The University of Bristol opted for Mode 3 Prosper delivery by running a cohort. See our Modes of Delivery page to learn more about each mode of delivery.

Many researchers at Bristol who want to explore careers outside of academia often don’t get the chance to talk about it with colleagues and may feel unable to tell their supervisors. Over the last two years, there had been three full-day career development programmes which ran over a three-week period. It was felt that a cohort model over a longer period of time would benefit researchers at Bristol.

The University’s People and Development Partner had the experience and expertise to deliver the cohort internally. They consulted with several other Researcher Developers at other universities who led Prosper cohorts in the past to inform their mode of delivery.

Bristol’s Prosper cohort was titled Get Clear on Your Career and targeted Pathway 2 researchers interested in exploring non-academic careers. Communications were sent directly to this group via email and in monthly Bristol Clear bulletins.

The cohort ran across four, monthly online workshops (each 150 minutes long) between November 2025 and February 2026:

• Reflect part 1: Sharing career stories, exploring values and motivations
• Reflect part 2: Identifying skills and strengths, and potential career goals
• Explore part 1: Networking and research opportunities
• Explore part 2: Specific career pathways, sector research, sustained progress

During the workshops, participants worked in breakout groups which were formed around shared sector interests. Participants also had priority access to 1:1 coaching appointments.

Explore sessions part 1 and 2 included 2 - 3 guests who joined for the first 30 minutes of the sessions. The guests comprised of University colleagues who had worked in industry partnership roles and external employers in relevant sectors. Participants had the opportunity to join breakouts with the guests for more detailed discussion.

The University of Bristol plans to run a second Prosper cohort from April to June 2026, running across three online workshops (themed around Reflect, Explore and Act) with shorter sessions supported by pre-work to ensure participants arrive prepared.

Recruitment will prioritise those who missed out previously and be broadened to include Pathway 3 staff (early career academics in teaching roles). More flexible peer support will be provided through groups that are more mixed in disciplines and career interests. There will also be a new career resource area “Develop” which includes Prosper-linked materials.

The refined programme will increase accessibility and strengthen participants’ readiness to act on their career plans. Bristol will continue exploring further integration of Prosper across career development work done by the People Development team.