CASE STUDY

Analysing Graduate Attributes

and Employability of Blue Economy CRC PhD Students

THE CHALLENGE

The blue economy is growing rapidly, but industry leaders face uncertainty about whether PhD graduates are equipped with the transferable skills and attributes needed to succeed in multidisciplinary, applied settings. While technical expertise is strong, employability skill sets remain less understood. In addition, education in blue economy subjects is still scarce at Australian universities.

Analysing Graduate Attributes

and Employability of Blue Economy CRC PhD Students

THE CHALLENGE

The blue economy is growing rapidly, but industry leaders face uncertainty about whether PhD graduates are equipped with the transferable skills and attributes needed to succeed in multidisciplinary, applied settings. While technical expertise is strong, employability skill sets remain less understood. In addition, education in blue economy subjects is still scarce at Australian universities.

The solution / outcome

The Blue Economy CRC supported a collaborative research project led by UQ and UTAS, with contributions from other universities and multiple industry partners, to examine the graduate attributes of PhD students across the CRC. Surveys and focus groups engaged +30 PhD students across engineering, sciences and aquaculture, alongside industry perspectives.

Students report strong growth in research expertise but identified needs for greater career clarity, stakeholder communication, and applied industry alignment. Industry highlighted the importance of adaptability, leadership, and interdisciplinary competence. The project has delivered an evidence base and framework for aligning PhD training with employability skills in the blue economy.

Blue Economy CRC graduates are more confident, more employable, and more adaptive—this program builds more than research; it builds futures.

Industry feedback from Blue Economy CRC Graduate Attributes Project

The impact

Based on current results, Blue Economy CRC PhD students outperform traditional PhD cohorts in career readiness and soft skill confidence. Participation in Blue Economy CRC activities builds self-efficacy, applied knowledge, and clearer career goals. Survey results showed an +85% improvement in communication confidence after targeted development activities. Industry now has a clearer picture of graduate capabilities, and the Blue Economy CRC has evidence to adapt training and educational design to meet future workforce needs.

WHAT’S NEXT?

This project runs from 2024 to 2027 and is currently at the halfway point. The results presented so far are snapshots from the first half of the project, including surveys conducted with PhD students during the 2024 and 2025 Participant Workshops and the delivery of a dedicated training package at the 2025 Winter School.

Looking ahead, data collection and analysis are ongoing. This includes further examination of interviews and discussions held with industry participants to understand what employers most value in graduate attributes and employability skills. This work runs in parallel with our student-focused surveys and highlights the dual perspective of both PhD candidates and industry.

Future plans also include expanding the sample size to include non-Blue Economy CRC PhD students, enabling us to differentiate between industry-driven doctoral research and more traditional, academic-focused PhDs. This will help distil the unique value of industry-linked doctoral training and further refine recommendations for how universities can adapt curricula and training to better equip students with the skills needed to thrive in the blue economy workforce.

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