Professional Development
Learn more about building professional skills and career readiness as a postdoctoral fellow
At the TorontoMet Career, Co-op & Student Success Centre, we build careers for life. We will provide you with innovative career assessment and development skills so you can excel in the workplace now and throughout your careers. Book an appointment via email with one of our Specialists (external link) dedicated to working with graduate students and postdocs or attend one of our many career education workshops/webinars and employer events, to get the support you need. You can also check out our resources online (external link) , including our award-winning Career Compass and opt into our Career Resource Hub.
The Yeates School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, in partnership with a variety of skill-development providers, offers Future Smart: Essential Professional Development Skills for Graduate Students. The program helps graduate students and postdoctoral fellows develop essential skills that will facilitate your career search, post-university transition, and success in your future career, whether you are thinking about academia, research or non-academic employment.
Toronto Met provides faculty and staff with dynamic, interactive, on-campus workshops to continually develop their individual skills and their team effectiveness.
As an educational institution, there are plenty of options available for continued learning. Visit Benefit Summaries and select your employee group to learn about your coverage. If you're a current employee you can find more in AskHR and prospective employees can reach out to Human Resources.
We also offer employees a variety of in-house workshops, where you can build on existing skills or learn new ones specific to your role or career objectives or to support your wellbeing and that of others.
Conference and learning events connect you to other employees from across the university, opening the door to a wealth of experienced-based knowledge that can be applied to your work.
Mitacs (external link) is a national, not-for-profit organization that designs and delivers research and training programs and collaborations between the university and partner organizations.
Since 2008, Mitacs has been offering professional development training (external link) to advanced degree graduates, supplementing their education and research experience with the tools necessary to succeed in today’s workforce.
The curriculum is designed to build competencies in four key areas that are recognized as vital to professional success. Each course addresses one or more of the following competencies:
- Leadership & Management
- Communication & Relationship Building
- Personal & Professional Management
- Entrepreneurialism
Sessions are offered at no charge to graduate students and postdoctoral fellows currently registered at a Canadian university. See upcoming training workshops (external link) from Mitacs.
Postdoctoral fellows have access to free membership to the NCFDD (external link) , an independent professional development, training, and mentoring community. More information and registration instructions.
Postdoc Academy (external link) is a comprehensive resource, funded from the National Institutes of Health, focuses on helping postdoctoral fellows develop the transferable skills needed to succeed in the diverse set of careers.
This learning community supports skill development through two online courses:
This six week course runs 1 - 2 times per year, and will help postdoctoral fellows create a rewarding experience that will launch them into their chosen career path. Themes explored include:
- Finding Success as a Postdoc
- Building an Actionable Career Plan
- Working Effectively in an Intercultural Environment
- Developing Resilience
The next course will begin in January 2022.
This new seven week course launched in 2021, and will help postdoctoral fellows build advanced skills to transition to independence. Themes explored include:
- Project management
- Managing through team-building
- Career preparation
- Applying teaching skills beyond the classroom
- Leadership and networking
- Rigor and reproducibility
Postdoc Academy Local Session (PALS)
Postdoctoral fellows are invited to join small groups with other postdoctoral fellows across campus to meet once a week while taking Postdoc Academy online courses or utilizing content. Stay tuned for a virtual PALS coming soon!
Learn more about facilitation sessions (external link) .
The Graduate Teaching Development Program provides postdoctoral fellows with an opportunity to enhance their teaching skills, to develop a teaching dossier and to earn teaching certificates in higher education.
Stay tuned for further program details and instructions for registration!