ESRC +3 PhD Studentship

Description

The School of Education is delighted to offer a fully funded ESRC Research PhD Studentship tenable from October 2009. This is an exciting opportunity for anyone interested in undertaking a research project leading to the award of PhD. The studentship will cover tuition fees and provide an ESRC funded annual maintenance allowance (£13,290 for 2009-2010). The award is available for three years (+3) for those with an ESRC-recognised masters degree.

The studentship is attached to the ESRC Research Centre for Learning and Life Chances in Knowledge Economies and Societies (LLAKES). The studentship will contribute to Strand 2 of the Centre’s research programme. For more information about the LLAKES centre and its programme of research please visit: http://www.ioe.ac.uk/fps/llakes. A range of projects in Strand 2 of the programme are examining the shift towards the ‘knowledge economy’ in terms of: a) its implications for the creation and distribution of knowledge and skills; b) its impact on social cohesion; and c) how these dimensions interrelate.

Two of the projects in Strand 2 are exploring the strand’s themes within the context of the retail and creative and cultural sectors, initially in the Southampton, Birmingham and Manchester city-regions. It is to these projects that the studentship will be most closely aligned. Both the retail and creative and cultural sectors are seen as central to the regeneration strategies of city-regions. The studentship will contribute to the work of Strand 2 by focusing on young people and their education – work transitions in the retail and creative and cultural sectors. Depending on their previous educational attainment, young people might be recruited to these sectors via a range of entry routes including: work placements as part of government supported initiatives to target disadvantaged young people (e.g. Entry to Employment schemes (E2E) and New Deal); Apprenticeships; under-graduate placements; and graduate traineeships. The broad themes to be explored in the doctorate are the ways in which young people’s developing concepts of identity and career are influenced by their induction into and experience of these sectors. There is scope for candidates to express an interest in focusing on one or two of the groups mentioned.

The studentship will be based in the School of Education, at the University of Southampton, under the supervision of Professor Alison Fuller. The associated research will be conducted mainly in the Southampton city-region and there will be opportunities to engage in the research being conducted in the other city-regions and to participate in the life of the LLAKES research centre which resides at the Institute of Education in London. The studentship will start in October 2009 and be completed in September 2012. The deadline for applications is Friday 13th March. Informal enquiries about the studentship should be emailed to Professor Alison Fuller: a.fuller@soton.ac.uk.

The University of Southampton has nearly 20,000 students and 5,000 staff based across several campuses. Its discipline base is broad, encompassing all the major academic subjects, but with a particular commitment to innovation and the advancement, communication and application of knowledge through critical and independent scholarship and research of international significance. It is one of the top research-intensive universities in the United Kingdom. It hosts the National Centre for Research Methods in social sciences, funded by the ESRC. The School of Education is one of the largest and most active centres of educational research in the UK with a wide range of research projects, involving regional and national partners, and students from countries around the world. Research is organised into three research centres: Post-Compulsory Education and Training, Institutional and Professional Development, and Pedagogy and Curriculum. The School also includes national specialist centres on Science and Mathematics learning. Collaboration with practitioners and stakeholders in education is a key element, resulting in educational innovation and a significant impact on practice and policy. The School is a diverse community which is committed to creating an inclusive working and learning environment in which all individuals are equally treated and valued, and can achieve their potential.

Application

For information about how to apply, please visit: http://www.education.soton.ac.uk/prospective_students/

Your application should be accompanied by an outline proposal of up to 1500 words. For more information about doctoral study in the School of Education and for guidance on drafting your proposal, click here.