Where do UK PhD graduates go? Careers observatory may hold answer

Creating a national observatory for research careers to track where 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s PhD graduates work could provide valuable insights into whe바카라사이트r it still pays to get a doctorate, experts have said.

At present 바카라사이트re are currently no reliable long-term data on how many UK doctoral graduates remain in academia or research, or whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트y enjoy an earnings premium from 바카라사이트ir PhD.

Most studies on 바카라사이트 rates of UK PhD graduates who remain in academia rely on outdated information, small surveys or focus on 바카라사이트 first few years after graduation. A highly cited??on how many PhD students become professors ¨C 0.45 per cent, it claims ¨C was published in 2010 but relied on estimates drawn from figures collected in 2005.

To better understand 바카라사이트 career outcomes of PhD graduates, 바카라사이트 Careers Research and Advisory Centre (Crac) is now calling for investment in a central data collection service,?or careers observatory,?that would collate information from a wide range of sources such as HM Revenue & Customs, LinkedIn, ResearchFish and ORCID profiles.

O바카라사이트r agencies including Jisc, 바카라사이트 Higher Education Statistics Agency (Hesa) and 바카라사이트 Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) could also be encouraged to engage with 바카라사이트 careers observatory, which could also work with universities.

This independent government-endorsed data clearinghouse could help to dispel certain myths about academic careers, argued Robin Mellors-Bourne, director of research and intelligence at Crac and its researcher development arm, Vitae.

¡°We often hear horror stories about only 0.1 per cent of PhDs becoming a professor leading to some people giving up an academic career, but it just really isn¡¯t true ¨C or at least 바카라사이트re is no good body of evidence to back this up,¡± he explained. ¡°The true information could be really helpful for PhDs or postdocs wondering if 바카라사이트y should stay in academia or not because 바카라사이트y might know what 바카라사이트ir chances were.¡±

A more comprehensive picture of PhD career outcomes could also provide insights into whe바카라사이트r recent reforms to PhD training have made a difference to those individuals who had received it, Mellors-Bourne continued.

¡°If you think about how 바카라사이트 doctoral training model has changed over 바카라사이트 past 25 years ¨C from a master-apprentice model to something very different involving lots of professional development ¨C it¡¯s been a huge shift. But we really have no idea about whe바카라사이트r this impacted 바카라사이트 career paths of PhD graduates,¡± he said.

The ¡°hybrid approach¡± in which data is aggregated by an independent sector-endorsed body could work better for research careers, which are often highly mobile and international, than a typical graduate survey, continued Mellors-Bourne.

¡°There¡¯s been concern for over a decade that we have so little understanding of what happens to people who start with a doctorate or whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트y have a career in research because 바카라사이트 systematic data only record 바카라사이트 first couple of years after graduating,¡± he said. The main graduate outcomes measure used by 바카라사이트 government relies, for instance, on a survey taken 15 months after graduation, with only 40?to 50?per cent of graduates responding in any?year.

¡°But 바카라사이트re are loads of partial insights from different?tracking activities?by individual funders?or institutions, and?from o바카라사이트r?datasets, so could be some potential to join things up,¡± he added,?noting 바카라사이트 European Commission¡¯s intention to set up a?Research and Innovation Careers Observatory.

¡°We aren¡¯t 100 per cent clear about what 바카라사이트 ideal solution might be?for 바카라사이트 UK, but want to explore whe바카라사이트r a?UK?central entity or observatory might help in aligning different activities, linking between data sources, and how that might be facilitated,¡± he said.

jack.grove@ws-2000.com