Bookings for our training courses are currently closed. Subscribe to the NCCPE monthly newsletter or join our Public Engagement Network mailing list to be kept up to date with future training opportunities.
We also have a number of online tools and resources available to support you in developing your public engagement skills and practice. Access these on the ‘Resources’ and ‘Do Engagement’ and ‘Strategy and Planning’ sections of our website.
Our courses
We offer six 'off-the-shelf' training courses:
Please note, our courses have been designed and developed for the UK engagement context. If your institution is based outside the UK, please get in touch with jack.kerrigan@uwe.ac.uk to see how we could support you.
Meaningful Online Engagement
Meaningful online engagement provides an opportunity to consider if and how to translate your public engagement plans to an online context. Looking at purpose, people and process, the course provides an opportunity to think through how to design your engagement, top tips on how to ensure you and your participants get the most out of the engagement, and ideas for how to evaluate it. You will have the opportunity to explore some case studies of practice, before considering how to apply the framework to your own work.
Target participants
People who are thinking about taking their public engagement activities online and would like guidance about how to do it well.
Learning Objectives
- To develop confidence in engaging publics online and be inspired by examples of high quality online engagement
- To support delegates to consider if and how their engagement can be adapted for an online context, and what the strengths and opportunities of online engagement are
- To introduce processes and tools for online engagement, and think about how these can be applied to delegate’s own engagement work
- To highlight key considerations to make when planning online content- purpose, people, principles and evaluation
High Quality Public Engagement
In this workshop, participants will have the opportunity to examine a series of frameworks and tools that can be used to develop high quality public engagement. In applying these tools - through case studies, activities and discussions - delegates will develop a more strategic approach to their public engagement practice.
Target participants
People with experience of public engagement with research (for example: people who are experienced in one type of public engagement, people who have tried lots of different types, people who have done engagement in other contexts) looking to take stock and develop a more strategic approach to their public engagement.
Learning objectives
- Explore frameworks and concepts that deepen thinking about People, Purpose and Process
- Apply those explorations to your own work
- Consider how to take the concepts into their own work in the future
Evaluation: developing your approach
This interactive course will encourage you to think about why evaluation is important, look at ways to get started, explore different techniques you can use, and consider what your findings can tell you and your organisation or funder. With an emphasis on how to conduct evaluation, join us for a programme of practical activities and discussion as together we demystify evaluation and find the fun in revealing and identifying your effectiveness.
Target participants
The course is aimed at academics and researchers, early career researchers, professional support staff, knowledge exchange and impact officers and community/public partners.
Learning objectives
- To develop an awareness of the value and importance of evaluating public engagement.
- To gain familiarity with the process of evaluation and the usefulness of planning.
- To consider the uses of evaluation including improving activities; sharing good practice and reporting.
- To begin to explore the issues and challenges of evaluating public engagement.
- To continue to develop personal and professional skills, for example in communication, planning and critical reflection.
- To increase confidence in evaluating public engagement activities.
Working in partnership - for researchers
This workshop provides an introduction to partnership working. Partnerships are a key part of the engagement landscape and can take many forms. Whilst working in effective partnerships can bring many benefits to both parties, such as increased perspective, higher quality and relevant research, how do you get started? And how do you ensure that the partnerships you develop are effective for all involved?
Target participants
Any researchers interested in developing mutually beneficial partnerships
Learning objectives
- To understand the value of partnerships, and when they are the right approach for your work
- To develop skills to deliver mutually beneficial partnerships from setting the foundations, to manage endings well
- To understand potential challenges to working in partnership, and how these might be addressed
- To identify potential partners and know how to approach
- To explore the different types of partnerships that you can develop, from informal relationships to long term approaches
Introduction to community engagement
This session provides an introduction and overview of what’s involved when working in mutually beneficial research partnerships with communities. It sets out to help you decide if it’s the favoured approach for you and your community partners.
Target participants
Those working in universities who want to know about community engagement and are interested in the potential of applying a community engaged research approach.
Learning objectives
- Consider your knowledge and understanding of community engagement and community engaged research
- Explore the continuum of collaborative research with communities
- Think about what helps to build strong community engagement and enhance your skills by experimenting with these ideas
- Reflect on how community engagement relates to your own work and roles.
Engaging the public with controversial areas of research
This course aims:
- To develop confidence, skills and knowledge in engaging the public with controversial areas of research
- To mobilise the research community to engage the public with controversial areas around their work
- For researchers to understand that engagement when done well is a mutually beneficial activity
- To motivate participants to engage the public with their research including controversial aspects of their work
Target participants:
Researchers interested in exploring the skills to engage the public with controversial areas of research.
Learning objectives:
Participants will have the opportunity to
- explore factors that make a subject controversial and understand where controversy comes from
Participants will develop skills and knowledge to
- Assess controversy in their own research
- engage the public with their research
- navigate controversy effectively when engaging the public.
- better understand the values of those they are engaging with and how this relates to developing effective engagement practice
- understand engagement as a key part of responsible research
Why train with us?
- Tried and tested training - our training has been developed through an extensive process of piloting and evaluation to ensure that it meets the needs of participants
- Knowledge and experience - as the national centre, the NCCPE draws upon a breadth and depth of prior experience, and works with a group of associate trainers with extensive experience and expertise across the spectrum of public engagement
- Networks, connections, and resources - our place within the public engagement with research landscape is unique; as such we are well-placed to signpost delegates to a range of networks, both local and national, and draw upon our connections with funders and policy makers to ensure that our training speaks to current agendas
Our training team
We work with a group of highly experienced trainers and public engagement experts who, together with our in-house training team, deliver our training courses.
Find out more about our training team.