Skills Development
One of the aims of The York Policy Engine is to build awareness of the benefits of engaging in policy activities and to provide the opportunity for colleagues to develop their skills and confidence to do this.
Our capacity building portfolio offers training to academics, professional services staff, and PhD students, helping them to better understand the policy process, and how to communicate with policymakers.
Explore our portfolio below, including the range of training benefits we receive from our partnership with The Open Innovation Team (OIT) - a cross government unit led by civil servants who specialise in supporting academic institutions in policy engagement.
All our live training opportunities will be shown on this page. You can also sign up to our mailing list or visit our events page.
Expert Led Policy Training
In collaboration with the Open Innovation Team, TYPE offers specialist policy training including:
- Policy Masterclasses: in these sessions experts explain how academics can understand and influence the policymaking process
- Communicating to policymakers: this focuses on using storytelling techniques and approaches to improve the way academics communicate their research to policymakers
- Bespoke advice clinics: these sessions offer advice to individual researchers or small groups of researchers. They focus on helping colleagues consider how they can influence policy on a specific topic or via a specific piece of research.
Find out more about our expert-led training opportunities.
Development opportunities led by TYPE
The York Policy Academy
First launched in December 2023, the York Policy Academy aims to enhance participants' understanding of policy engagement, expand their networks, and increase their impact by connecting them with civic and political leaders. The interactive training workshops are led by a range of policy experts, covering key policy engagement topics, focused on enhancing participants' understanding and skills in policy engagement. Participants include researchers, academics, and professional services colleagues.
Applications for the 2024/25 Policy Academy are now open.
Find out more and apply.
The York Policy Associate Scheme
The Policy Associates scheme launched in October 2023 and provides a structured, paid opportunity for University of York Postgraduate Research Students to connect with policy work while receiving specialist professional development training and supporting the work of TYPE.
'How to write a policy brief' guide
TYPE has produced a short guidance document which helps guide researchers through the process of putting together a policy brief. The guide explores what should and shouldn't be included, key messages, and advice for thinking about your audience. There is also an accompanying policy brief template to help you shape your content and some examples to help with the process of putting your brief together.
Get in touch
If you have any questions or require more information about training and development opportunities, get in touch at TYPE@york.ac.uk
Experts database
Browse our full range of research projects and publications.