And the Dearth of Higher Degree Researchers. (November 10, 2007)

The Group of Eight, in publishing its third paper on the requirements for upgrading Australia's university sector, has addressed the growing shortage of higher research degrees (Masters and PhDs) awarded by Australian Universities: "Australia is not producing enough highly skilled graduates to sustain economic growth. We are not producing enough new researchers to replace those leaving the workforce, let alone expanding our capacity to meet the challenges of the future."

In July last year Australia's Federal Minister for Education Science and Training, Julie Bishop, released the official audit of Australia's scientific, engineering and technology skills.  During its tenure in office the Coalition Government under the Prime Ministership of John Howard has under-resourced the maintenance and development of "Science, Engineering and Technology Skills" to the point that the audit by its Department of Education, Science and Training warns in its final report that Australia is likely to suffer a short-fall of as much as 35% in its estimated requirement of 55,000 additional scientific professionals -- that is of meeting its projected need for an extra 55,000 scientific professionals within six years. That comes to a shortage of just over 19,000 individuals.

Now, seventeen months later, ANU's vice-chancellor, Ian Chubb, speaking for the Group of Eight says:

Australia's productivity and competitiveness requires a reversal of these trends. At the current rate Australia will not be able to supply even half the future requirement of PhD graduates for high-end knowledge skills."

In the middle of Australia's mining boom only 65 Australian students commenced a PhD in geology last year. And at a time when the world is facing unprecedented environmental stresses, a mere 53 new PhD students are undertaking environmental studies.

Overall the number of Australian students starting higher degrees by research fell by 30% from 1995 to 2006.

As the Australian economy becomes more knowledge-based, an increasing proportion of research degree graduates (73% in 2006) are working outside the academic sector, many in innovating enterprises.

Government and industry investment in research and development has grown in recent years, in part stimulated by the Backing Australia's Ability initiatives I & II. Yet Australia's proportion of doctoral graduates in the workforce is slipping behind our competitors.

Over the next decade some 40% of the academic workforce will either retire or move into other jobs. Training new researchers through their PhD and post doctoral studies takes seven to ten years which means urgent action is required to provide teaching and research capacity for the future.

Among other urgent essential changes specified by Professor Chubb are increases in the availability of scholarships to attract top PhD candidates from overseas.

We are turning away hundreds of good international applicants because we can only go so far in finding funds for them without weakening our research capacity.

International students made up only 19% of PhD enrolments in 2005 compared with 22% of Bachelor degree and 53% of Master degree enrolments.

In the US, almost half of all international graduate students, and two-thirds of foreign PhD students, are financed by scholarships or work in universities. By contrast, less than 25% of international graduate students in Australia receive support from Australian sources.

The Go8 calls on the incoming Government to boost the number of HECS-exempt domestic PhD places and allocate them on the basis of capacity to provide quality research training, expand the number and value of stipends for research students, extend support for early-career and mid-career researcher development and initiate measures to attract quality international PhD students.

Note added November 12:

Education Minister Julie Bishop said Professor Chubb had ignored the greater flexibility and strong support given by the federal Government to individual universities, such as Melbourne, which had a focus on postgraduate education and research.

Tom Spurling, president of the Australian Federation of Scientific and Technological Societies, the peak lobby group for Australian scientists, warned that Australia's prosperity could be placed at risk unless the number of highly skilled science and technology graduates was increased.