8. Mentoring and career development

• Public Scholars Initiative der University of British Columbia: “Provide more career information and experience, affirm non-academic pathways“ (Peker et al. 2017: 4).

• „Highlighting the wide range of possible career opportunities for doctoral graduates to our 17 candidates is a very important part of any doctoral programme. It is also important that candidates are supported in identifying and developing the skills they may need for the options they seek to follow”(LERU 2014: 16).

• „(...) it is helpful to arrange classes on teaching (perhaps even the opportunity to do a diploma or certificate in teaching)” (Delamont et al. 2004: 192).

• „The development of generic/transferable skills is fundamental to best practice doctoral training. Candidates undertake doctorates as preparation for a wide range of careers that require diverse skills in addition to the capacity to undertake independent research” (Marsh & Lamprecht 2012: 8).

• “Graduate schools ought to consider appointing a mentor or equivalent for each PhD candidate, in addition to the supervisor team, to discuss programmes from another aspect than the science topic alone“ (ORPHEUS & AMSE 2016: 12).

Postdocs are involved as supervisors and mentors. This allows them to gain first supervisory experience.

Doctoral programs and graduate schools maintain contact with alumni to facilitate networking between doctoral candidates and alumni.

The involvement of doctoral candidates in national and international networks is promoted by supporting participation in scientific conferences as well as research stays abroad (mobility).

• Salzburg Principle No. 9: „Increasing mobility: Doctoral programmes should seek to offer geographical as well as interdisciplinary and intersectoral mobility and international collaboration within an integrated framework of cooperation between universities and other partners“ (EUA 2010: 4).

• “Through conferences and other professional activities doctoral candidates should make links with society beyond academia to seek fresh ideas for their research, to develop ways of communicating their ideas and results, and their significance, to a wide variety of audiences, and to develop broader career perspectives” (LERU 2010: 8-9).

• “Supervisors ought to have broad local and international scientific networks to be able to introduce the PhD candidate into the scientific community“ (ORPHEUS & AMSE 2016: 12).