Advertising and recruitment policy

This page sets out key steps to meet the Equality Diversity and Inclusivity (EDI) strategy of the EPSRC WIRe CDT concerning recruitment.

The WIRe CDT wishes to promote EDI within science, engineering, and academic sectors. Recruitment plays an important role in delivering to our EDI strategy.

This page also sets the policy for recruitment of overseas students as aligned to UKRI and EPSRC eligibility criteria for EU and international applicants.

Advertising

Adverts should clearly include all selection criteria and avoid the use of unnecessarily complex or off-putting language.
All adverts should be checked/proofread by an independent (i.e. non supervisor) member of staff, ideally from a different background or gender.
Software such as Textio or equivalent should be used to check adverts for accessibility.
The above steps can be facilitated by the WIRe ED+I lead (James Shucksmith [email protected] ) if required.

Longlist/Shortlisting

All panels should have mixed gender representation and include both academic and end user partners.
The Chair of panel should have undertaken a form of interview training
A full record of all interview questions/notes should be kept on record.

Monitoring

Information regarding the number of applicants and shortlisted candidates as well as ethnic backgrounds and gender for each position should be kept.
Information on the above should be passed to the WIRe management team for annual reporting to EPSRC. This information should NOT include other personal information (names, addresses etc).

Recruitment of EU and International students

UKRI introduced a new policy for EU and International Eligibility for UKRI funded studentships from Academic Year 2021/22 onwards. The policy document can be found at:

https://www.ukri.org/publications/eu-and-international-eligibility-for-ukri-studentships-from-2021/

The key points of the new UKRI policy for overseas students are:

UKRI opened studentships to international students from AY 2021/22. All students would receive a full award, to include a stipend and fees at the home level.
All UKRI studentships must be opened up to both home and international students.
The proportion of international students appointed each year through individual doctoral training programmes is limited to 30 percent of the total.

The eligibility criteria for the EPSRC CDT WIRe has been amended to reflect these changes, with home and international students now being eligible for UKRI funded studentships with the possibility for a maximum of 30% overseas students in each cohort.

Each University of the EPSRC CDT WIRe applies recruiting procedures aligned to internal processes. This document highlights the key steps of these procedures and further details can be share on request to the CDT management team.

Cranfield University

The CDT management team at Cranfield University will support the academics awarded with a WIRe PhD project for the recruiting process and will coordinate on the deadlines for submission of applications and outcomes of interviews.

The aim of this coordination activity is to have a fair, open and transparent recruiting process with equality, diversity and inclusion policies supported throughout all stages to give all applicants the same opportunities and recruit the best candidates into the WIRe programme.

After the interviews, academics should notify to the CDT Director if they have identified an outstanding international candidate that they wish to recruit, before making an offer. The CDT Director will coordinate with all the interviewing panels and communicate the next steps.

In case the number of international candidates that academics aim to recruit exceeds the available allocation for overseas students, all international candidates will be invited to an additional interview with an independent panel chaired by the Director of the Cranfield Water Science Institute.

Candidates will be asked to share their motivations for joining the WIRe programme, their views on how the CDT can help them in achieving their career aspiration and their contribution to the success of the programme.

The Director of the CWSI will share the outcome of the interviews to the Director of the CDT and the allocation will be communicated to the academics.

Academics will not be able to offer a place to an international student until the Director of the CDT confirms this.

The University of Sheffield

The CDT management team at Sheffield University will support the academics awarded with a WIRe PhD project for the recruiting process and will coordinate on the deadlines for submission of applications and outcomes of interviews.

Academics should notify the Sheffield CDT manager of all international candidates they wish to shortlist. After the interviews, academics should notify to the Sheffield CDT manager if they have identified an outstanding international candidate that they wish to recruit, before making an offer. The CDT manager will coordinate with all the interviewing panels and communicate the next steps.

In case the number of international candidates that academics aim to recruit exceeds the available allocation for overseas students, all international candidates will be independently evaluated based solely on their research potential based on written applications. The panel may also consider interview/shortlisting notes as well as the availability of suitable alternate home students for each position.

Academics will not be able to offer a place to an international student until the CDT Manger confirms this.

Newcastle University

The application process must be fair and transparent. The process needs to be based on merit rather than international status. Applicants should be ranked; and studentships should be awarded based on the normal annual recruitment quota set by the training grant award holder. International studentships should be awarded until the 30% quota is reached, then all remain studentships will be awarded to the remaining home candidates, in order of ranking.

Training grant award holders must ensure that all colleagues involved follow the same recruitment process and keep clear recruitment records. This includes shortlisting by project supervisors, and longlisting and interviews by training grant award panels.

Standard University entry requirements will apply, including English language requirements. Please note that any requirements for concessions at this point are likely to cause significant delays. We will endeavour to ensure that the University application process supports the decision-making process of training grant holders.

Tuition Fees

Cranfield University

From “Cranfield Policy on UKRI International Fees for Postgraduate Research Degrees – CU-RIO-POL-16.0 – V1”

All UKRI funded students at Cranfield University will be charged according to the same fee structure; we will waive the extra fee, over and above the home fee, for international students supported through UKRI training grants.
In line with our current tuition fee structure for home students (www.cranfield.ac.uk/study/taughtdegrees/fees-and-funding), an Additional Fee Element may apply and this will now be chargeable to international students funded through UKRI at the home fee rate. This will be advised by the supervisor on application.
In implementing this policy we will ensure that recruitment processes are fair, open and transparent with equality, diversity and inclusion policies supported throughout all stages.
This position will apply to studentships supported through consortia (collaborative DTPs or CDTs) unless a different position has been agreed as part of the collaborative agreement for the consortium.

The University of Sheffield

At Sheffield the usual international tuition fee for the student’s registration department will be charged. The tuition fee will not be ‘waived’ or discounted. However, University tuition fee scholarships will be available for UKRI funded students allocated an international place to make up the difference between the home fee charged to UKRI and the international fee, provided the 30% maximum is not exceeded.
At Sheffield, students must not be asked to make up the difference between home and international fee level.
Tuition fee scholarships will not be available for match funded students linked to UKRI training grants, such as CDTs/DTPs. Where students are part-funded by UKRI and part match funded, the tuition fee scholarship will only be available for the proportion funded by UKRI.
The University tuition fee scholarships do not include enhanced fees. Enhancements may not be charged to students.
University fee scholarships will be for a maximum of 30% of the UKRI funded students in any cohort for any training grant for any intake year.

Newcastle University

UKRI will not provide funds to meet international fees for any international students. The difference between the Home and International fee will need to be met from other sources.
The University has agreed to provide a scholarship to all international students who win a place on a UKRI programme to meet the difference between home and international fees.