Ask HR: What can universities do to help more students find employment?

I have been recently appointed to head the careers office of a local university. Is there a way to better connect university education to the marketplace? Besides having a careers office in our institution and inviting people from industry to lecture our students, what more could we do to help our students find employment?  

Despite existing attempts to bridge the gap between university education and marketplace demands, the chasm persists. Could this situation reflect estrangement between universities and industry? Could it betray the superficiality of existing solutions? While there is no fast-acting elixir for the predicament, the situation is nevertheless surmountable. 

Although existing approaches including internships, mentorships, project-based learning, guest lectures, alumni networks, career fairs, outreaches by career offices, innovation hubs, etc. have their place, there is need to question their reach and effectiveness. Consultative seminars to which industry and universities invite each other play an important role, yet they cannot peel the issue back enough to treat it with the required focus and gravity. 

Could a formal forum between universities and industry be formed to collaboratively anticipate and address existing and future industry needs, both global and local? Could such a collaborative effort include joint development of curricula and significant representation of industry within relevant faculties in universities? Such collaboration should be an ongoing, dedicated partnership that drives the approach to development, delivery and application of academic curricula. Occasional dalliances cannot replace substantive, long-term partnerships.

Scholars who have spent most of their time in university settings struggle to speak marketplace vernacular fluently or deeply appreciate the intricacies and nuances of industry requirements. Should some internship programs not include lecturers? This could help to lay practical emphasis on the development of soft skills such as communication, interpersonal effectiveness, work ethic, working with others effectively, entrepreneurial and critical thinking. Such skills are highly valued in the marketplace yet almost entirely ignored in traditional academic settings. Would universities be willing to beat that path? Would industry be prepared to invest time and resources to co-develop curricula and teach in universities and thereby potentially earn less than they could, say, in corporate settings? Would industry and universities dismount their high horses and dance more intimately together? And how might government create an enabling environment to make education more relevant for life and work? As pervasive as it is, the problem of unemployment should not obscure the related and equally thorny challenge of employability.  
 

Fred Gituku is a HR practitioner