Public and Private Universities forge new partnership to bridge industry skills gap in Kenya
Kenyan universities have joined hands with leading industry stakeholders to launch a sustainability platform in an effort to curb the growing and worrisome trend of skills gap. The university-Industry sustainability platform was launched today at the first university-industry sustainability conference organized by Pan Africa Christian (PAC) University in partnership with Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA) and Visions of Hope Africa for Africa.
The objective of the conference is to network and link leaders from industry and universities for sustainability. Participants discussed their needs, shared best practices between industry and academia, showcased university-industry projects and innovations that impact the community and develop a university-industry sustainability model for Kenya.
Speaking during the opening of the conference, ICT Cabinet Secretary Mr. Joe Mucheru commended the partners for playing an important role to address the skills gap between academia and industry.
Mr. Mucheru applauded industry leaders who are already partnering with universities in various sustainable projects. He called upon industry stakeholders universities to forge more partnerships and continue working together not only to restore a positive perception of graduates but also to equip the academia, students and industry players with necessary skills. “My ministry will continue to work together with other ministries, the education sector and industry stakeholders through designing programs and developing projects that equip students with digital skills” said Mr. Mucheru.
The Cabinet Secretary urged participants to make use of digital platforms such as the just launched university- industry sustainability platform to air their views, showcase their projects and understand industry needs. He said graduates could also easily access thousands of jobs on various online platforms.
Prof. Margaret Muthwii, Vice Chancellor of PAC University, in her remarks observed that Universities and colleges are under obligation to ensure that every student graduating from Kenya’s institutions of higher learning has the requisite skill-sets and competencies required in Industry. Anything less than that is tantamount to recklessness in the task of offering higher education.
She notes that ecosystems within which jobs operate are constantly changing; industry and business models must transform to cope with the accelerated pace of disruption brought about by technology, demography and socio-economic factors. What we knew ‘how to do very well’ yesterday, is no longer relevant today. Today, employers are constantly looking for new skills and at the same time shelving skills which they had invested heavily in previous years. “Because of this dynamic nature of industry, university programs must be re-engineered, restructured and re-defined to align to the needs of industry. The pursuit to bridge the skills gap is an urgent matter; it must drive us towards excellence in what is offered in education and we know that we cannot do this without a constant conversation and collaboration between University and Industry”, adds Prof Muthwii.
She reminded participants that the value for university education is to be seen in how graduates apply themselves to their work. She called for frequent forums for interaction between students, university and industry to ensure that the expected skills requirements are met.
KEPSA CEO, Ms. Carole Kariuki noted that this was a great opportunity for pr