 Transferable Skills – The Doctoral Challenge Allan C. Hutchinson August Chengdu

Plan  Who  Why  What 2

Who  All Doctoral Students  Some Doctoral Students  Disgruntled and disaffected  Masters Students 3

Why  Growth in doctoral students  Decline in university positions  Exclusively technical training  Too disciplinary-specific 4

What  What is needed?  What they have?  What they do not have?  What we can provide? 5

Employability Skills  Technical proficiency  Work in depth and at the frontiers of knowledge  Work across disciplinary/functional boundaries  Team player 6

 Originality and creativity  Communicate to non-specialists  Integrate ideas Customer orientation  Social skills  Leadership potential 7

Nerdy Stereotypes Common stereotypes of academics include:  lack common sense  can't meet deadlines  don't take direction well.  Can’t write concisely  Can’t make decisions based on incomplete information 8

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Unappreciated skills  research  some communication  teaching proficiency  discipline-related skills  evaluation  time-management 11

Which New Skills?  Those skills that will enable them to transfer their technical knowledge and discipline-specific competences in multi-cultural contexts whether in academia, industry, private and public sectors, or self-employment. 12

The Challenge  development of further opportunities to provide knowledge and tools to enhance their employability outside of academia  enhance their ability to respond to the changing demands of society.  Variety of so-called ‘soft skills’  Develop initiatives that will appeal to students and supervising faculty 13

Main Skills  Diversity and social sensibility  Collaboration  Presentation skills  Self-management  Projection Management 14

Diversity  As world globalizes, schools and workplaces become more diverse.  Intercultural awareness and sensitivity are a must, as is openness to intergenerational work teams 15

 the inclusion of persons with disabilities as well as issues of sexual orientation and gender.  Diversity requires inclusivity—and inclusivity means ensuring that the skills and talents of all will contribute to the good of the whole. 16

Collaboration  Effective collaboration is a skill that involves effective communication, listening, creativity, tolerance and respect.  opportunity to explore the benefits, practices and pitfalls of collaboration resulting in heightened awareness of what it means to be a successful research collaborator.  what makes successful collaboration 17

Presentation Skills  best practice in presenting  increases participant’s confidence in developing structured presentations.  audience engagement,  the pros and cons of technology,  Writing skills 18

Self-Management  Work effectively under pressure  Fast learner  Work effectively with limited supervision  Able to thrive in a competitive environment  Disciplined worker  Attentive to detail  Able to thrive in a competitive environment  Attentive to detail 19

Project Management  Manage a project from beginning to end  Manage several projects at once  Identify goals and tasks to be accomplished  Develop realistic timeline for completion of project  Prioritize tasks  Anticipate potential problems  Maintain flexibility in changing circumstances 20

Leadership  Facilitate group discussions or conduct meetings  Motivate others to complete projects (group or individual)  Respond appropriately to positive or negative feedback  Effectively mentor subordinates and/or peers  Collaborate on projects  Teach skills or concepts to others  Able to navigate complex bureaucratic environments 21

Conclusion  Necessity, not choice  Everyone better for it  Even faculty might learn 22