Centres for Doctoral Training: UK Perspective

Industrialised countries such as the United Kingdom have hundreds of Centres for Doctoral Training (CDTs) established many years ago. Such CDTs work in conjunction with industry and are also funded by the government to address challenges and issues of national and strategic interest. Most of the doctoral students in such countries are engaged through such centres that work in close collaboration with industry. Unfortunately, due to insufficiencies in financial support, governments in industrialising countries such as those in Southern Africa rely heavily on foreign aid and scholarships tenable abroad to address the much-needed skills in engineering. This chapter outlines the origins of doctoral training in the United Kingdom as well as interactions by academics from Southern Africa, with those in UK institutions, to learn from the experiences as well as to explore possibilities for collaborations. The interactions were with academics from four principal CDTs, as well as some of their partner institutions. Their success in running and governing these centres over the years, formed the foundation and basis for best practices for formulating the framework for establishing similar centres in Southern Africa.