The strategy "Bridging graduates and industry" focuses on connecting university students with industry leaders to address technological and economic challenges in Eswatini. An integral component is enhancing industry collaboration. By developing alliances with key industry leaders and creating an industry advisory board, the strategy aims to foster direct interaction between students, faculty, and professionals. Examples of this include organizing quarterly meetings and facilitating industry-led workshops to ensure students gain practical insights.
Another vital aspect is skill development, emphasizing the incorporation of soft skills training into all courses and implementing project-based learning. This approach simulates real-world problem-solving scenarios, ensuring graduates are industry-ready. For instance, mentorship programs pair students with industry experts to guide them professionally. Additionally, students are encouraged to participate in hackathons and industry competitions to bolster their experience.
Lastly, the strategy emphasizes enhancing research and innovation by creating innovation labs for research and fostering collaborations across faculties. Student projects are linked with grant funding opportunities to encourage pioneering research. Establishing partnerships with tech incubators and motivating students through innovation awards underline the focus on developing industry-relevant skills.
The strategies
⛳️ Strategy 1: Enhance industry collaboration
- Develop a strategic alliance with key industry leaders within Eswatini
- Create an industry advisory board that includes representatives from various sectors
- Organise quarterly meetings between students, faculty, and industry professionals
- Facilitate industry-led workshops and seminars for students
- Establish a faculty exchange programme with industry professionals
- Develop real-world problem-solving projects in partnership with industry
- Incorporate industry certification courses into academic programmes
- Invite industry experts to participate in curriculum development
- Organise annual industry fairs to showcase student projects
- Implement a feedback system for continuous improvement based on industry input
⛳️ Strategy 2: Focus on skill development
- Integrate soft skills training as mandatory modules in all courses
- Implement project-based learning to simulate industry problem solving
- Provide access to online platforms offering industry-relevant courses
- Establish mentorship programmes pairing students with industry experts
- Conduct regular workshops on emerging trends and technologies
- Set up a dedicated career centre to assist students with internships
- Encourage participation in hackathons and industry competitions
- Develop a platform for students to showcase their innovations
- Incorporate entrepreneurship training for business and start-up skills
- Offer bursaries for advanced skills development in key industry areas
⛳️ Strategy 3: Enhance research and innovation
- Create dedicated innovation labs for student and faculty research
- Foster collaborations between faculties to address multidisciplinary challenges
- Encourage staff and students to publish research in local and international journals
- Link student projects with grant funding opportunities for research
- Host an annual research innovation award to motivate students
- Develop partnerships with tech incubators and accelerators
- Encourage patent development and protection of student innovations
- Establish a liaison office to connect student innovations with industry needs
- Create incentives for faculty involvement in industry-driven research projects
- Promote research that targets specific socioeconomic issues in Eswatini
Bringing accountability to your strategy
It's one thing to have a plan, it's another to stick to it. We hope that the examples above will help you get started with your own strategy, but we also know that it's easy to get lost in the day-to-day effort.
That's why we built Tability: to help you track your progress, keep your team aligned, and make sure you're always moving in the right direction.
Give it a try and see how it can help you bring accountability to your strategy.
