Universities should provide PhD graduates with generic skills training to help them with work outside the academy, according to a new report.
Li’ An Chen and ANU colleagues warn that “one-size fits all” approaches are not enough; that, “the particular values and practices of workplaces are not typically incorporated into generic skills teaching in any meaningful way.”
And so, they propose a methodology, “to explore the submerged dimensions of culture that may influence skill expectations across distinct professional contexts” by analysing 1,800 advertisements for IT and healthcare research-intensive jobs.
They found, for example, healthcare “puts more emphasis” on empathy, people skills, continuous education, basic literacy and qualifications, professional standards, courage. IT prioritised cognitive abilities, “suitable personal attributes,” subject knowledge, aesthetics and resource management,
And they went on to analyse what the skills and attributes mean in the different industries. In healthcare, “courage,” for example, related to chemical hazards, infection risks, interpersonal conflicts, night shifts, emergencies, and physical dangers. In IT, it more likely meant dealing with “conceptual uncertainties.”
Plus, there can be differences in core beliefs, “some values prevalent in the private sector, such as valuing profit over public interest, may clash with the ethical standards of academia.”
Overall, “our analysis shows how much context can change whether or not a person is viewed as ‘skilled’ and whether, in fact, skills can ever really be ‘transferred’ without significant effort.”