PhD student Ian Widdows shares his experiences of his internship with UKRI, engaging with the government on policy-making.
Like all researchers, I want my research to make a difference.
When I first considered the possibility of writing a research proposal for a PhD, I was powerfully motivated by a desire to make things better.
My research is into secondary school performance measures in England - their effectiveness, effects and an exploration of alternative approaches. In part this comes from having spent 28 years working in secondary schools. During that time I formed some strong opinions about the way that schools are judged. I feel that things really need to change and I want my research to contribute to the debate.
Over the years, I have made many contacts already working in this field, including academics, data scientists, school and school trust leaders, consultants and senior representatives of teaching unions. I have been part of numerous working parties looking at and advising on different aspects of education. What I was missing, however, was some direct experience of the ‘policy space’, the environment in which researchers, advisors, civil servants, politicians and ministers come together to develop, shape, review and refine policy decisions.
When an email dropped into my inbox titled “Opportunity for PhD students to engage with Parliament” my attention was piqued. This outlined an annual scheme, funded by UKRI, to provide a three-month internship opportunity for doctoral students to gain training and experience in how research can inform policy-making. I saw that there was a wide range of positions available, working in many different government departments. I was particularly interested in the position within the Department for Education’s Behavioural Insights Unit (BIU), part of its Strategy Unit. The BIU provides dedicated behavioural science expertise with the aim of supporting the department to use behavioural insights to tackle policy challenges. They use findings of both quantitative and qualitative research to write policy briefings and make presentations to policymakers. It sounded perfect!
I initially sought advice from my supervisors. This was important as the application process requires applicants to have the support of their university. I then went about the application process. These positions are highly competitive and the application process is very thorough. The first stage included a detailed application form, explaining my suitability for one of the roles and how it would contribute to and inform my research. It also involved writing a policy briefing, on a subject of my choice, in the form of a POSTNote, a four-page briefing report that reviews emerging areas of research. I was really keen to make sure that what I produced looked and felt like a POSTNote and so as well as spending some time reading examples, I also looked at replicating the design (including typeface, font size and colour scheme!!). I was successful at getting past this first stage and was then invited to interview. In addition to standard interview style questions, this involved making two 5-minute presentations (one pre-prepared and one provided as an interview task) on two different, and quite complex subjects. This perhaps gave me a taste of the work which might be involved in working in a government strategy unit – working at pace on complex issues and being incredibly concise, distilling the pertinent points down to a presentation lasting just a few minutes. The interview lasted an hour and a half and, while it was quite challenging, it was also enjoyable. I was absolutely delighted when I was informed that I had been successful.
So, from the start of April, I begin my internship. And I can’t wait! I have gained approval to work on it part-time, dedicating three days a week, for five months, to my internship, leaving the remaining two days each week to work on my PhD. I feel that this way I can actively use the learning from my placement to inform my research.
I have read many very positive endorsements of the scheme from previous students. It sounds like it will be a very useful experience. Indeed, two members of the team I will be working with have been through the process themselves. I intend to keep a diary and I hope to be able to share my experiences here when it is complete later this year.
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