University wins Times Higher Award

25 Nov 2011

The University of Manchester has won the 2011 Times Higher Education Award for Outstanding Support for Early Career Researchers.

The University's MLP, Careers & Employability Division was honoured last night at a special awards ceremony.

The prize is given to an individual, team or institution that has developed the most innovative or exemplary scheme to enhance and develop the transferable and careers skills of postgraduate and postdoctoral researchers.

The University won the top prize for its new website, “An Academic Career,” http://www.manchester.ac.uk/academiccareer which was designed for use by aspiring academics across the UK and beyond.

The site includes careers information on finding jobs in academia, academic applications and interviews.

Its primary aim is to illustrate the realities of academic life and career paths, and to engage users in critical self-assessment and career planning.

In the three months since launch, the site had over 16,500 hits, the majority from outside of the campus.

Judge Janet Metcalfe said that the website "reaches the parts of an academic career that others fear to tread. It suggests that existing researchers take a hard-headed look at their career potential and ask 'Have you got what it takes?'

"It is not about being very good, but about being better than all the other very good people trying to succeed in academia -  on a global scale."

Elizabeth Wilkinson, Head of Postgraduate Career Development at The University of Manchester said: "We're delighted to receive this recognition for the work The University of Manchester Careers Service does to support aspiring academics."