CURRENT GAP BETWEEN INDUSTRY AND ACADEMY AND FUTURE VISION Dr. Basanti Merlin Mathew
HOD Commerce, RNTU Dr. Meenakshi Shrivastava
Assistant Professor Sant Hirdaram Girls College
Abstract - Education plays a vital role in overall development of our Life. Education not only develops students as better citizens but also helps in teaching values and good behaviours. It also helps in developing students to be technically sound so that they can prove and compete with the outside world. But there is high percentage of unemployment due to gap in industry and academy. According to a report, almost half a million postgraduates and 2 million graduates are unemployed. And around 47% graduates are not suitable for any kind of industry role. Above all, the level of educated unemployment increases with higher education. While, at the primary level, youth unemployment is somewhere around 3.6%, it is 8% at the graduate level and 9.3% at the post-graduate level.
The purpose of this paper is to present various reasons of gap between the education system and industry demand and also some suggestions to reduce the gap. It also elaborates the various Competency requirements for the Graduate students to get employed. The University is also making a lot of efforts to reduce the gap between what academic offers and what industry needs by continuously interacting with Industry people.
Keywords: Industry, Curriculum, Practical learning, Skilled base education.
1 INTRODUCTION
India is a developing country with sufficient available human resources we are supposed to be the youngest country by 2020 with 64% of its population with average age of 29. Talking about the youth population and youth unemployment according to a source, every year, there is 8-9% increase in enrolment at the higher education level. India is among the top 5 countries to have highest number of students going to the universities. According to a report, almost half a million postgraduates and 2 million graduates are unemployed. And around 47% graduates are not suitable for any kind of industry role. Above all, the level of educated unemployment increases with higher education. While, at the primary level, youth unemployment is somewhere around 3.6%, it is 8% at the graduate level and 9.3% at the post-graduate level.
The curriculum & teaching methodology of our country as compare with outside country is exceptionally inconsistent and not according to the demand of market .Old and outdated curriculum, lack of innovative, lesser teaching resources, lack of skill base teaching methodology are some demerits of our education system. The main objective of students is not trained to meet the needs of the economy, or understand the subject to the core, but rather to study up the syllabus and get the higher grades. Lack of appropriate skills is one of the foremost reasons of, not be fit for working in any industry, it is quite important to furnish youth with the required skill set and focus on capability. Because of not have appropriate skills that requires for job specification our youth facing the problem of unemployment.
Its industry-academia gap! It‟s the gap between the education system and the industries expectation. Academia gap is emerging because there is something lacking.
Lacking in our education system, not based on demand of market , high number of graduates do not have required proficiency in English communication ,more based on only theoretical learning not practical learning are some main reasons of gap between industry and academy. So what is lacking in our education system? How to bridge the gap between academia and industry?
Dream of Atmanirbhar Bharat can only be achieve when the educated youth get employed. To have employment according to the skill it is very important to have skill base knowledge. Learning by doing should be the foundation of instruction to increase student competency. There is a huge gap between the kind of skills and abilities that industry needed and those that higher education institutions are able to provide are vastly different.
2 REASONS OF GAP BETWEEN ACADEMIA AND INDUSTRY
The work culture and environment are completely different in industry and academia. There is a significant gap in industry and universities as they do not cooperate and work in harmony with one another. In order to fill those gaps, it's important to be aware of them.
Following are some reasons of gaps between Academia and Industry:
Curriculum of Universities are not according to Industry Needs
Curriculum of Universities is based on more of a theory rather than application based. Even some courses are out-dated and are still offered by the university.
Skill or Performance or Employability Gap
Students lack technical and soft skills, and even both. The difference between what is expected of students and what they actually do is known as the "skill gap." Other names for it are Performance Gap and Employability Gap.
Not having suitable working environment for Interns in some Company
The fundamental goal of the short-term training programmes, which are a part of the curriculum in many higher education systems, was to give students more practical knowledge. Students prefer well-known brands over start-ups when choosing a company.
