Abstract:
The 2006 United Kingdom Council for Graduate Education (UKCGE) summer conference has implications for learning advisors who support doctoral students. European mapping of new dimensions of doctoral research affects Australian and New Zealand universities. This article reflects from a learning advisor‘s perspective on the implications of some of the issues raised at the conference, such as increased doctoral output; equity; excellence; transferable skills; flexibility and the market model of the knowledge economy research boom. ‗Best practice‘ is a focus of the article. Nonetheless this term is found to be problematically stretched across a set of tensions inherent in the current desires and responsibilities of universities. Doctoral programme support is placed on ground zero of many of these tensions, with potential for growth along with some new challenges.