(Apologies for cross-posting. Please forward to anyone who may be
interested. Thanks).
ESRC CASE Studentship: School of Geographical Sciences, University of Bristol
‘Participation, training and labour-market recruitment of young skilled
graduate labour: a social and geographical analysis of South West England’
The School invites applications for this CASE studentship, leading to a PhD
programme, in partnership with the Universities and Colleges Admissions
Service (UCAS), based in Cheltenham. The student appointed will be
registered as a full-time research student in the University of Bristol.
The studentship is available on either a 3-year, or 4-year (‘1 + 3’), basis,
depending on whether the student already has a research training
qualification recognised by ESRC. Where not, this research training will be
part of the studentship and may lead to a Masters qualification in addition
to eventual PhD registration. In all cases, continuing on the PhD programme
requires the successful completion of a probationary period and assessment
after 12 – 18 months.
Students should hold, or expect to have obtained by summer 2009, a good
Honours degree (at least an upper second class) in Geography, Economics,
Applied Policy, Regional Science or a related Social Science subject.
Experience and competence with a range of research methods appropriate to
such a degree will be expected, to match the mixed-methods nature of the
project.
The project
In summary, it first combines two major datasets, one relating to school
pupils (PLASC) and the other to university applications and admissions (via
UCAS), to gain securer knowledge of levels of participation in higher
education at a school level within the South West (SW) region. From this
should emerge a clearer picture of the types of origin and degree-training
sites particularly well-suited to generating future cohorts of trained
graduate labour for regional employers. This informs and is complemented by
two qualitative surveys. One is focussed on selected local social and school
environments, helping to understand pupil decisions to continue, or not,
into post-compulsory schooling and post-school education. The second survey
is of undergraduates in SW regional universities, who are from previously SW
residential backgrounds, to explore their decisions to apply to university
and longer-term commitments to the region. ( Recent independent research has
shown the most promising source of young skilled graduate labour for the SW
regional workforce to be such locally schooled and educated graduates .)
Finally, combining the outcomes and insights from these two components
(quantitative and qualitative) will generate recommendations for improving
the quantity and quality of the young graduate labour force available to the
South West regional economy.
The studentship will provide funding of £17k p.a. which includes the CASE
premium provided by the commercial partner (UCAS). It will be supervised by
a team from the School of Geographical Sciences : Professor Kelvyn Jones
(lead supervisor), Dr Julie Macleavy, Dr Rich Harris and Dr Tony Hoare. For
informal inquiries about the studentship please contact Dr Tony Hoare (
[log in to unmask]) in the first instance.
For further information about how to apply, please see:
http://www.ggy.bris.ac.uk/case-studentships
|