July 16, 2017
Universities have been called upon to focus on service value co-creation to bridge the scale gap between industry and academia.
This is needed to ensure that university products are relevant to the industry demand for quality delivery of services to all stakeholders.
Mr Nathaniel Nani, Senior Assistant Registrar in charge of Quality Assurance at Pentecost University College, speaking to ADR Daily on the current needs of the Ghanaian academia said that the major necessity in this era is the need for value service co-creation that requires universities and the industries to collaborate in the training of students to fit the requirements of industry.
Co-creation is a management initiative, or form of economic strategy, that brings different parties together (for instance, a company and a group of customers), in order to jointly produce a mutually valued outcome. Co-creation brings the unique blend of ideas from direct customers, which in turn gives a plethora of new ideas to the organisation.
Such partnership between academia and industry, Mr Nani explained, would demand universities to create and run programs that are relevant to providing pragmatic solutions to societal needs at the same time adding more value to their respective industries.
In his view, service value co-creation could be achieved through regular industrial attachment of students to acquire hands on skills for innovation and creativity to properly fit in the market upon completion of their university education.
He also cited that the folding up of some private universities has become a phenomenal wakeup call for a strategic review curricula as the survival of training institutions depends on the employability of their graduate in the industry.
“The sustainability of private universities will depend mostly on how employable their graduate become,” he said.
Another area of attention, according to Mr Nani, is the need for a holistic training and delivery of value education that will produce men and women of high integrity and good character with the requisite skills to match up with the industry demands.
It is obvious that companies today are not just interested in the academic qualification of prospective workers but they also require professionals who understand the nature of the industry, believe in hard work and innovation and have a good character that produces results.
He said it is important for universities to inculcate values that would mould their students into employable professionals who will carve a niche for their alma mater.
ADR DAILY NEWSDESK
