The reason is not because students study poorly, nor are businesses demanding too much, but largely because the labor market is always "out of sync" and changes faster than the pace of training programs.
Now, artificial intelligence (AI), digital transformation and new technologies are creating unprecedented jobs, while also making many skills quickly become outdated.
In that context, if universities still design programs in a closed way, based only on their own capabilities without the participation of businesses, the gap between lecture halls and workplaces will continue to widen.
Therefore, the fact that more and more businesses are participating in training at universities shows a very positive change in thinking about human resource development.
Because no one understands what the labor market needs more than the units that are directly recruiting. They know what technology is being used, what skills are lacking, and which positions will arise in the next few years. And this information, if left to workers to only know after graduating from university or college, is too late.
Furthermore, what the market needs today is not only bachelors with professional knowledge, but also people who know how to solve problems, know how to work in groups, know how to use new technologies, know how to adapt to change and especially have lifelong learning thinking.
These are all very difficult to form abilities if learners only cling to the curriculum and exams in class without contact with reality.
On the contrary, the participation of businesses in training is also a way to improve the quality of higher education itself. When business experts jointly contribute to the program, jointly guide projects, and jointly evaluate students' products, schools also have more basis to adjust training content according to changes in practice.
The participation of businesses in training cooperation also helps universities have the opportunity to change the way they evaluate academic results, based on the ability to create products, solve situations and adapt to the actual working environment. When evaluation criteria change, teaching and learning methods will also change accordingly.
In the knowledge economy, a university degree is still an important foundation for everyone to enter the labor market. But for the degree to be truly valuable, the training process needs to be more closely linked to practice, increase opportunities for learning to go hand in hand with practice, promote applied research and quickly update new requirements of businesses. At that time, graduates will not only have knowledge but also the ability to immediately meet the requirements of the market.
To train people with working capacity, universities cannot be closed within the school campus, and businesses cannot stand outside the training process.
Only when both sides consider human resource development as a common responsibility will the labor market have a human resource team that meets the requirements of an era that is changing every day.
