Skills Database FAQs

Who is the schemefor?AllPhD students and those who have been registered on their PhD course since September 2011 to take part in the Skills Database.

Why is this scheme being run?There are several advantages to a scheme like this, for researchers. For PhD students one of the main advantages is that you will have a complete record of all the training and development activities you have taken part in during your PhD, which will be useful for CVs and job applications. The record will also show that your PhD has helped you develop skills in all four domains of theResearcher Development Framework(RDF), which again will be of interest to employers, whether in or outside academia. During your PhD your record will also be a useful way of determining in which areas you may still need to develop your skills.

What training and activities are recorded?Almost anything that you do that helps develop your research or transferable skills will be recorded and given points. This includes training courses and workshops (whether run by your School/Institute, the Centre for Academic and Professional Development or an external organisation), taking part in School/Institute activities such as Research student days or inductions, attending conferences, giving presentations, attending research seminars, teaching etc. Up-to-date lists of the activities can be found on the Doctoral College website. This list may be regularly updated.

There are some activities that will not be given points. This is normally because it is either felt that they are not usually appropriate for PhD students (e.g. a Centre for Academic and Professional Development workshop about Planning for Retirement), or that they are such an integral part of the PhD process that they should not form part of the points system (e.g. supervisory meetings, mandatory Health and Safety training).

How do activities get recorded on the database?There are three ways in which activities can be recorded on the database:

  • Attendance at courses that are on the Centre for Academic and Professional Development’s booking system will be automatically uploaded onto the database regularly. CAPD courses can be found will include all courses run by the CAPD and those run by some other Professional Services departments. Some academic Schools/Institutes may also choose to use this system for their activities.
  • Administrators in Schools/Institutes can upload attendance lists for activities and events they have run.
  • Students can log in to the database at and put in a claim for points from a particular event or activity.
  • If this activity is already recorded on the database and has a points’ allocation you will be able to select it from a drop-down menu and enter the details.
  • If it is a new event then you will be asked to enter some details and suggest how many points you think you should be awarded.
  • In both these cases your claim will be forwarded to an administrator or the database manager to approve or reject the claim, or to edit the points’ allocation.

How many points are activities worth?Many activities, including workshops and courses, are given 1 point per hour. Some, such as giving a presentation or getting an article published, are given a pre-determined number of points. Up-to-date lists of the activities that are included so far can be found on the This may be updated during the year.

Is there a set number of points I need to get?The aspiration is that all QMUL students should achieve the minimum targets

Domain D: Engagement, Influence and Impact 30 points / Domain A – Knowledge and Intellectual Abilities 60 Points
Domain C: Research Governance and Organisation 15 points / Domain B: Personal Effectiveness 20 points

However, it is recommended that all PhD students achieve 210 points. These points should be spread over the four domains of the Researcher Development Framework, during the course of their PhD course of study.

Who decides how many points an activity is worth?The points’ allocations have been decided on by a committee chaired by the, Director of the Doctoral College. There is a representative from each Faculty on the committee, along with the Development Adviser for Research Students and the head of the Careers Service. Schools and Institutes have also have input into the decision-making process.

Who do I contact if I have a problem?If you are having problems accessing or using the database, please contact the Research Development Advisor. If you have a query about your training record or the way your points have been calculated, please contact

Why are the points I can gain for certain activities limited?One of the underlying aims of this scheme is to ensure that research students graduate with a wide variety of skills that will be useful to them in an academic or non-academic environment. Therefore for certain activities that PhD students might undertake on a regular basis (e.g. attending seminars, teaching) we have put a limit on the number of points that can be gained in order to encourage researchers to do a wide range of training and development activities.

I’ve taken part in an activity that is not already on the database. What do I do?You can make a claim for events that are not currently listed on the database by clicking on “Create a New Claimable Activity” and filling in the form. You will need to provide information about the activity and the skills you developed from it, and you will be asked to estimate how many points you think the activity is worth. This request will then be sent to the database manager for approval.

What is the Researcher Development Framework?The Researcher Development Framework articulates the knowledge, behaviours and attributes of successful researchers and encourages them to aspire to excellence through achieving higher levels of development. It has been developed byVitaein consultation with academic and non-academic employers.

Can I access the database from anywhere?Yes, it is a web-based application which can be accessed from anywhere using your central college username and password.

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