Concentrating research funding and doctoral students in just a handful of universities will damage both the UK university sector and the economy as a whole, according to new research from university think-tank million+

Launched on 2nd March 2010 at the House of Commons, ‘A Postgraduate Strategy for Britain’ argues that proposals from research intensive universities to concentrate postgraduate provision should be set aside; this approach would have a negative effect on the economy, will damage innovation, will undermine expansion and accessibility, and will weaken the international competitiveness of the sector.

A new league paper, 'Doctoral degrees beyond 2010: Training talented researchers for society' says the doctorate has evolved into a qualification for people who are "highly creative, critical, autonomous, intellectual risk-takers who push the boundaries of knowledge and innovation whatever their employment destination may be".

A growing number of doctoral graduates now go into non-academic careers says Professor David Bogle, main author of the LERU paper and head of the graduate school at University College London.

Professor Bogle said,

"This indicates there is a strong demand from the private and public sector for the skills that a doctorate instils for employment beyond the education sector."

The paper sets out policy recommendations for European governments, EU institutions and universities, arguing that if Europe was serious about its objective "to become the most dynamic knowledge society in the world", strong support of doctoral education was vital.

Such training should be concentrated in research-intensive environments where excellence is fostered, says the paper.

It says that PhD graduates stand out by their competence, by their achievement and by their social skills. Under this last heading, the paper explains that such graduates "develop a team work attitude and can collaborate and communicate with specialists and non-specialists".

It was the combination of these three skill sets that equipped doctoral graduates "to successfully apply their advanced skills in or beyond research and to take up leading roles in any employment where deep, rigorous analysis and creative thinking are needed."

The development and take-up of these skills by society required a strong vision, forward looking investment and concerted effort by governments, employers, universities and by talented bright minds to make it happen.

The league called on governments and the EU to increase investment in doctoral education, and on employers and universities to work together so that "rigorous research remains the cornerstone of the doctorate and that doctoral training is a suitable preparation for work in today's world".

Among other recommendations to universities, it called for research to remain the cornerstone of the doctorate, and to develop doctoral graduates who were creative risk takers with a rigorous approach to the research questions they tackled.

To download a copy of the report, please click here.

A new report from CIHE outlines the findings of a small-scale study co-sponsored by RCUK which explored how the value of recruiting graduates and postgraduates is measured by employers

The report "The Value of Graduates and Postgraduates" from the Council of Industry and Higher Education confirms that there is a need within UK industry for graduates and postgraduates equipped with more business experience and commercial knowledge and understanding. It suggests that all graduates should be given more information about the skills and experience required by different sectors of industry, and in particular, they should be provided with up to date and relevant advice on specific employers’ requirements.