Creative Workforce Scholarships

PHD Student Scholarships Commencing January 2011

Applicants are invited for a number of three-year PhD scholarships with the Creative Workforce research program of the ARC Centre for Excellence in Creative Industries and Innovation, hosted at Queensland University of Technology. The Creative Workforce program explores various aspects of creative human capital, particularly formal and informal education and training for the creative economy.

The PhD students will work with a team of supervisors from the Creative Workforce program, and will be involved in the development of theoretical, methodological and data collection aspects of their projects.

The proposed PhD projects are:

1. The Interactive Skills Integration Scheme
(Professor Greg Hearn)

The Interactive Skills Integration Scheme (ISIS) addresses workforce skills and business sustainability with the aim of improved preparation for professional practice in undergraduate education programs, leading to ‘work-ready’ graduates in interactive media, and improved management/business model skills of leading industry practitioners. This PhD project will investigate the human resource development issues for Australia's interactive media industry and work with leading Australian companies in the games and mobile entertainment industry.

Applicants for this project should have an an Honours or Masters degree in human resources, adult education, psychology or associated fields.

2. Australian film industry futures & human capital
(Dr Mark Ryan)

What will cinema and the Australian film industry look like in the next five to ten years, and how does this shape filmmaking careers? This PhD project will explore how traditional ‘filmmaking’ or ‘screen’ practice – feature film and television production and distribution – is transforming within an interactive, transmedia (content produced for multi-platforms), social media driven, and online environment, and the implications for filmmaking careers and pathways.

Applicants for this project should have an Honours or Masters degree in film studies, media and communications, new media, or related disciplines, and ideally will have skills in industry or policy research, and/or practical experience in the film or new media industries.

3. Career trajectories, pathways and experiences of emerging creative workers
(Dr Ruth Bridgstock)

What happens to students of arts and creative industries university courses after they graduate? What are their experiences of the world of work, and how do they navigate their careers? What skills, characteristics and external influences are important to creative graduate outcomes? What value does a creative education offer?

Applicants for this project should have an Honours or Masters degree in psychology, sociology, education, career development, or a similar field. They will be involved in either quantitative (survey-based) tracking of creative graduate career pathways, or will pursue a qualitative line of enquiry into the early career stories of creative professionals.

4. Entrepreneurship and enterprise education for the Creative Industries
(Dr Ruth Bridgstock)

How do creative workers need to be enterprising/ entrepreneurial, and what skills and knowledge are required for this? To what extent are arts and creative industries courses meeting this need at present? What pedagogical models of entrepreneurship/enterprise education are most effective for creative professionals?

Applicants for this project should have an Honours or Masters degree in education, business (particularly entrepreneurship or small business management), psychology, or sociology. This project will be a mixed-methods study.

5. Human Capital in the Creative Industries Innovation System – a comparative study of national systems
(Dr Sandra Haukka) (two scholarships)

These PhD projects will be part of a large study that will establish new benchmarks for the types, networks, and flows of human capital in a Creative Industries Innovation System needed to achieve higher levels of innovation in the Creative Industries. The larger study aims to compare the features of Creative Industries Innovation Systems in Australia, Singapore and other relevant nations, and recommend strategies and policy directives to enhance the contribution of human capital to Australia’s Creative Industries Innovation System in order to achieve higher levels of strategic innovation, R&D based innovation, and non-R&D innovation in its Creative Industries.

Applicants for this project should have an Honours or Masters degree in education (preferably adult education) or business. Ideally, the application will have skills in industry or policy research, and/or practical experience in the creative industries.

6. Practice-led research and creative career development

How can undertaking a practice-led research project influence a practitioner’s career development – through learning (reflective and reflexive processes), the development of professional identity, and the performative artefact? How do practice-led researchers situate their research in the context of their careers during the various phases of the project and afterwards?

Applicants for this project should have an Honours or Masters degree in psychology, sociology, education, career development, or a similar field. An additional background in the arts will be well regarded. This project will involve qualitative case studies.

Eligibility
The PhD students should possess specific qualifications as outlined in each brief project description. In addition, they will require high-level academic verbal and written communication skills, and the demonstrated ability to work both independently and as part of a team. Each applicant must have a minimum Honours 2A or equivalent, and be an Australian citizen or permanent resident.

Stipend
The stipend for each project is in accordance with APA/QUT PhD scholarship rules. It comprises a living allowance of $22,500 per annum in 2011, tax exempt and indexed annually for the three-year tenure. An additional scholarship top-up of up to $4,000 per annum can also be negotiated.

How to Apply
Please submit your Curriculum Vitae to Ruth Bridgstock r.bridgstock@qut.edu.au with a covering letter addressing the requirements of the project of your choice. Your letter should explain why you are interested in the project, and why you would be a suitable candidate.

Applications close on September 15th .

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