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.
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The next PONT seminar will take place in the last week of March 2017, and will be focused on energy, climate and environmental policy in the EU context. The next Career Skills Training is planned for autumn 2017.