Implementing design-based approach for higher education policies concerning transferable skills in doctoral education

​Doctoral graduates in the European knowledge economies are increasingly facing a diversified career prospect due to an unprecedented boost in the number of doctoral degree awards as well as opening up of the non-academic sectors to this category of knowledge workers. In order for the process of this transition to non-academic career to become more beneficial, graduates need to acquire during their doctoral studies a set of generic or transferable skills to use in the new settings such as industry. The paper uses a mixed-methods approach to investigate to what extent collaboration with business sector or dedicated training within the academic context during doctoral education help doctoral students across different academic disciplines in gaining some of the transferable skills. Data is being collected using a questionnaire-based survey as well as in-depth interviews with doctoral students from a number of European universities in different countries.