PhD Scholarship – Capacity Building and Social Enterprise

Mission Australia and Deakin University are calling for expressions of interest in a full-time APA(I) PhD Scholarship commencing in April 2011.

The PhD candidate will work on a three-year project: Capacity Building and Social Enterprise: Individual and Organisational Transformation in Transitional Labour Market Programs.

The research will investigate the Transitional Labour Market Program (TLMP) operating at Mission Australia’s Charcoal Lane restaurant in Melbourne’s Fitzroy. The TLMP provides training and support for unemployed Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal youth.

The research program consists of two studies. The study that will form the major component of the PhD project will take a longitudinal qualitative approach to identifying factors that influence young program participants’ experiences and outcomes. This research will provide insights into how social enterprises can support marginalised young people’s transition into employment in industries facing labour and skill shortages.

The second study, conducted by the broader Mission Australia and Deakin research team, is an action research project that will examine the organisational practices of this enterprise with the aim of understanding and explaining the factors that contribute to its sustainability.

What we want

As part of the larger research program, the PhD project will develop detailed biographies of young people’s pathways into the program, their participation in it and destinations beyond.

We are looking for a graduate in the Social Sciences (Anthropology, Education, Gender Studies, Sociology or Youth Studies) with an Honours degree (H1 or H2A). The candidate should have an interest and/or background in qualitative, biographical methodologies and a concern for the social justice issues related to marginalised young people.

Suitably qualified persons from the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities are encouraged to register their Expression of Interest.

The successful candidate will work from Deakin University’s Waterfront Campus in Geelong under the supervision of Associate Professors Peter Kelly (Centre for Comparative Social Research) and Lyn Harrison (Alfred Deakin Research Institute and School of Education).

If you are interested, please email your CV (two-page maximum) to Associate Professor Lyn Harrison at lyn.harrison@deakin.edu.au, and include your contact details, educational and employment history, and a brief paragraph outlining the reasons for your interest in the project.

Expressions of Interest close 28 February, 2011