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EducationGuardian.co.uk |
Tuesday, 28 August 2007 | Barbara Axt |
£15m boost for Research Career Support
Research Councils UK is to invest more than £15m to expand its programme of support to all research staff.
The current system, which currently offers courses and web support to postgraduate researchers, support staff and non-academic employees at universities, is to be expanded at the beginning of next year.
A new web-based careers service will also offer advice on both academic and non-academic opportunities available to researchers.
At present, there is about a 50:50 split between graduates following careers in academia and those working in industry. The councils say they will undertake their own study of researchers' career trends to examine their impact on society and the economy.
The new system will operate through a national centre based at CRAC, the career development organisation. Regional hubs will be set up throughout the UK.
Jeffrey Defries, CEO of CRAC, said: "The new contract recognises the skills challenges of a globally competitive knowledge-based economy that requires a highly skilled, self-reliant workforce that can respond to and adapt to change both nationally and internationally."
CRAC will work with the UK GRAD programme, the host institutions for the UK GRAD regional hubs, and with UK Higher Education Research Development (UKHERD).
Christian Carter, deputy chair of UKHERD, said: "Ultimately it is the customer, researchers in HE, as well as the universities themselves, that will benefit from a significantly improved service."
