To produce better graduates: Academe sees need to scale up link with industry

CEBU, Philippines - Industry-academe linkage must be scaled up to answer the need for a competitive knowledge economy amid the ASEAN regional integration, officials said.

Dr. Challoner Matero, University of San Carlos’ School of Business and Economics dean, said it is important for universities to expand their business partners including ASEAN university linkages to give more opportunities to the students.

Officials from the industry also emphasized the partnership between the two sectors must be institutionalized.

“We are embedding ASEAN perspective into our curriculum,” Matero told a press conference yesterday during SBE’s Business Partners Summit.

He said: “Likewise, we are doing actual engagements with ASEAN professionals to really expose our students. We are collaborating with visiting professionals to help us fine tune our businesses and our practices.”

The business and universities can engage more effectively to address the gaps between the skills of the learners and the needs of industries.

The school official noted fostering collaboration between universities and industry means “moving outside of our comfort zone to make our students ready in the ASEAN integration.”

Sivakumar Velayutham, dean of Malaysia’s Nilai University Faculty of Business, echoed Matero’s idea on the competitiveness of university students. He said learners can well take advantage of the greater mobility of workforce within the ASEAN region.

Several professors and officials from various ASEAN universities joined the conference yesterday.

“These professors will also help us critic our instruction and help us in our research activities,” USC’s Matero said. “…we want to produce ethical business professionals who will create and manage wealth for the common good.”

Speaking at the conference, National Economic and Development Authority-7 assistant director Ruth Cruz also commended the goal of producing graduates to work for the government.

She said the economic planning agency could work well with the academia in collaborative research and development.

While efforts are being done to achieve that strategic partnership, Matero explained there are issues and challenges that make collaborating with the industry difficult.

He cited issues such as confidentiality, propriety of processes and “probably on the areas that they [universities] are not sure of what’s expected from their students.”

That’s why, he said, constant dialogue should be done to identify the current needs of both sectors and address these issues. — Carlo S. Lorenciana (FREEMAN)