Postgraduate researchers, academics and staff from across the faculties gathered for the launch on 15 November of the new POP placement scheme.
POP (Professional Opportunities for Postgraduates) is a collaborative scheme led by Kent Innovation & Enterprise and the Graduate School. POP will provide opportunities for Kent postgraduates to work with local businesses and organisations on a short-term basis to support the transfer of knowledge and business growth in the area.
Professor Paul Allain, Dean of the Graduate School, hosted the event and, after a welcome address from Professor Philippe De Wilde, Deputy Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation, the launch provided an overview of what postgraduates, staff and local businesses and organisations can expect from the scheme.
The launch also included reflection and advice from individuals who undertook similar placements during their postgraduate studies. Dr Hannah Swift (Eastern ARC Research Fellow) conveyed the benefits of her work placement, particularly the opportunities it provided for the dissemination of her research to a wider audience. Hannah Huxley (PhD candidate, Centre for American Studies) and Emily Bartlett (PhD candidate, School of History) praised the practical skills gained from their work placements with Bloomsbury Publishing, and Brian Gutierrez (Knowledge Transfer Partnership Associate) provided pragmatic advice for postgraduates pursuing a work placement. Claire Martin (Careers and Employability Service) followed the reflections with an overview of the services CES provides students who are searching for placements, preparing applications or looking for general career advice.
Placements are arranged for a maximum of three months full-time (longer if part-time) and function in a similar way to the delivery of a piece of consultancy. The cost of placements is shared equally between the university (through government funding that supports the Industrial Strategy) and the companies/organisations.
For more information please visit the POP website