European University Of The Seas – SEA-EU alliance, with University of Gdańsk being one of the partners, has received funds from the Erasmus+ Programme, Strategic Partnerships for Higher Education (Key Action 203), for the implementation of „Beyond academia: broadening the career horizons of doctoral students in marine and maritime sciences in Europe” (SEA-EU_doc) project. Dr hab. Barbara Pawłowska, prof. UG from Faculty of Economics is the project manager on the part of UG.
The fact that not all PhD students who defend their doctoral theses and complete their doctoral studies are able to find jobs at universities and research institutes is a result of a limited number of positions that the European academic labour market can offer to newly-promoted doctors. Recent PhD graduates are often unaware of the possible career paths in the non-academic market and existing opportunities for their professional development. It is noticeable that they lack the expected competences in the labour market that are required in the chosen industry or the private sector. Some of the promoted doctors experience a smooth entry into the non-academic labour market, however surveys show that they feel less prepared to develop their professional careers there. Therefore, there is a demand for additional training in soft and universal competences such as: leadership, communication skills, teamwork, problem solving, networking, project management, creativity, analytical thinking, etc.
The aim of this project is to develop some good practices based on the experience of the partners participating in the project, to offer high standards of education to European universities and to equip PhD students with the competences needed to take up employment on the non-academic labour market in the marine and maritime sector. Additionally, it aims to strengthen the cooperation between partners, to promote the development, to test and implement the innovative practices and to develop entrepreneurship and active cooperation in various areas among PhD students and doctors.
The SEA-EU_doc project is to be carried out between 2020 and 2023. The budget for the project is around 450 000 euros, where 60 000 euros is granted to UG
