Training & Supervision plan

A Training and Supervision Plan (TSP) is compulsory for all PhD candidates admitted to the Graduate School. The TSP must be filled in by the PhD candidate and the supervisor in joint consultation. When you have agreed upon the TSP, the PhD candidate has to upload the document in PhD system Converis. Once it is uploaded, the supervisor has to approve it or ask for revision via Converis.

The TSP will in any case, but not exclusively, contain agreements about:

• Who will act as the supervisor(s) and (if applicable) co-supervisor(s), for the PhD candidate, the further supervision and the content, responsibilities, scope and frequency of the supervision.
• In any case for a PhD candidate with employee status, but preferably for all PhD candidates, the requirement that a performance and development interview (resultaat- en ontwikkelingsgesprek ROG) will take place every year.
• The preparation for the ‘go/no go’ decision and the time when this decision will be made.
• The required courses and training.
• Teaching duties.

PhD candidates with employee status and contract PhD candidates have to upload the Training and Supervision Plan in Converis within three months following the formal start date of their PhD track. Externally financed and external PhD candidates no later than 6 months after the admission date.

As background information for the your training and supervision plan we would advise you to read:

• The Golden Rules for PhD supervision: They offer a range of best practices for both the PhD candidate and the supervisors. These 'rules of conduct' emphasise the shared responsibility of the supervisor and PhD candidate. They also make it clear what expectations they both may have.
• The Guideline for PhD Trajectories, which lay down the minimum requirements for supervision, among other things.

Annual meeting

An important part the PhD trajectory is discussing progress.

At the end of the period set out in the TSP, a ‘go/no go’ decision, to determine whether or not you will continue your PhD trajectory, will be made and recorded in writing for each PhD track. The go/no go decision must be substantiated and must be part of a longer and transparent assessment process. The TSP should contain what should be prepared by the PhD for this decision.

Once a year the supervisor invites the PhD candidate (this applies to all FGGA PhD’s) to a Performance and Development Interview to review the quality and progress of the PhD project and the performance and personal development of the PhD candidate over the previous year. During this interview, the Training and Supervision Plan is discussed and (possible) teaching arrangements are evaluated. Changes regarding the original version of the plan as well as new agreements have to be recorded in the report of the interview (for employee PhD’s_) and in a new version of the TSP.

For contract and external PhD candidates, the supervisor has to report in Converis when the annual meetings have taken place. For PhD candidates with employee status, these meetings will be registered in SAP Self Service.