“Tell me and I forget … Teach me and I remember … Involve me and I learn.” — Benjamin Franklin
The global advancement of technology, alongside the increase in knowledge and innovation, has led to the emergence of new professions while rendering others obsolete. It is projected that 45% of all current jobs will disappear within the next decade. This has caused a paradigm shift in education strategies implemented by Higher Education Institutions (HEI). Students’ mindsets and demands have changed due to their exposure to a dynamic ecosystem characterized by continuous creativity and fierce competitiveness. Consequently, there are high expectations placed on universities to empower students to challenge themselves and equip them with the required skills to compete internationally.
A Shift in Lifestyle and Expectations
The extensive use of technology and lifestyle changes brought about by the pandemic have also impacted students’ attention span, making it harder to engage with pure academic content without observing its actual application. Additionally, undergraduate students are increasingly seeking employment while pursuing their studies as many employers look for graduates with practical experience. This trend shows that students have a growing interest in acquiring hands-on experience and applying what they learned in class in a real working environment.
Higher education has become more than just a degree-seeking experience where students are taught in a traditional approach, it has instead become about institutions that produce graduates capable of succeeding in real working situations and contributing to the development of their communities.
The Need for Industry Partnership
Fostering partnerships with businesses allows universities to have expanded access to industry expertise, hence linking students with the practical world and opening up job opportunities for them while rooting them in the job market. Partnering up with prestigious companies builds up a good reputation for universities, serving as an effective PR tool that results in higher enrollment rates. Furthermore, collaborating with companies creates openings for guiding and funding diverse research in universities.
HEIs can support businesses conducting research with a reasonable budget instead of being burdened by high expenditures when relying on reputable professional consultancy agencies. Moreover, interlinking with universities assists industries in preparing and finding the right calibers for future employment and in improving a company’s image due to the remarkable emphasis on the contribution of businesses to society, while obtaining fresh ideas from students and faculty. Additionally, HEIs can provide funding opportunities through incubators that accelerate business growth.
Benefits for Students
Students are the ultimate winners from such partnerships; besides being familiar with the working environment, they can apply theoretical concepts in practical contexts, leading to better curriculum assimilation and an empowering wealth of knowledge and experience. Students can also apply for internships in partnering companies which raises their chances of gaining full-time roles in these same companies after graduation..
There is a general awareness of the underlying benefits of such a partnership; however, it is true that the impact is not always fully perceived. Involved stakeholders who implemented different collaborative initiatives at two technology hub companies expressed valuable insights emphasizing that working with students provides fresh-eye innovative solutions as well as expands the pool of possible future employees as well as improves selection accuracy .
A radical career shift may occur; for instance, as part of my Management and Information and Communication (MICT) class, two students were selected to participate in an internship at a multinational tech company to acquire Cloud Practitioner Certification in Amazon Web Services (AWS). Their feedback was eye-opening whereby one of the students highlighted that the internship made her realize that this was not the right career path for her, while the other’s interest in the field was further affirmed.
Strategies for Successful Partnerships
Forging partnerships between educational institutions and businesses could be formulated into different initiatives such as case studies which could be customized to organize competitions,talks by field experts, immersive visits to the company premises , in-class training/workshop sessions, or exploring options for mutual research which could have a positive case-based impact. Another crucial procedure is involving industry professionals in curriculum design to ensure updated and effective educational content matching the market requirements .
Challenges and Considerations
Despite all the benefits that could be reaped from HEI-business partnerships,maintaining these partnerships entails many challenges. Excessive focus on exposing students to different industries can sometimes completely shift the focus from academia which is the core of any high educational institution . In addition, professors can show some bias towards the businesses they cooperate with while delivering their courses which can be perceived as a PR tool for engaged businesses.
A greater risk altogether is that these programs end up creating little value for students, especially if they are not specifically well-crafted for the course objectives. Several students expressed their disappointment after they completed internship programs because they were requested to do simple tasks that were not customized to match their majors or interests- they were only granted completion certifications without gaining any experience.
Researchers identified different key factors that would affect HEI-industry partnerships, such as resource capacity, organizational and management, jurisdictions, contractual issues, technology, and political and social environment.
Tips for a successful partnership
- Ensure value co-creation for students, businesses, and HEIs.
- Focus on compatibility and common missions and targets.
- Thoroughly discuss strategic and tactical issues at early stages.
- Encourage and promote this concept of HEI-industry partnership by highlighting its positive returns.
- Thrive to build a sustainable mutual structure and not just scattered one-off projects.
- Regularly measure the outcome reached from each program.
- Build a detailed knowledge base of all interested businesses that assists faculty in selecting the best fit that improves their students’ learning experience.
- Reach an agreement regarding non-disclosure and copyright terms.
- Foster a network of trust between both parties.
- Incorporate partnerships between HEIs and industries as an integral part of any course and design a smooth and clear process to embrace them.
Conclusion
World-class universities are characterized by their distinguished students and faculty, and academic and research achievements. Global competition drove universities to employ innovative ideas to reach these goals. The collaboration between academia and industry, and the networking that results from it, has proven to be a groundbreaking practice that reflects the high standard of education provided to students. As formulated by Khan and Anwar, “Higher education institutions create new knowledge and industry provides space for the validity and reliability of this knowledge”.
In a nutshell, the partnership between HEIs and industries is a win-win for all involved parties, boosting talents and producing creative problem-solving solutions that result in a country’s economic development . Over 70% of university leaders have highlighted the value of partnerships with businesses and their intention to incorporate them as a vital component in their educational strategies.
As quoted by John Dewar, Vice Chancellor, La Trobe University and Chair, Universities Australia”
“We want the nation to benefit from the research we do in our universities. Every dollar invested in university educational research returns $4 or $5 back to the economy or back to individual partners and stakeholders.”
In addition, researchers have highlighted the potential benefits that could be gained from this type of partnership . Nonetheless, partnerships do not always realize the expected output due to their complicated and multifaceted procedure. The gap in HEIs-industry collaboration is even more apparent in the Arab World. According to Kahwaji, partnership protocols in the Arab World are just “ink on paper” without any positive outcome due to a mismatch between theories in HEIs and industry requirements. Therefore,teaching strategies should shift to effective interpretation of the environment surrounding the students rather than increasing the workload and focusing on grades. Businesses should also allocate the appropriate team and resources to reach a true learning experience for HEIs’ students.
