Meeting with Mick Fuller

On the 10th, Andy and I had a meeting with Mick Fuller, the Head of the Graduate School, to talk about how to enhance the employability of our postgraduate students whilst providing greater opportunities for our undergraduates. When I was a PhD student I did lots of things that have helped improve my CV immensely in terms of leadership, organisation, teaching, etc. Most PhD students do not undertake the sort of opportunities that were so important to me. There have been an increasing number of publications surrounding the employability of doctoral graduates and it seems that most universities are missing the mark in developing a student's skills. Articles in Nature, Science, and Conservation Biology as well as other educational journals all make the point that PhD graduates don't have the requisite transferrable skills that employers want. Pretty eye opening for anyone involved in teaching at a university.

It was a tremendously positive meeting and Mick fully supported what I was bringing to the table. He talked about a timeline and rollout, what some of the barriers might be and who I need to approach to get the ball rolling. This, like everything else, is super exciting in what it may deliver and how it will change our PhD students' lives, BUT, just like everything else that I get involved with will take a lot of time, negotiation, organisation, etc. I am excited to undertake this project within the School of Marine Science & Engineering in this pilot, but I am wondering WHEN ON EARTH might I find the time to commit to getting this off the ground. Maybe this summer..... along with everything else!