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School of Arts, Languages and Cultures

Career development training opportunity for disabled PGRs/ECRs

25 Nov 2025

As part of the 'Realising Disability Inclusion for ECRs/PGRs’, specialised training is being offered to improve career development for disabled PGRs/ECRs.

The 'Realising Disability Inclusion for ECRs/PGRs' project was designed to address unmet support needs for disabled PhD students and early career researchers in overcoming barriers to their professional development.

Disabled PGRs/ECRs confront barriers in advocating their access needs to supervisors and line managers and many report  pressure to be seen as a ‘perfect’ academic, experiencing imposter syndrome and a fear of disappointing supervisors/line managers. PGRs/ECRs can feel the need to mask the impact of their disability and may feel unable to work with their supervisors on finding accessible career development opportunities. The result can be additional stress for ECRs/PGR navigating these barriers alone, leading to burn out, or avoidance of development opportunities.

To address these barriers, stress, and feelings of isolation, the project team is hosting a course led by Result CIC, an external, disabled-led organisation specialising in disabled leadership. This course is aimed at improving career development for disabled colleagues through both personal development and increasing confidence in discussing barriers and access needs.

The course will be delivered in a hybrid format and consists of seven sessions, including:

  • An initial group session
  • Five one-hour one-to-one mentoring sessions
  • A final group session with participants and their supervisors or line managers

The first session (around six hours, with regular breaks) will be in January 2026. The five one-hour one-to-one sessions will take place every three weeks following the first session. The final session (six hours, with regular breaks) will include your supervisor or line manager and will take place in June.

If your line manager is unable to attend the group session, you are still eligible to apply and you will still receive dedicated coaching through the one-to-one sessions.

The deadline for applications is Monday, 15 December.

How to apply

Colleagues can apply for the training via the Qualtrics application form.

Alternatively, applicants can submit a video presentation or can contact Laura Howard to discuss a submission process suited to their access needs.