What are the skills needed at the interface between the Social Sciences, Humanities and the Arts (SSHA) and society?
Isabel Cascante, Director of Research at the United Way of Greater Toronto
Rahina Zarma, Senior Policy Advisor at Mitacs
Robert Luke, Chief Executive Officer at eCampusOntario
Sapna Mahajan, Director of Genomics in Society at Genome Canada
Social Science, Humanities and Arts academic training at the graduate level generally focuses on aspects of professional development that are discipline-specific and target academic employment. However, nowadays, tenure track academic jobs are rare and the overwhelming majority of those with a PhD end up pursuing a career in the private, social or public sector. SSHA departments are increasingly concerned with providing their cohorts with skills and knowledge they need to succeed in academy as well as in industry and the public and social service, but they need to rely on expertise that is often not available within their department or faculty, which puts new pressure on universities. Evidence shows that training around “soft” foundational skills-building and experiential education are part of the equation, but they raise important questions such as: what are the needs of prospective non-academic employers of SSHA talent in industry as well as social and public sectors. More importantly, whose responsibility is it, within and around the university, to offer programming that will meet the needs of student and communities.
