Okewole Halima, Merritt Christopher, Mangezi Walter, Mutiso Victoria, Jack Helen E, Eley Thalia C, Abas Melanie
Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry, London, UK.
Centre for Global Mental Health, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.
Ann Glob Health. 2020 Apr 13;86(1):40. doi: 10.5334/aogh.2759.
Career development skills are widely advocated as part of research capacity building and strengthening efforts. However, there is a gap in knowledge on their acceptability in low- and middle-income countries.
This study aimed to examine how a group of 16 early-career researchers in sub-Saharan Africa experienced a career development skills course and how they perceived the utility of the course.
Sixteen early-career researchers registered at universities in Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, Malawi, and South Africa took part in the year-long Academic Competencies Series (ACES) course. ACES comprised ten modules covering mentoring skills, work-life balance, career strategy, teamwork, presentation skills, teaching, academic writing, engaging policy makers, grant-writing, and digital media. ACES was delivered through face-to-face workshops and via webinar as part of a broader mental health research capacity-building programme. In-depth interviews following a topic guide were conducted with participants. Interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. Data were analysed using Thematic Analysis.
All ACES participants were interviewed (9 male, 7 female). Participants were PhD students (14) and post-docs (2). The main themes identified throughout the course were 1) Growth, in both personal and professional life; 2) Application of training, often in innovative ways but with notable constraints and obstacles; and 3) Connection with colleagues, where researchers learnt from each other and from experts, building confidence in their new skills. Participants described how face-to-face contact enhanced the perceived quality of their learning experience. Barriers included logistical obstacles to applying training, such as limited resources and being at an early career stage.
We found that research career development skills training was highly acceptable for early-career researchers in four African countries, and was perceived as having facilitated their personal and professional growth. Our findings suggest that courses like ACES can be applied successfully and innovatively in low-income settings.
职业发展技能作为研究能力建设和强化工作的一部分而被广泛倡导。然而，在低收入和中等收入国家，人们对这些技能的可接受性方面的认识存在差距。
本研究旨在探讨撒哈拉以南非洲地区的16名早期职业研究人员如何体验一门职业发展技能课程，以及他们如何看待该课程的实用性。
在埃塞俄比亚、津巴布韦、马拉维和南非的大学注册的16名早期职业研究人员参加了为期一年的学术能力系列（ACES）课程。ACES包括十个模块，涵盖指导技能、工作与生活平衡、职业策略、团队合作、演讲技巧、教学、学术写作、与政策制定者互动、撰写资助申请和数字媒体。作为更广泛的心理健康研究能力建设计划的一部分，ACES通过面对面研讨会和网络研讨会进行授课。按照主题指南对参与者进行了深入访谈。访谈进行了录音并逐字转录。使用主题分析法对数据进行了分析。
所有ACES参与者都接受了访谈（9名男性，7名女性）。参与者包括博士生（14名）和博士后（2名）。在整个课程中确定的主要主题是：1）个人和职业生活中的成长；2）培训的应用，通常以创新方式，但存在显著的限制和障碍；3）与同事的联系，研究人员相互学习并向专家学习，从而对自己的新技能建立信心。参与者描述了面对面接触如何提高了他们对学习体验质量的感知。障碍包括应用培训的后勤障碍，如资源有限以及处于职业早期阶段。
我们发现，研究职业发展技能培训在四个非洲国家的早期职业研究人员中非常受欢迎，并被认为促进了他们的个人和职业成长。我们的研究结果表明，像ACES这样的课程可以在低收入环境中成功且创新地应用。
