What are Transferable Skills and why they are Needed?

Chapter Overview

This chapter reviews the:

• Skills that people bring to doctoral study
• Further skill requirements with a working definition of transferable skills
• Context: the history of change in doctoral education
• Particular developments in relation to training during and beyond the doctorate
• Consequences for careers beyond the doctorate
• Impact on the people involved: researchers, supervisors, trainers and other support staff

Skills at the Commencement of the Doctorate

Since the doctorate is the pinnacle of award-bearing courses in Higher Education, all those starting a doctorate will already have many relevant skills to bring to bear on the task – indeed, they will have been selected by the university because they have demonstrated some of those skills and have shown potential for developing others. Some will ...