Comments on: Professional skills for graduate students http://www.universityaffairs.ca/career-sense/professional-skills-for-graduate-students/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=professional-skills-for-graduate-students A blog for academic job seekers - Career Sense helps academics on the job hunt Sun, 19 Dec 2010 00:05:47 +0000 hourly 1 By: Elizabeth Wallace http://www.universityaffairs.ca/career-sense/professional-skills-for-graduate-students/comment-page-1/#comment-110 Elizabeth Wallace Wed, 15 Apr 2009 05:48:08 +0000 http://www.universityaffairs.ca/career-sense/?p=215#comment-110 There's little doubt that CAGS has helped to highlight a very important issue, by publishing the paper on Professional Skills on its website. The Association suggests that the paper is a "springboard" for discussion, and so it is. It synthesizes some of the discussion by the Tri-Council, STLHE and other organizations, and offers CAGS members a framework for moving forward in supporting graduate students. However, the focus on skills training that is evident in some new publications, and on the websites of many prestigious universities may, in fact, be a step in the wrong direction. Skills training is very effective in specific situations -- learning to fix a car, use a piece of software, play soccer, toss a pancake... It is hardly sufficient, though, to help grad students self-actualize and develop into future global and community leaders. A model which I'm researching is competency-based learning. NPEC and others have defined competencies a "bundles" of skill, knowledges, attitudes, behaviours etc. (e.g., http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2002/2002159.pdf). I'd suggest that a narrow focus on skills training for grad students is problematic for many reasons, including the one that you identify about the possibility it will morph into job training. I hope that others will be argue, along with me, that identifying competencies and helping grad students develop them, is a much better strategy, There’s little doubt that CAGS has helped to highlight a very important issue, by publishing the paper on Professional Skills on its website. The Association suggests that the paper is a “springboard” for discussion, and so it is. It synthesizes some of the discussion by the Tri-Council, STLHE and other organizations, and offers CAGS members a framework for moving forward in supporting graduate students.

However, the focus on skills training that is evident in some new publications, and on the websites of many prestigious universities may, in fact, be a step in the wrong direction. Skills training is very effective in specific situations — learning to fix a car, use a piece of software, play soccer, toss a pancake… It is hardly sufficient, though, to help grad students self-actualize and develop into future global and community leaders.

A model which I’m researching is competency-based learning. NPEC and others have defined competencies a “bundles” of skill, knowledges, attitudes, behaviours etc. (e.g., http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2002/2002159.pdf). I’d suggest that a narrow focus on skills training for grad students is problematic for many reasons, including the one that you identify about the possibility it will morph into job training. I hope that others will be argue, along with me, that identifying competencies and helping grad students develop them, is a much better strategy,

]]> By: Jo VanEvery http://www.universityaffairs.ca/career-sense/professional-skills-for-graduate-students/comment-page-1/#comment-105 Jo VanEvery Mon, 13 Apr 2009 23:45:52 +0000 http://www.universityaffairs.ca/career-sense/?p=215#comment-105 I agree that funding is likely a red herring. Your suggestions are excellent. Another is encouraging students to arrange internships during the graduate school years. These could be short and need not take a lot of time away from their studies but could provide valuable insight and experience in careers outside academe. (This idea was put forward by Lexi Lord in the US who runs the website Beyond Academe, but it is worth repeating.) I agree that funding is likely a red herring. Your suggestions are excellent. Another is encouraging students to arrange internships during the graduate school years. These could be short and need not take a lot of time away from their studies but could provide valuable insight and experience in careers outside academe. (This idea was put forward by Lexi Lord in the US who runs the website Beyond Academe, but it is worth repeating.)

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