In the framework of the PONT project, TEPSA (Trans European Policy Studies Association) is organizing a Career Skills Training to guide recent graduates from Master’s programmes, PhD students and young researchers into the practicalities of working life and to introduce them to the Brussels arena. 16 young professionals have been selected to take part in the training that will help them identify and acquire skills needed in the field of EU policy-making, including work for the European institutions and think-tanks.

Professional skills such as communication, networking and policy advice are not part of most academic curricula, yet are vital for the employability of young professionals. This course aims at helping the participants to identify these skills, raise awareness of their importance, acquire a basic practical toolkit and establish useful contacts to policy-makers. The seminar will offer several interactive sessions with professionals from different fields, invited to share their knowledge and experience with the participants and to take part in the training in different ways. As a result, participants will enjoy first-hand insights into different professional fields.

The general theme of this course is the interface between research and policy-making. We will thus explore the differences and similarities in the skills needed for these two types of work, and conduct training on successful interaction and communication between researchers and policy-makers. The course maximizes personal feedback to participants and hands-on activities that facilitate deep learning.

The career skills training will take place on 17-21 October 2016 and will be coordinated by Prof Hanna Ojanen, Jean Monnet Professor at the University of Tampere.

All career skills training participants will also be offered the opportunity to take part in TEPSA’s Pre-Presidency Conference, a biannual flagship event promoting expert discussion of the main issues of the current EU agenda.

Full participation to all elements of the five-day programme in Brussels is compulsory. Participants of the Career Skills Training will receive a certificate of attendance after the successful completion of the training.

Training venue: Fondation Universitaire, Rue d’Egmont 11, Brussels and working visits in Brussels based institutions.

Final Report

The full report on the 2016 edition of the PONT Career Skills Training has been issued.

In the framework of the Professional Training on EU Affairs – PONT project, co-funded by the ERASMUS+/Jean Monnet programme, TEPSA organised a five-day ‘Career Skills Training’ on EU affairs for postgraduate students and young researchers on 17-21 October 2016, with a particular focus on the interface between research and policy-making. Fifteen excellent students and young researchers (doc and postdoc) were selected to participate in the training in Brussels. The project’s objective was to apply a more policy-oriented approach to the participants’ research skills, and to provide them with insights into the world of European policy-making and the Brussels arena.

The participants had the opportunity to meet with policymakers and researchers from the European Parliament and its Research Service, civil servants from the European Commission and the Committee of Regions, researchers and think-tankers from the Global Governance Institute and the EU Institute for Security Studies, as well as radio and press journalists. They also had the chance to undergo an all-day training on EPSO exams. All participants were required to write a short policy brief in preparation of the training, and had to give an oral presentation and a video recorded statement in the European parliament, on which they received detailed feedback from the trainers and speakers.

In their written evaluations, the participants unanimously considered that the training had had a positive impact on their current and prospective careers and evaluated the quality and content of the activities proposed throughout the week as excellent. The training also helped the participants gain deeper insights into policy-making and perfected their writing and public speaking skills.

TEPSA would like to warmly thank all speakers and trainers, as well as all participants who took part in this stimulating and challenging week.

A full report on the PONT Career Skills Training is available here.

Open call for applications: 5-day Career Skills Training in Brussels

In the framework of the PONT project, TEPSA (Trans European Policy Studies Association) is organizing a Career Skills Training to guide recent graduates from Master’s programmes, PhD students and young researchers into the practicalities of working life and to introduce them to the Brussels arena. 20 young professionals will take part in the training to identify and acquire skills needed in the field of EU policy-making, including work for the European institutions and think-tanks. Interactive sessions with EU practitioners, researchers, trainers and academics as well as personal feedback on individual presentations will enable young researchers to improve their drafting and communication skills, including the communication of research findings to policy-makers, thereby increasing participants’ employability.

The career skills training will take place on 17-21 October 2016 and will be coordinated by Prof. Hanna Ojanen, Jean Monnet Professor at the University of Tampere.

All career skills training participants will also be offered the opportunity to take part in TEPSA’s Pre-Presidency Conference, a biannual flagship event promoting expert discussion of the main issues of the current EU agenda.

Full participation to all elements of the five-day programme in Brussels is compulsory. Participants of the Career Skills Training will receive a certificate of attendance after the successful completion of the training.

Training venue: Fondation Universitaire, Rue d’Egmont 11, Brussels and working visits in Brussels based institutions.

Participation fee: €200 for applicants coming from or having graduated from TEPSA member and associate member institutes and €400 for applicants coming from non-TEPSA member institutes. This fee includes all training materials, access to all programme components as well as lunch during the training.

Travel reimbursement: TEPSA reimburses travel costs up to €250. All other expenses, like accommodation, are to be covered by other sources or by the participants themselves.

Deadline for applications: 21 September 2016 (noon).

Presentation of the PONT – Career Skills Training held at the Institute for development and international relations (IRMO) 

An informative presentation on the PONT Career Skills Training was held on the 4th of November 2016 at the Institute for development and international relations (IRMO). The PONT Career Skills Training was organized by the Trans European Policy Studies Association (TEPSA) in the framework of the Professional Training on EU Affairs – PONT project, co-funded by the ERASMUS+/Jean Monnet Programme Support to Institutions. The training took place in Brussels, October 17-21, 2016. IRMO researcher and PONT Training participant, Ivana Skazlić, has presented main insights and shared the knowledge and experiences she gained during the program related to the topics of writing policy briefs and press releases as well as interviewing policy-makers. The presentation was intended to young IRMO researches who are writing short analytical commentaries in the framework of the POLO-Cro28 project, co-funded by the ERASMUS+/Jean Monnet Programme Support to Institutions, currently being implemented by IRMO. In addition, the presentation was also attended by POLO-Cro28 project’s mentors from IRMO and other IRMO researches.

Video interviews PONT Career Skills Training I

During the PONT Career Skills Training I held in Brussels on the 17-21 October, TEPSA interviewed some of the experts on the content of the training and the most important skills that the participants could learn. The videos are available below and on TEPSA’s YouTube channel.