Graduate bioscience training is being transformed in response to national mandates for outcomes-driven training with a focus on building transferable skills. These calls are informed by increasingly accessible data on doctoral career outcomes, reported career interests among enrolled graduate trainees, and skills gaps identified in bioscience graduate alumni in the workforce. In response to these mandates, there is increasing use of individual development plans (IDPs) to help students assess themselves, identify their career interests and recognize skills required for their academic and professional trajectories. Many institutions offer para-curricular training opportunities for career planning and skills development, which are often overlooked in traditional graduate curricula and in the heterogeneous, mentor-dependent training students receive in their research labs. Some institutions have integrated self-assessment, career exploration and training on the job search process into the curriculum by offering structured, credit-bearing courses covering these topics.

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