Postsecondary education institutions pursue the goal of instilling a sense of continuous critical thinking and discovery that opens the door to new and innovative ideas. While institutions have traditionally relied on strong academics and research to achieve this endeavor, the environment in which they operate plays a critical role in determining the challenges and opportunities they aim to address. Operating in constant collaboration with their community and industry partners makes them more relevant and accessible to the public, as well as responsive to their audiences’ needs.
The Case for Industry Partnerships
Postsecondary education leaders often equate industry with employers, which is aligned with the role universities and colleges play as primary centres for knowledge acquisition and skills development. To achieve this goal, academia must advance in lockstep with employers’ needs to ensure relevance and return on investment for students hoping to join the workforce. Here are some crucial ways institutions do so.
Validation of Curriculum Maps
Institutions often create committees with faculty and employer representation to conduct reviews of program-level learning outcomes and competencies on a defined frequency. These reviews frequently involve changes that result in curriculum adjustments at the course level, ensuring better alignment with employer needs.
Skills Inventories
Some institutions proactively reach out to employers to inquire about the job positions and skills they’re looking for. This work is essential to guide new program development and is often supported using labour market intelligence applications.
Organizational Training
Employers often reach out to institutions to leverage their program development expertise and track of success in curriculum delivery to support their training initiatives. This type of collaboration has become a very popular revenue-generation stream for the sector and a great example of industry partnerships that regularly result in valuable insights into a specific sector.
Subject Matter Expertise
An angle that is frequently overlooked is the role employers can play in new program development. Some organizations have substantial R&D functions that play a critical role in their competitiveness in their respective markets and industry development. It is not uncommon that many government-funded program development initiatives require support letters from organizational partners in applications, due to their connection to and gravitas in a particular industry.
Industry partnerships not only include employers—and this is a critical distinction every postsecondary education institution must consider—professional associations operate as centres of excellence for specific occupations and frequently keep a pulse on best practices and current trends. Professional regulatory authorities are government agencies or public organizations that have authority delegated by law to provide oversight on specific regulated occupations. These two types of industry players are uniquely positioned to provide a sectoral view of the skills required in the labour market.
Industry partnerships have become an imperative for postsecondary education institutions, not only as a revenue generation stream but also to create a vital connection with an environment in which they don’t operate. The more connected, the better.
Community Partnerships: Opening Learning Pathways
Universities and colleges sit and operate within communities, and they have a mandate to strengthen resilience, foster economic development and enhance the employability of individuals living in such communities. The best way to achieve these goals is to work in partnership with nonprofit organizations, community organizations, action groups and employment agencies. In many cases, these organizations have a long-established presence and experience working with their neighbors and are recognized as change agents.
Strategically, postsecondary education institutions can connect with community partners in multiple ways.
Job Placement and Support
Universities and colleges often establish collaboration agreements to provide job placement opportunities for equity-deserving groups and support with career transition training initiatives. As a result of these agreements, many institutions have external outreach offices, community job boards, employment search training and job preparation initiatives.
Workforce Development
Postsecondary education institutions are often the training delivery partners for community organizations, catering to the needs of local businesses and groups. Training includes vocational education, certification programs and workshops, often customized to the needs of a defined audience.
Local Economic Development
Through corporate partnerships, postsecondary education institutions serve as conduits to secure connections between job seekers sponsored by employment agencies and employers. Career fairs and networking events are a mainstay of this type of collaboration.
Support to Community Priorities
Higher education institutions often support community groups by providing programming and services at subsidized fees or through other financial aid mechanisms (e.g., scholarships, awards), particularly to members of equity-deserving groups. It is important to note that these institutions are often well positioned to attract philanthropic support. Institutions also conduct focus group discussions with community members to ensure they remain responsive to their needs.
The collaboration between postsecondary education institutions and community partners can address systemic barriers that traditionally prevent community members from achieving their potential, particularly those who have not accessed the postsecondary education system due to financial need, personal reasons or academic standing. Both community partners and educational institutions benefit as well by achieving their mission and purpose and by strengthening access.
The Role of Lifelong Learning Units
The term “lifelong learning” comprises a series of activities that often include continuing and professional education, extended learning and other forms of education designed to support individuals in their skills development and knowledge acquisition. It is considered the third leg of the postsecondary education stool alongside research and academics.
Decentralized lifelong learning units at universities and colleges are characterized by their flexibility and responsiveness to labour market demands and are best positioned to enter and support community and industry partnerships. Here are some of the key aspects of this proposition.
Alternative Credential Frameworks
These units offer a wide range of short-duration courses and learning opportunities conducive to certificates, microcredentials and other forms of achievement recognition. These credentials are particularly valuable to individuals who experience access limitations to traditional degree-granting programs. Employers also benefit when seeking professional development for their staff or determining whether a job seeker has developed the skills a particular job position requires.
Flexibility in Scheduling
Lifelong learning units offer part-time programming designed for adult learners, working professionals and those seeking a career transition. To support these audiences, programs could be offered online or in a hybrid format, in the evenings or weekends, in asynchronous formats and outside the traditional term-based scheduling. These options offer an immense access opportunity to individuals with busy lifestyles and limited time and resources.
Practical, Skills-Based Learning
The connection between programs lifelong learning units offers and employability has become their best asset. These units are responsive and future-focused, leading to actionable knowledge and skills that support career progression and job security. The only way these units can offer this value proposition is through the community and industry partnerships they are part of.
Lifelong learning units have significant potential to spearhead community and industry partnerships on behalf of their postsecondary institutions, but their value extends even further. These units are uniquely equipped to support faculties and divisions in cultivating and enhancing such collaborations. Their agility allows them to quickly adapt to emerging trends and opportunities, relatively free from constraints such as academic governance and resource limitations often tied to traditional degree-granting programs. Additionally, their strong emphasis on skills development positions them as vital contributors to the workforce, addressing immediate and evolving needs within the community and industry. This adaptability and focus make lifelong learning units essential in driving innovation, fostering interdisciplinary partnerships and expanding the reach and impact of their institutions.
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