According to the PhD guidelines, all PhD candidates with employee status and contract PhD candidates follow a programme over the full period of appointment, that comprises at least:

• 140 hours of academic activities (training in the candidate’s specialism, conference attendance etc.)
• 40 hours of activities focusing on transferable skills, including the Leiden University PhD Introductory Meeting and at least 1 training course on scientific conduct. Transferable skills are skills which promote personal development and which can be applied to a wide range of (future employment) settings.

Apart from the obligation to follow the Leiden University PhD Introductory Meeting and the course Scientific Conduct for PhDs (FSW), PhD candidates are free in their choice of courses. PhD candidates take the courses listed in their Training and Supervision Plan. Further courses should be chosen in consultation with the supervisor.
PhD candidates can follow internal courses offered by Leiden University as well as external courses such as modules from the National Research Schools. The question of which courses are regarded as academic activities and which as transferable skills depends on each PhD candidate’s own research project.
 

• PhD candidates Psychology: the Institute of Psychology offers tailor-made Data Management training (link volgt) which is mandatory for all new PhD candidates.
• PhD candidates Education and Child Studies: the Institute of Education and Child Studies' Data Management training is mandatory for all PhD candidates.

The University training provider HRM Learning & Development offers a wide range of transferable skills courses. The following overview shows the recommended distribution of the transferable skills training over 4 years:

First year

• Leiden University PhD Introductory Meeting (obligatory)
• Scientific Conduct for PhDs (obligatory)
• One to two more courses, e.g.
  • Data- and Project-Management for PhDs
  • Time management and self-management for PhDs
  • Planning and Managing your PhD project

Second and third year
4 to 5 courses, e.g.

• Effective Communication for PhDs
• Academic Writing for PhDs
• Presenting skills for PhDs
• Writing an excellent research grant proposal for PhDs
• Open interview and qualitative data analysis for PhDs

Fourth year
At least 1 course about future career orientation, e.g.

• Competences and motives for PhDs
• Job interview skills for PhDs

As of 1 January 2019, the costs of internal PhD trainings offered by HRM Learning & Development will, for the time being, be met by the Graduate School. This only holds for PhD candidates with employee status and contract PhD candidates admitted to the Graduate School after 21 April 2015, and up to a maximum of 140 hours of transferable skills. The supervisor, who must approve the registration for a course, is responsible for ensuring that the maximum is not exceeded and that the courses attended fit the training programme as laid down in the Training and Supervision Plan. On registering for an HRM course, PhD candidates with employee status and contract PhD candidates are asked to state the SAP number of the Graduate School, which is 2409601011. PhD candidates who do not attend an HRM course they registered for and missed to cancel the registration in time will be charged a no-show fee by HRM (see HRM Registration, participation and cancelation). This fee cannot be borne by the Graduate School but has to be paid by the PhD candidate him-/herself.
If PhD candidates attend transferable skills courses other than those offered by HRM and thus accumulate hours of transferable skills in other ways, the number of hours paid for by the Graduate School will be reduced accordingly. If, for example, a PhD candidate plans to take a BKO course, he/she must take into account that these hours will be deducted from the maximum of 140 hours, so that only the hours remaining can be paid for by the Graduate School.
Other courses than those offered by HRM, including any courses external PhD candidates register for, cannot be paid for by the Graduate School. PhD candidates are advised to check with their supervisor how these courses can be financed.

The PhD candidate must report in LUCRIS GSM on the hours of academic activities and transferable skills courses he/she has followed and must upload a certificate of attendance. If no certificate was issued, an email confirmation of participation can also be uploaded. Transferable skills courses offered by HRM are automatically registered in LUCRIS GSM, so it is not necessary for the researcher to register them.