Better output with industry-academia linkages

Punjab being one of the top states of quality education, it is putting more stress over industry-academia linkages to bring efficient outputs

Undoubtedly Punjab is preparing the blue print for a master plan to make education more practical and impactful in terms of professional visibility. Over the years, research and business are working hand in hand. The emphasis is now to build industry ready technocrats and to develop sound academia-industry collaborations.

In this said regard, majority of the higher educational institutions of Punjab are focusing on national as well as international collaborations. Institutions, both government as well as private universities and affiliated colleges are collaborating with numerous eminent multinational industries to establish centers of excellence in a myriad number of domains. These centers not only provide industry relevant training to students but also promote applied research and industrial consultancy.

Stressing upon the significance of industry-academia programs, Director Incharge of Punjab Institute of Management, Harmeen Soch, says, “Students are ill-equipped to deal with globalised market demand and industry is also concerned that the output of higher education system is not trained and requires remedial training. Industry-academia linkage helps in skill upgrading as per the needs of market and there is an increase in the level of structured innovation and entrepreneurship which will make students become job creators rather than seekers. This cycle of good education which is imparted via academy-industry linkages will give a boost to the education sector of state as there will be more jobs for prospective candidates.”

Educational institutions of Punjab are also providing co-curricular training in various fields to augment the structure course work and improve employability of their students. Such initiatives have made the recruitment process easier. Sharing the similar views, Manbir Singh, MD of CT Group of Institutes says, “Industry-academia linkages have been a boon to the educational sector of Punjab. The task of placing the right person at the right job has become easier. Students now know what is expected from them and industrialists need not spend hours on their basic training. Though, such linkages have surely made us technically sound, there is still a lot to achieve which requires consistent efforts.”

Research and development today is about networking, sharing, and partnering, shares Rajneesh Sharma, Public Relations Officer of Punjab Technical University. He adds, “Collaborations between industry and academia are promoted by open innovation programs, which have become a near-universal model for R&D. PTU has seriously focused on this approach to bring efficient output at the end. Pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies offer university researchers access to resources and funding. Academic scientists bring in-depth expertise and basic research data to the table. Open innovation has exploded into mega-partnerships of academia, industry, government agencies, and private organizations.”

Some educational institutions have set up separate departments to bridge the gap. Similar is with the university located on Jalandhar- Phagwara highway. Ashok Mittal, Chancellor says, “LPU has set up a dedicated department to bring academic realm of the University closer to the Industry, so that synergies of two can be obtained in the pursuit of a mutually beneficial goals. The academic domain was not churning out ready-to-perform professionals, and the industry was finding the curriculum totally irrelevant. University has made an attempt to bridge this chasm, by facilitating closer collaboration of academia and industry in which the industry shares with the University the type of HR it desires and expects from the higher education sector; and the University tries to refurbish its curriculum, pedagogy and practical learning in accordance with the same.”

Global experience shows that such linkages strengthen both universities as well as industries. While universities get access to valuable resources for research, industry benefits from the outcomes of the research which it has funded.

Stressing over the need of industry-academia programs, Sh. Madan Mohan Mittal, Minister of Technical Education and Industrial Training says, “We have always been laying stress on greater industry-academia collaborations, entrepreneurship and placements as these have become quite significant over a period. There is a need for greater coordination between the industry and academia in tapping the vast human capital and in creating a pool of industry-ready talent. In technical and engineering field, we are trying our level best to sign various MoUs with industries for the overall growth of students as well as economy as the same time.”

Note: This article has been originally published in the main edition of  'The Times of India'.