The Quality of Doctoral Training and Employability of Doctorate Holders: The Views of Doctoral Candidates and Junior Researchers

Abstract

EURODOC, the European Council of Doctoral Candidates and Junior Researchers, is a volunteer, not for profit, international federation of 35 national associations representing the interests of early career researchers across Europe. EURODOC works to bring together these organisations, to create a community of doctoral candidates (DCs) and junior researchers (JRs), and to represent their interests at the European level. EURODOC envisions a European Research Area (ERA) and European Higher Education Area (EHEA) where all researchers are duly recognised and respected for the essential contributions. One of EURODOC’s concerns is the promotion of quality and the improvement of quality assurance in doctoral training. Also, ever more doctoral candidates are having to pursue non-academic careers. It is therefore necessary to ensure that doctoral training programmes are enhancing the competencies necessary to succeed outside academia. It is also necessary to ensure that employers, especially in the non-academic sector, understand and recognise the value of the doctorate. Using internal data from EURODOC, in particular EURODOC’s first survey on doctoral candidates, we will discuss these issues and make suggestions on how to best organise and structure doctoral training, and how to ensure a successful transition from being a doctoral candidate to a doctorate holder. Specifically, we will address doctoral candidates and junior researchers perceptions of the type of supervision and training opportunities they have access to, as well as their assessment of the types of skills and their expectations concerning their future careers (within and outside academia).