Training

The High Level Expert Group report on the EOSC mentions an urgent need to educate and equip up to 500 thousand data stewards in Europe. Hence, GO FAIR will strongly focus on training. The​ ​GO TRAIN​ ​pillar will coordinate​ the ​training to use​ ​and provide FAIR​ ​data​ ​and services. The guiding principles of the GO TRAIN pillar were drafted at a GO FAIR-related training workshop on​ ​3​ ​February​ ​2017​ in ​Paris. Read the workshop report.

The main GO TRAIN guiding principles are

1. The GO TRAIN​ ​pillar​ ​will​ ​be​ ​most​ ​effective​ ​if​ ​it​ ​will focus​ ​on​ ​the skills​ ​needed​ ​by the following​ ​five​ types of professionals​:
   • research​ ​data​ ​specialist​s​ ​based​ ​at ​institutions,
   • institutional​ ​research​ ​data​ ​advisor​s,
   • people that are responsible for ​long-term​ ​data stewardship​,
   • all​ ​researchers (training includes respect for professional data stewards),
   • organisational managers (capacity​ ​building​ ​and​ ​best​ ​practice​ in skills​ ​management).
2. The GO TRAIN approach​​ ​​
   • addresses​ ​the​ ​needs​ ​of​ ​researchers​ ​and​ ​other professionals​ ​in​ ​an​ ​increasingly non-traditional​ ​academic​ ​sector,
   • performs​ ​an​ ​advocacy​ ​function​ ​in addition to​ ​training,
   • adopts ​a​ ​coordinating role,
   • provides some ​form​ ​of​ certification​ ​of​ ​materials​ ​and​ ​activities,
   • promotes​ ​and​ ​encourages​ ​the following​ ​training​ ​approaches:​ ​blended​ ​learning, train-the-trainers,​ ​peripatetic​ ​career​ ​pathways (i.e., trainers travelling from place to place),​ ​and​ ​new​ &​ ​innovative​ ​mechanisms​ ​for​ ​skills​ ​acquisition.
3. ​ T​​he​ workshop report lists several organisations​ ​that could form an effective​ ​GO FAIR ​Training Implementation Network, including their​ ​current​ data​ ​training portfolios.​ ​A​ ​matrix ​of these organisations and the required training ​activities​ should be developed.
4. The​ ​primary​ ​objective​ ​of​ ​the GO TRAIN​ ​pillar is ​​​to​ direct​ ​and​ ​​accelerate​ ​the​ ​widespread​ ​implementation​ of​ ​data​ ​training​ ​in​ ​the​ ​identified areas​.​ ​The​ ​optimal​ ​institutional​ ​arrangement​ ​to​ ​exert this function​ ​requires​ ​further​ ​discussion.​ ​The​ ​five​ ​priority​ ​activities​ are
   • refine​ ​and​ ​focus​ ​training requirements,
   • signpost​ ​and​ ​accredit​ ​to​ ​assist​ ​discovery​ ​and​ ​adoption​ ​of​ ​materials;​ ​create​ ​or use​ ​existing​ ​training​ ​material​ ​directories,
   • training​ ​advice,​ ​career​ ​& capacity​ ​building,
   • coordinated​ ​and​ ​scaling​ ​delivery​ ​of​ ​training; ​create​ ​and​ ​maintain​ ​trainers network,
   • encourage​ ​and​ ​perform​ ​train-the-trainer​ ​activities.