Displaying items by tag: Ajira Digital

A conversation with Dennis, a graphic design and an advertising expert, along with other testimonials from graduates, got me wondering if we are experiencing Industry-Academia linkages or leakages. Like other graduates, Dennis was very optimistic when he joined one of the leading universities in Kenya to study graphic design and advertising. The orientation in the first year inspired him more, and he could easily see a bright future ahead. The theoretical work offered in school was excellent; however, he feels that there are limited opportunities for practicing what is taught in school. He emphasizes that the three months’ industrial attachment does not guarantee that one is ready for the job market. He adds that at times, the tasks one takes during the attachment are not fulfilling as they may not be in line with the student’s career. He asserts that he has obtained most of his graphic design and advertising skills from YouTube and constantly advances them for a competitive advantage in the continuously changing job market. After graduation, he applied for formal employment with no success since most organizations avoid hiring fresh graduates. The situation is saddening and mirrors many other graduates floundering with joblessness due to lack of work experience and opportunity to transition after their education and training pursuits; Industry-Academia leakages are likely to overpower the linkages unless appropriate actions are taken. If there are potent linkages, organizations could compete for fresh graduates to obtain new knowledge and innovativeness. Covid-19 has worsened the situation.

Every demographic has had its own share of Covid-19 pandemic effects. However, among all the demographics, the youth have been vastly affected despite their low infection rates. For instance, the lockdown measures have led to the rescheduling of their training and education, job losses, and mental health and emotional challenges due to the health and social-economic shocks resulting from the pandemic. Reimagining solutions that can reduce this impact is a top priority for governments, policymakers, private sector, education and training institutions, development agencies, and other critical actors in development.  

Industry’s role in closing the leaking bridge between industry and academia

One of the top solutions that have been discussed for a while now is the industry’s role in improving education outcomes and increasing the transition rate of young people from education and training to work. Industries perform this role by establishing an effective Industry-Academia linkage (IAL), showing the current industry trends that training institutions should follow. Nonetheless, this function has a lot of complexities that have made it difficult to implement. The complexities range from definition, interpretation, and implementation  .
    
Definition of IAL becomes a challenge when it is narrowly defined and assigned interpretation of the traditional conservative industry. The policy’s main aim is to show the current industry trends to allow training institutions to align their curriculum with the identified trends and emerging opportunities. Therefore, a poorly defined policy would limit its effectiveness. For instance, there are emerging occupations in recent times such as gig work, sports, digital economy, creative and blue economy and social development. Consequently, the policies and practice need to be clearly defined to reveal how such emerging trends can be addressed when creating the academia-industry linkage.

Interpretation of IAL becomes a challenge when it’s taken as a linear process where young people start with education and skills and then link to industry for work exposure. There is a symbiotic relationship between industry and academia. Consequently, this relationship should be agile and integrated throughout the young people education and training journeys. An agile approach to industry and academia linkage would be applicable in different situations and respond to changes quickly and easily. Consequently, emerging trends are handled adequately and incorporated in the learning experiences of young people. With the continuously evolving world of work, such as shrinking formal economy and expanding informal sector, interpreting the IAL as a linear process would limit its effectiveness in attainment of training and employment outcomes.  

The literal interpretation of IAL becomes a challenge to its implementation. The literal interpretation is inadequate for the dynamic and evolving economy in the present times. Therefore, during implementation, academia should be taken as the formal and informal training and education. Conversely, the industry should mean a diverse work environment not limited to corporations as it has been in the past, but should encompass other industries such as creatives, freelancing and informal sector, gig work among others. Therefore, every work environment that encompasses applying skills and competency that results in earnings for young people allowing them to lead meaningful, dignified, and fulfilling lives should be considered.

What is needed to establish the Academia-Industry linkage?

The government of Kenya has put efforts to establish this linkage through programs like competency-based curriculum in basic education to Competency Based Education and Training in TVETs to industry-aligned universities. Nonetheless, there is a need for a reimagined approach that shows how industry and academia can enhance education and youth employment outcomes. Such an approach should be relevant in the present times, where youth are still facing high levels of unemployment and discouragement.

Additionally, a mindset shift and expansion of the interpretation could be appropriate. As mentioned earlier, academia and industry have a symbiotic relationship; the actors in both areas should be involved for a proper interpretation and application of the model. The participation of all actors would reveal some gaps that either side may have left; hence a comprehensive interpretation is obtained. Most importantly, there needs to be a mindset shift that IAL is a linear process but a dynamic and evolving approach that is able to adjust to changing situations.

Moreover, understanding the appropriate incentives for the relationship to work is essential. Incentives are effective, but only when they are accurately identified. An incentive may be interpreted differently when the needs of the actors are not met appropriately. Proper incentives can fill the gaps causing the industry-academia leakages.

Furthermore, given that we are in the digital era where the fourth industrial revolution has begun taking root, there is a need to remodel education, training, the definition of work, and employment in light of the emerging digital world and digital youth citizens. The power and capabilities of technology can no longer be ignored. Covid-19 increased the recognition of these capabilities in relation to revolutionizing the nature of work, workers, and workplaces.

Finally, interventions targeting the “ Covid 19 Generation,” which may take longer to recover from pandemics’ shackles, are needed. The effectiveness of IAL may fail to be achieved when the needs of this generation are not addressed. The “Covid 19 Generation” has been disturbed mentally and emotionally by the pandemics’ effects. This is one area that needs quick intervention to allow them to become active actors in the linkage.

Feasibility of establishing a suitable IAL

India’s economy has been growing consistently. The growth is significantly attributed to its education system, where it shifted from table teaching to experiential teaching (Waikar & Kushare, 2017).  The shift is a form of establishing IAL in the country. Consequently, the students focus more on courses that would equip them with the necessary skills to take up jobs immediately after graduation. Moreover, the Malaysian Education Blueprint 2015-2025 has emphasized the benefits of industry and academia linkage (Ministry of education Malaysia, 2015). Consequently, it has been successfully implemented in the universities. Furthermore, the American Council on Education (2019) guide on the U.S higher education system has shown that the United States has also successfully implemented IAL. Certainly, it is possible to implement IAL effectively in the country and reap its benefits fully.

Closing the leakage and improving the linkage will not be a one size fit all approach. Context-specific interventions, data-driven decisions, leveraging digital technologies, appropriate national, sectoral, and industry-specific policies, and putting youth voices at the center stage is crucial. These considerations will ensure that the challenges impeding successful linkage have been handled effectively.

Dr. Ehud Gachugu is the Director Ajira Digital and Youth Employment Program under Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA)