK) are formally organised. All courses are intended for PhDs and post-docs, except the courses Professional in Supervision and Effective Leadership Styles which are intended for staff supervising WU PhD candidates. Please click on the course name for more information about the course and dates at which the course is given.


Career Orientation (CO)

Course schedule

Dates Start time End time Coordinator  
4, 11, 18, 25 October 2013 (personal interviews 31 October and 1 November) 9:30 17:15 Douwe Zuidema Apply

Course description

If you find it difficult to think about which direction to go, if you cannot describe your special skills yet, or if you are not sure which is the best way to start looking for a job, this will be a good course for you. In a step-by-step approach you will do many different kinds of practical exercises. At the end of the programme you are offered a personal interview to discuss your situation more in depth.

WGS course Career Orientation versus related WGS course Career Perspectives:
Career Perspectives is meant for young scientists (PhD candidates and postdocs) who know what they want, but have trouble getting a handle on how to find this job or even in general: the right track to follow the desired career. Career Perspectives aims for preparation and conducting an effective job search.

General Information

Target group: The course is set up for PhD students in their third or fourth year, and postdocs
Group size: A minimum of 10 and a maximum of 12 participants
Course duration: Four separate days and additional 1 - 1.5 h individual interviews. On each of these four days the course starts at 9.30 am and ends at approximately 5.15 pm.
For the individual interview an appointment will be made during the course.
Language: English
Credit points: 1.5 ECTS
Trainer: Brigitte Hertz (www.bhertz.nl)
Venue: Wageningen University, Wageningen Campus, Droevendaalsesteeg, Wageningen, The Netherlands.
Note: Room and building will be communicated with registered and confirmed participants about one week before the start of the course.

Programme and Intended Results

Day 1: Introduction, objectives (Personal preferences, Self management and Time management, Presentation of Personal Plans)
Day 2: Skills (Personal skills, Different exercises to find out about your skills, Development of skills, Personal Activity Plan)
Day 3: Working environment (Inventory of important aspects of work- and the working place, Inventory of organisations, Defining missing information and strategies to find that information, Networking)
Day 4: Strategies for job finding (Strategies for job finding, CV and Job application letters, Job interviews)

Intended results:
At the end of this course, the participants will:

  • know what kind of jobs they are interested in
  • will know their special skills
  • will have plan how to proceed looking for a job
  • be able to communicate their strengths and plans to others

Remarks from previous participants:

  • It helped me reflect and build self confidence about I want to do, the skills I already have and what needs to be done. It helps me to understand the different approaches to look for jobs and personal attitude to develop.
  • It helped me to get a clearer picture of what I want and that I can take an active attitude to finding my next job.
  • I was in a moment of great confusion and trying to ‘orientate’, so it was really helpful.
  • It gave me tools to start thinking in a very pragmatic way about job-options, and how to contact the right people to get these jobs.

Fee

PhD candidates of Wageningen University with an approved Training and Supervision Plan (TSP) and postdocs of Wageningen University that are registered at one of the graduate schools of Wageningen (EPS, PE&RC, VLAG, WASS, WIAS, WIMEK) € 335,-
All other PhD candidates / post-docs and staff of Wageningen University € 670,-
All other participants € 1340,-

Fee includes study and training material, coffee/tea and lunches.

Cancellation condition:

Until five weeks before the start of the course, cancellation fee is free of charge. After this date you will be charged with the full (not reduced) fee.
Note: Exemption of payment after cancellation within five weeks before the first course day can be:
1. When you have a replacement. In this situation, please inform the course coordinator.
2. When you have a written statement from your supervisor (doctor in case of illness) indicating the valid reason (circumstances beyond your control) of your withdrawal from the course. Validity of the reason will be evaluated by the WGS Course Committee.

Information

For more information please contact douwe.zuidema@wur.nl, tel: +31 (0)317 484926.