The gap between the real world and the words

Since the concordat for career management of contract research staff was introduced, its implementation has been patchy. At Imperial College two contract researchers are taking the struggle to the top. Natasha Loder reports

In July, the rector of Imperial College made a visit to the physics department. Among the undoubtedly happy, smiling scientists were two contract researchers who were less than delighted with their lot - and who took the opportunity to say so.

Maziar Nekovee and Elizabeth Johnson are trying to convince the college to pay more attention to the career prospects of non-permanent staff. They even felt it necessary to present the rector with a three-page letter outlining the problems facing contract researchers and the steps the college should take.

Dr Nekovee points out what a daunting and time-consuming task job-hunting can be: "I have seen many post-docs and PhDs struggling with the problem of what to do after their contract finishes. I saw colleagues writing sometimes hundreds of applications for jobs." In their letter the two researchers add: "Within Imperial College and most other United Kingdom universities, it seems that almost nothing has been done so far to implement the steps recommended in the concordat to improve career perspectives of the non-permanent staff."

Imperial College responded by saying the college issued a statement to research staff detailing the arrangements. The statement says that guidance and advice for career development should be given by departments, then comfortingly adds that these will vary between departments. Training is available, but it is a rather limp offering of one or two days of career management a year. And, as a nice touch, they helpfully point out the College Careers Advisory Service.

Of course, it need not be like this. The University of Edinburgh has a permanent career monitoring, development and outplacement programme tailored to the needs of post-docs and other research staff, providing them with specialist guidance and assistance. The University of Manchester provides specialist careers advice and careers workshops to research staff throughout the year.

Imperial has said that the college will explore some of the suggestions Nekovee and Johnson make. This raises the question of what is being done to make sure that the concordat actually gets implemented.

Over a year ago the Concordat Implementation Group - now the Research Careers Initiative - was formed under the chairmanship of Sir Gareth Roberts, vice-chancellor of the University of Sheffield. One of its tasks is to make the research councils, which signed the concordat, start assessing implementation in order to assess grant funding. The RCI is due to issue its first report imminently. Sir Gareth says it would "be inappropriate for me to comment further before the official launch of the report".