〔RETHINK education〕Aligning Industries and Institutions for a Renewed Future

Aligning Industries and Institutions for a Renewed Future

　　The energy and education sectors are vital to the long-term success and prosperity of any society. These industries have a symbiotic relationship, with the energy sector driving economic growth and the education sector preparing the workforce to meet the demands of the economy. However, the education industry has lagged behind in adapting to the changing needs of the world, with many traditional teaching and learning models unable to keep pace with the rapid evolution of the economy and workforce. Despite the challenges of reforming higher education systems to be more responsive to these changes and the resistance to change from stakeholders who are invested in the status quo, there are significant ways that higher education systems are being reformed to be more flexible and responsive to the changing needs of society.

Accessibility, affordability and relevance

　　Efforts to reform higher education in many nations have included initiatives to increase accessibility, affordability, and relevance. To increase accessibility, measures have been implemented to decrease barriers to entry such as high tuition and strict admission requirements, and to make higher education more inclusive for underrepresented and disadvantaged groups. To increase affordability, efforts have been made to reduce the cost of tuition and fees and to assist students in managing their debt to prevent default on loans. To increase relevance, curricula have been aligned with the needs of employers and practical, hands-on learning experiences have been provided to give students the skills and knowledge necessary for success in their careers.

　　One key area of focus in higher education reform has been increasing the relevance of higher education to the needs of students and the workforce. This has included efforts to align the curriculum with the needs of employers and to provide students with practical, hands-on learning experiences that can help them develop the skills and knowledge they need to succeed in their careers.

　　While new programs and initiatives take time to be developed and implemented, one thing is certain, conversations between industry experts and institutional professionals need to happen. However, as with anything in life, everything's always easier said than done given the hierarchical nature of both industries and institutions. Conformity is another underlying mentality that plagues even the most astute individuals in both sectors; the more time and resources an individual invests into a specific sector, the more professionalism one develops and although that oftentimes is seen as a strongly desired outcome, the ability to align industry needs with education practices drops dramatically and with it, the required insights to establish the required awareness, infrastructure and collaboration, widening the gap between industries and institutions. It's not all doom and gloom though with multiple partnerships being formed all over the world in an attempt to bridge the gap with a number of common denominators that exist within each partnership.

Bridging the industry and institutional gap

　　As the co-founder and president of Populace, Todd Rose, mentioned in an interview with Big Think, "Modularized, individualized, customized using credentials instead of diplomas, to create better signals for employers". The industry changes according to global, economical, governmental, and technological trends, and therefore the needs of those who seek employment in those industries. An increasing number of industry executives feel the apparent lack of talent with the knowledge and skills needed to support the industry, with even more people believing that higher education systems need to be more flexible and responsive to the changing needs of society and that they should be better able to prepare students for the challenges and opportunities of the 21st century.

　　Taking a page from the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Mentorship Program, a program run by the US National Science Foundation (NSF) in partnership with industry stakeholders and education professionals and institutions, the STEM Mentorship Program provides hands-on learning experiences and also offers mentorship and guidance from experienced industry professionals.

　　Professional development opportunities, including conferences, workshops, seminars and internships, and/or co-op positions, are but a few ways that allow for conversations between stakeholders to start. During these dialogues, institutional experts need to remain open and mindful about the importance of aligning curricula with industry needs and emerging industry trends, and establish clear goals and expectations to support and foster a culture of innovation and collaboration within the industry.

　　As for industry professionals and decision-makers, it's important to realize the world of academia and theirs have very different priorities and areas of focus. While this does make for more challenges when sitting down at the same table, the responsibility of understanding and assisting academics align with industry needs, pinpointing deficiencies in infrastructure, theoretical knowledge and faculty expertise, and establishing resource pools that reevaluate how ROI is best measured in the short-to-long term for all parties ultimately needs to fall on industry professionals.

　　Of course, the nuances of long-term collaborations, and partnerships even, extend far beyond what gets agreed to on paper. Lack of resources, including time and finances, caused by discrepancies in priorities and agendas; Competitive, or even negative, perceptions of one another's backgrounds leading to the stereotype of efforts being "not worth it"; Legal and/or regulatory complications surrounding confidentiality and intellectual property concerns; these only add to the intricacy and fragility of any potential long-term relationships between industries and institutions. Regardless of how "anti-collaborative" the general consensus is or how the traditional status-quo influences the current stances of each side, one thing is certain; there is an evident and conspicuous gap between the talent industries' need to keep up with evolving global trends and the readiness and abundance of professionals that can hit the ground running upon joining industries.

Be the change you want to see

　　As cliche as it sounds, it really does only take one match to start a fire, and although it may take a few tries to get the fire started, there are numerous partnerships around the world that are striving to bridge the gap between industry and institutions which all started from both parties becoming more aware of the bigger picture and the challenges afflicting all stakeholders, including both the public and private sectors, professional associations and industry groups, and one of the biggest stakeholders, students and/or trainees. At the end of the day, when you strip away all the prospects of prestige and glamor in attending elite, distinguished institutions and joining established, reputable companies, at the core of what everyone wants from the institutions they attend and the industries they work for is something very simple; to get a good job that is meaningful to them with as little debt as possible.

　　The fires of educational reform are being lit all over the world with innovative organizations like the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) Renewable Energy, the Energy Training Institute (ETI) in Canada and the Japan Renewable Energy Foundation (JREF). As more and more professionals from diverse fields begin to come together and have conversations about how to best move forward as a whole, a few influential approaches to keep somewhere in the back of everyone's minds are; relevant, industry-specific coursework with a clear outcome of developing industry-specific accreditations and/or certifications alongside developing industry specific apprenticeship, coaching or mentorship programs, establishing strong partnerships with industry through hackathons, innovation challenges and/or industry-specific research centers, and investment in workforce development by offering continuous learning opportunities and also leadership development programs.

　　While it may still be several years before anyone sees the full benefits of collaborative efforts, since it takes time for students to complete their education and for workforce development initiatives to take effect, it is important for both industry leaders and institution experts to be patient and to continue to invest in education over the long-term in order to see the maximum benefit for the industry. For institutions, it is important to be responsive to the needs and priorities of industry, to be open to collaboration and partnership, and to be proactive in seeking out opportunities to engage with industry. Ultimately, building strong partnerships between industries and educational institutions requires a willingness to collaborate and to work together to achieve common goals.