Due to the lack of a set pattern and the need for greater student ingenuity, start-ups offer a very different kind of experience than large, well-known corporations. Some large, well- known corporations don't provide their students real-world assignments, thus they wind up doing more documentary work, which results in poor or no practical understanding.
Faculties lacking industrial exposure
Faculties fall short of explaining to students how the concepts they are learning might be used in real life. Because they are primarily focused on conducting research, professors struggle to turn their findings into products that can be sold and generate income.
Process of Evaluations
Academic student evaluation is based on results from exams, while in the workplace, student performance is assessed according to the kinds of projects they have handled and the difficulties they have faced and overcame.
Absence of Industry – University Interaction Cells
In most cases, universities and industries don't communicate very often. Universities are so deprived of advance information in a variety of fields.
Unrealistic expectation of Students from Industry Vs Academy
When it comes to pay, employment opportunities, and timing, students have high expectations from industry. Additionally, students believe that obtaining a degree will guarantee them to have good opportunity.
Industry people are not seriously involved in updating the curriculum of Academics.
Industry professionals are extremely busy in achieving their own deadlines for numerous initiatives within the organisation, thus they don't have enough time to devote in updating the academic curricula.
Demand of Industry Curriculum of University Expectations from Students
Molecules Based
Product Focused
Practical application oriented
Multi disciplinary knowledge and skills
Innovative ideas
IT friendly
Cope up with changes
Fundamental Based
Process Focused
Research oriented
Skill development
Start up incubator cohort programs
Continuing education
Various job oriented modules
Communication Skills
Leadership quality
Dedication & Hard work
Honesty
Problem-Solving Skills
Knowledge beyond textbooks
Work Ethic
Table depicts the gap between the industry academy and expectations from students.
3 SUGGESTIONS TO FILL THE GAP 3.1 For Academy
Avoid learning by rote and prioritise reading, writing, and reproducing. Emphasise more on experiential learning. As, Benjamin Franklin said, "“Tell me and I forget.
Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I will learn.” Blend both hard and soft skills judiciously. Impart soft skills training. Consider using the learning factories concept. Combine pedagogical techniques, established ideas, and industry-relevant developing subjects.
Ensure effective communication and collaboration between industry and academia. In India right now, academics and business coexist in separate settings and hold different positions of authority. To get the results they want, they must cooperate, communicate, and work together.
Make sure the corporate and campus cultures engage well. Invite professionals from the business to give guest lecturers so they can appraise the students' positively and provide feedback to the sector. It enables the sector to appropriately plan its corporate training and induction programmes.
Invite educators to the workplace so they can learn about expectations, and invite recruiters to campus so they can grasp the difficulties facing educational institutions.
It aids in the understanding, empathy, and implementation of the necessary adjustments to improve employability between academia and industry.
Academia must take inputs from industry to create a course curriculum as per the industry expectations. It must create a course curriculum that is relevant and useful to the students. After imparting education, it must take feedback from the industry and update the course curriculum and teaching pedagogy to meet the industry expectations. It must be executed periodically as the expectations and aspirations of the industry are changing rapidly.
Apart from above suggestions some more inputs can be incorporated to fill the gap so that the future vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat can be attained.
For Students
Build student motivation: Be it any skill, motivating students is crucial. Thanks to our social framework we have established, where analytical and problem-solving skills are not necessarily ingrained in all graduates. Each person has distinct strengths because they are all unique. On the positive side, talent resides within everyone. It can be accomplished by assigning pupils to work on an unconventional project and encouraging them strongly. Organizing college events, taking part in group activities, having them work with NGOs, giving them the chance to express their creativity through activities like painting, etc. are all examples of out-of-the-box activities most colleges have clubs for these activities, they can be used as a way to figure out what person excels at. Giving them more responsibility in that area will inevitably boost their motivation and give them more courage to try something new. On the other hand, students shouldn‟t lose motivation because you never know how they‟ll turn out. Demotivating students merely kills their originality and self-confidence. In our educational system, grades ultimately count and how much we remember is everything. By making students to take part in a variety of activities that can improve them and boost their motivation.
