{"id":48571,"date":"2019-07-09T01:07:40","date_gmt":"2019-07-09T08:07:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/world.edu\/?p=48571"},"modified":"2019-07-09T01:07:40","modified_gmt":"2019-07-09T08:07:40","slug":"how-universities-can-really-help-phd-grads-get-jobs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/world.edu\/how-universities-can-really-help-phd-grads-get-jobs\/","title":{"rendered":"How universities can really help PhD grads get jobs"},"content":{"rendered":"

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A rising tide floats all boats.<\/em>\u00a0Until recently this has been Canada\u2019s attitude towards the fact that there are\u00a0are more PhD students than there are academic jobs<\/a>. Some in the sciences have warned that graduate training\u00a0should be restricted<\/a>: for example, fewer students could be trained in specialized programs, and then they could move onto professional scientist positions inside universities. But in Canada, compared to the United States, the small scale of grants means there are fewer opportunities for university science researchers.<\/p>\n

Where will the surplus of science researchers go? How are universities responding to the fact that a\u00a0majority of graduate student alumni are unemployed, sub-employed or have to receive training from a college<\/a>\u00a0in order to procure a good-paying job?<\/p>\n

The broader political climate and ideologies that have an impact on post-secondary funding may be changing, placing graduate schools at odds:\u00a0Ontario, for example, is now advising universities<\/a>\u00a0that funding will be more tied to\u00a0skills and jobs outcomes<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In addition to my stem cell research as a\u00a0professor in the Cumming School of Medicine<\/a>\u00a0at the University of Calgary, I\u2019ve begun\u00a0research as a teaching scholar<\/a>\u00a0to look at how better teaching and support for science graduate students can enhance student learning, growth and employability.<\/p>\n

Interviews aren\u2019t just for facts<\/h4>\n

As part of my research, I\u2019ve developed an informational interview assignment for the courses I teach \u2014 largely popular among the 200 students I\u2019ve assigned this to.<\/p>\n

In this assignment, students need to talk to an established person in the health sciences working beyond the university. Through these interviews, students also learn that often professionally established people generous with their time, investing themselves in student aspirations. Amongst professionals, students gain tacit skills, learn to read social cues and have constructive conversations. They imagine themselves in a professional role, which motivates them to focus on their\u00a0career development<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Students also gain an awareness that talking to people and soliciting their input \u2014 stakeholder engagement \u2014 is not only relevant to good science research, but also to finding a job.<\/p>\n

In the next phase of research \u2014 with Beth Archer-Kuhn in the Faculty of Social Work, co-author of this article \u2014 we will examine how informational interviews help students map their careers and realize the educational benefits of\u00a0inquiry-based learning<\/a>.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ll also look at how assigning these interviews are part of broader teaching strategies\u00a0that support transformational learning<\/a>\u00a0supported by quality relationships. This means there would be a greater focus on students supporting and encouraging dialogue\u00a0and inviting critical self-reflection<\/a>\u00a0through active learning, assessment and helpful critique, both in students\u2019 classes or with research mentors or supervisors.<\/p>\n

We are interested both in students\u2019 holistic growth as learners, and their career development.<\/p>\n

Amplify and name existing skills<\/h4>\n

Part of a better science graduate education is also about learning to articulate and tease out the marketability of existing skills that are already being learned.<\/p>\n

Graduate students have much to offer the non-academic workplace, based upon their superior critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Employment challenges after graduate school may be partially due to an inability to explain or translate these skills into the broader workforce:\u00a0a skills awareness gap<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Alongside learning disciplinary knowledge and skills, students need to learn how to reflect on what they are learning as research collaborators and how it is connected to broader\u00a0employable skills<\/a>\u00a0(such as self management, communication and teamwork) and existing employment gaps.<\/p>\n

In a survey we recently conducted of Alberta biomedical companies with a graduate student, our preliminary findings suggested that project management skills are in need. The survey asked the companies and recruiters for their perspective about graduate student employability by asking four questions:<\/p>\n