The PhD with a Focus project aims to approach Industry to better understand opportunities for and expectations of Higher Degree by Research (HDR) students as they near the end of their studies and seek gainful employment. This extends the professional development of HDR students into career development that is more clearly targeted. The initiative will also provide information to the Office of Graduate Research (OGR) to enable it to adapt its educational content to better prepare students for the future.

In quarter one of 2020, the project has been spending time interviewing industry representatives from different areas of private and public enterprise to gain insights into what industry are looking for in partnerships with HDR Students. Over the next few months we we will be engaging with students and colleges to better understand the challenges and opportunities in this space.

Looking forward to the second half of 2020 where we will be building solutions that help to facilitate Industry Engagement for HDR Students at Flinders!