Build a balanced syllabus: These days, one of the most debated topics is college curricula. The majority of them argue that the syllabus should be entirely revised with the most recent topics. We advise taking a balanced approach. Additionally, foundational education must emphasise practical rather than theoretical learning, with an emphasis of 70% - 30% on each.
Provide workplace exposure Students are unaware of the demands of the workplace while in college. Therefore, awareness must be raised by exposing them to the workplace in real time. Internships are a great way to connect academia and industry.
Students learn about other behavioural characteristics in addition to the job demands by participating in internships. These behavioural characteristics include effective written and spoken communication with colleagues and superiors, taking complete ownership of the
task at hand, performing of high-quality work, and task-based learning. Additionally, interns can develop a broad understanding of how an organisation runs by participating in common company-level events like team meetings, off-site training, and company all-hands meetings.
By establishing various industry interaction programmes, students can learn about the corporate world in addition to internships. Some of them include having professionals give guest lectures, mentoring, having experts oversee projects, and having industry experts as extended faculty etc
Capacity Development
Capacity development is another important way in which industry-academia gap can be reduced. It should be seen as a long term and continuous improvement mechanism
Individual: Everyone, including students, faculty, and organisations, must take action to enhance their capacities. A person can continue to improve their knowledge and skills while using a variety of strategies to promote the learning mindset. This will support a person's ability to learn new things continuously and adjust to any changes they may face in the future.
Organizational: Building organisational capacity might be done in the form of implementing improved teaching techniques, standardising evaluation procedures, and improving industry collaboration.
Consistent knowledge transfer
Last but not least, a consistent information transfer ecosystem needs to be created by integrating all the previously described points. This ecosystem should integrate new curriculum development, faculty development initiatives, the improvement of instructional strategies, the establishment of industry partners for internships, and the presence of an ecosystem of industry experts with strong support from college and university administration. This steady ecology ought to deliver fresh ideas and the most recent events in a way that inspires and provokes inquiry.
4 CONCLUSION
The gap between industry and academia must be bridged. The most valuable resource that is readily accessible is a motivated and skilled brain.
Set realistic objectives. Encourage student interactions with the industry. Establish a powerful alumni network.
Offer instruction that is focused on the needs of the students, not the faculty. Give pupils practice-based learning opportunities to attempt and develop their methodological skills.
The passionate youth must be made employable in order to transform bulk into a positive force. In current scenario, bridging the industry-academia gap is crucial, and students, universities, organisations, and the government must all mobilise and collaborate to make it happen
Partnerships and collaborations with industry can also be advantageous for institutions of higher learning. Industry and higher education institutions may become a strong force for innovation and economic progress when they collaborate to achieve new levels of knowledge.
To produce graduates who are suitably skilled and capable of addressing societal and economic needs, educational institutions must aggressively partner with industry. Improve communication and cooperation between educational and training institutions and the workplace.
There is a very thin line between learning and learning by doing, when mistakes may even be rewarded. The person is genuinely taught by doing at the conclusion of the procedure, and the supervisor is able to point out the error. We need to continually improving ourselves, given the current situation and circumstances and the dynamic changes that digitalization and online learning have brought about over the world.
One must educate themselves.
Companies have identified various parameters where the academia is lagging behind.
So it is the universities responsibility to overcome those pitfalls of education and come
up with new methods to bridge those gaps. A regulatory body can be formed which would include both people of Industry and Academia and continuously monitor and identify the gaps and make continues efforts to bridge those gaps.
It is the joint responsibility of Academia and Industry both to make strong relationship with one another and serve the needs of the society at large. Such Academia Industry collaborations may also help to reduce the unemployment rate of India.
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