Making time for Plan B (2 of 2)

While it is true that many PhD students and early career postdocs don't have a Plan B, and equally true that academic institutions can profit from their unrealised aspirations, not all universities are ignoring these issues.

Imperial College London has a well- developed Graduate School and Postdoc Development Centre created specifically to support early-stage researchers, and some of the most important work we do revolves around demythologising Plan Bs.

We actively encourage our researchers to invest time planning their careers and to consider trajectories both inside and outside the academy. We develop and deliver training courses to equip our researchers with the skills they will need to succeed in their chosen paths, courses that have been well received: the Postdoc Development Centre has had excellent feedback, particularly regarding its tailored one-to-one consultation sessions and "mock interview" scheme.

So while "Making other plans" has some valid points to make, we would like to point out that Imperial at least is aware and active in this area.

Katie Anders, Hayley Cordingley and Liz Elvidge, Postdoc Development Centre, Imperial College London