A report from the US Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) in Washington DC calls for graduate schools to collect data on the careers of their PhD graduates. Such information is essential to shape programmes to help graduates to establish fulfilling careers, yet only one-third of institutions collect such data formally, concludes Understanding PhD Career Pathways for Program Improvement. Specifically, institutions should cooperate to develop standards and methods to track alumni careers. The publication comes at a time of growing concern about job prospects. “We hope it will be a launching pad for some real action,” says CGS director of research Jeff Allum.