My role as HaSS PGR Student Union Rep is worth 3 credits in the RD902 class, being an “Elected member of a university/external organisation”. RD902 covers activities relating to “Researcher Personal Effectiveness” and the Union Rep role is a great example of an activity that can be used to cover all the areas of development this class looks to improve. Below I will highlight just a few of the ways I have been able to develop as a PhD researcher through working with the Union by linking the experience to these areas of development. 

The first area to consider is the aim of “enhancing personal qualities in a research context”. Being a Union faculty Rep is incredibly useful in developing some of these soft skills that the PG Cert process hopes to help with. The election process itself, wherein you have to write a manifesto and be prepared to defend those objectives against other candidates, helps with self-confidence, perseverance and integrity of character that are all traits covered in RD902. Being elected then means you have to enthusiastically participate in Union meetings as you become responsible for representing your community’s interests. These, again, are qualities covered by RD902. 

The Union Rep role also helps you to cover the next section of RD902, namely “Enhanced self-management in a research context”. Here, when collating feedback to share with the wider Union body you must prepare and prioritise the issues that are most relevant to the needs of your community and be committed to keeping these on the agenda. As part of your wider PhD the Union Rep role naturally takes up a certain amount of your time. How you therefore manage that responsibility alongside other commitments is of course relevant and covered by RD902. Finally, as a Union Rep, you need to learn to be responsive to change because, as a conduit for wider PGR community issues, the issues you are brought to discuss on your fellow researcher’s behalf can vary widely. Being adaptable to these changing needs is a great example to use in RD902. 

Finally, being a Union Rep can also help in the last section of RD902, “Enhanced professional and career development in a research context”. Specifically, by taking the chance to put yourself forward for election you can demonstrate a “responsiveness to opportunities” which is relevant to this section. The ability to network with people from different departments and areas of the University hierarchy are also relevant here. By interacting with so many people outside of your research you are also able to demonstrate how this work can help you build your “reputation and esteem” which are also qualities covered by RD902. 

I’ve very much enjoyed my time as HaSS PGR Rep so far, and look forward to continuing in the role. Even without the PG Cert credits it has been very useful to help understand what other people are experiencing in the HaSS community and to find out how things work at the Union. However, the fact you can all get credits and use the role as evidence of your researcher development is a huge plus!!