Why Industry-Aligned Programs Are Essential for Engineering and Management Courses

It's no secret that the past ten years have changed the face of how companies recruit recent graduates. Having a degree and good grades used to be enough to get you hired. However, in today's job market, it is no longer a matter of just being capable of getting a degree, with decent grades, and hoping to land an employment opportunity. Employers are more interested in a candidate's practical experience, problem solving abilities, and engagement with the industry (previous placement) more than they are in the academic activity itself (successfully completing an academic course).  

The 2024 VBeyond Report (USA) on Indian trends in higher education states that students who have completed internships and/or other industry driven projects are 50% more likely to get a full-time offer. The same report reported that 60% of the institutions whose students have taken part in real-word collaboration have noticed an improved placement rate. And yet, 70% of employers indicate that newly hired graduates lack employment-ready skills, while only 40% of students indicated being fully ready for work. 

These sentiments point to a stark reality: traditional education models are not adequately engaging students in a way that would prepare them for the ever-evolving demands of the industries they will serve. This is an even more urgent issue for students enrolled in disciplines with high demand such as/or, Computer Science Engineering (CSE) and Master of Business Administration (MBA)—two fields that will always be fast-paced and swift to change. 

To bridge the gap, universities will have to overcome their resistance to implementing education experiences that are more than a theoretical foundation and work to create deep, substantive relationships with industry. These kinds of partnerships cannot just be made out of interest or need; they are in fact and necessity. 

Industry Collaborations: Building Job-Ready Professionals 

Industry collaborations are structured partnerships between academic institutions and companies that develop curriculum, provide authentic learning opportunities, and help students transition more smoothly into professional employment. Common types of industry collaborations are co-created courses, co-op and internships, research partnerships, guest lectures, and hands-on skill development programming.  

Recent global research confirms that university industry partnerships have a demonstrable positive impact on graduate employability. A literature review published in 2023 in Research Leap concluded that university-industry collaborations help to create adaptable, skilled, and confident professionals; attributes that are key to being successful in the post-pandemic, technology-driven economy. Another international study revealed that industry project-based learning and internships increased students' perceived employability by 250%. 

Why CSE and MBA Students Benefit Most 

1. Relevance to Current Market Needs

Computer Science Engineering (CSE) is a fast-developing field, and technology is updated on a daily basis. Students may learn new tools today, but they may become irrelevant tomorrow. Likewise, MBA graduates need flexibility to adapt to changing market conditions, digital business models and global economic shifts. 

Industry linked programs monitor and maintain the currency of methods and models to keep students ahead of their employable peers. In addition to employable skills through work experience, CSE students access and learn about AI, cloud computing, cybersecurity, blockchain, and cross platform software engineering - all of which are enabling new forms of innovation right now. MBA students get practical experience as well, with financial modeling, market based analytics, business simulations and strategies tied to actual situations. 

To get involved early in these areas, students have first mover advantage when they are seeking an early career position in new or newly defined fields, where they will likely compete with thousands of other graduates. 

2. Skill Alignment and Career Preparedness 

According to NASSCOM (and subsequently others), over 50% of Indian engineering graduates are unemployable immediately due to lack of industry ready skills. 

Industry collaboration introduces students to contemporary tools, platforms and collaborative workflows. Through real time internships, live projects and some relevant mentoring, students develop both the technical skills and soft skills and self-management skills required for being employed, as well as leadership, communication, teamwork, and adaptability. 

This value added to your degree means the students graduate. 

3. Exposure to Innovation and Emerging Roles

New roles such as AI ethicist, cloud-native developer, fintech analyst and sustainability consultant didn’t exist 10 years ago. Traditional degrees can’t prepare students for innovative careers like these. 

Industry and academics partnering provide tech boot camps, innovation laboratories, and entrepreneurship cells that allow students to work on actual problems with actual impact. CSE students have multi-platform technology specializations and experience needed for highly layered roles in an increasingly cohort based employment context. 

For students focused on obtaining these specializations early, they're already ahead strategically with a degree to differentiate themselves from every other graduate when applying with their authentic, but conventional degree.  

4. Access to Network and Career 

Industry engagement provides much more than technical exposure but also exposes students to career opportunities. Guest lectures, webinars, mentorship events, and networking events are examples of ways students engage with potential future employers and decision makers. 

In reality for MBA students, these scenarios often lead to exposure to pre-placement offers, mentorships, and international assignments, leaving other MBA students without these benefits. 

5. Agile Curriculum Development

Technology and business priorities change rapidly. Universities that are very engaged with industry can consistently keep their curriculum up to date with the latest skills and latest practices. In so doing, they make sure that graduates are job relevant even in volatile economic conditions. 

Curriculum agility also enables universities to fulfill national initiatives such as Digital India, Make in India and Startup India by developing graduates that are fit to innovate and lead from the front. 

Chandigarh University: A Case Study in Industry-Academic Excellence 

Chandigarh University (CU), Punjab is becoming a national touchstone for providing industry-oriented education across national CSE and MBA offerings. 

International Partnerships with Industry Leaders 

CU formed active collaborations with 400+ companies such as: 

• IBM: Co-branded specializations in Data Science, AI, Cybersecurity, and Cloud Computing 

• Microsoft & Google Cloud: Labs, certification and curriculum support 

• TCS iON & Ernst & Young: Business modules and analytics into the MBA stream 

• Virtusa, Red Hat, AWS: DevOps, Open-Source Technology, platform-specific certifications 

Industry-Based Curriculum 

The CSE and MBA curricula at CU comprised co-developed courses and over 200 electives based on industry practice. 

• CSE specializations: Mobile computing, ethical hacking, blockchain, full-stack, etc. 

• MBA specializations: Fintech, digital transformation, sustainability, leadership in global markets 

Engaged Learning Ecosystem 

• Internships with Deloitte, Amazon, Infosys, Flipkart, and many more 

• Capstone and client projects mentored by industry colleagues 

• Hackathons, business simulations, and project reviews with industry professionals 

Innovation & Startup Ecosystem 

CU Technology Business Incubator (CU-TBI) has incubated 50+ start-ups proposed by students. The interdisciplinary interaction between CSE and MBA students creates a relevant, driving, and connected startup culture. 

The Results Speak for Themselves 

Final Thoughts: Industry Collaboration Is the Future 

It is abundantly clear: Industry-aligned programs produce confident, competent, and highly employable graduates. In fast-evolving fields such as CSE and MBA, this long-standing relationship between industry and academia is not an option, but a necessity. 

CSE students will require consistent skill upgrades and an industry-integrated curriculum ensures the student can prepare for future roles that change rapidly, ensuring they do not waste valuable time and companies do not waste training capital. MBA students will gain benefit from applying live case studies with analytics-driven decision-making and interactions with companies across the globe that cannot be replicated by lectures alone. 

Chandigarh University demonstrated a way forward for the industry-academic community to generate world-leading results and has emancipated a new version of value education that does not simply mean degrees, but degrees supplemented with education, resources, and industry-scope readiness. 

Today's student pledging to their career has only a temporary time in which to adopt these new ways of learning and applying themselves, such methods offer early adopters competitive advantages to not only compete, but prosper and differentiate themselves in a sea of decrescency among candidates. For the future business and tech leaders, going to a university with employment industry link programs is no longer simply an option; it is a vital part of their student career options. 

Note: The views expressed in this article are of Chandigarh University and do not reflect/represent those of Shiksha