Should universities meet all industry demands?

How can universities meet industry expectations to the extent society expects them to? Before answering this question, I would like to pose another: should universities be expected to meet all industry demands? 

According to French government guidelines, the answer is unequivocally yes. Current certifications emphasise skills-based approaches to education aimed at boosting student employability after graduation. This perspective advocates for programmes to be designed based on the jobs offered by industry. And it makes perfect sense when the educational and administrative costs of training are taken into consideration; our leaders likely have both the right and the duty to ensure that certain academic programmes do not lead half their students directly into unemployment.

It may be worthwhile to reverse the question and ask whether industries should – to some extent, at least – align their hiring practices with the offerings of universities. Expecting universities to fully adopt corporate methods because they represent the main employment pool for young graduates might not even serve businesses’ best interests. Over-preparing students for corporate environments could stifle creativity and innovation. Universities teach foundational knowledge that is harder to acquire, while workplace habits and practices can be learned relatively quickly. Sometimes, the fresh perspective of a recent graduate entering a company can highlight the rigidity of protocols and challenge established practices in light of up-to-date knowledge.

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Many universities have greatly strengthened their partnerships with industries in recent decades. Companies are now involved in teaching, through courses, workshops, masterclasses and conferences. Internships have become a staple in most programmes, sometimes even mandatory. At my institution, the Master of Science and Technology programme is designed in close collaboration with industry professionals. They participate in advisory boards and improvement committees for this programme, helping us refine our curricula on the basis of their development projects and job opportunities. Some companies also provide financial support to students through scholarships that cover part of or all tuition fees. Their interest in the programme reassures students about their career prospects.

Except perhaps for a few fields, such as medieval history or ancient Greek, a curriculum entirely disconnected from the corporate world would lack relevance and credibility today – for both students and employers. A development that illustrates the integration of business into the university system is the proliferation of incubators, start-ups and fab labs (fabrication laboratories). These spaces provide technical, legal, commercial and financial support to students and researchers who wish to start a business, and each side learns from the other. Universities contribute fundamental research and innovation, while industries bring market insights, feasibility analysis and funding strategies.

Another example is universities’ investment in lifelong learning. Professionals can now enrol in short, specialised courses on topics as diverse as 3D cell culture, heterogeneous catalysis or social and political aspects of global health. Having been involved in such programmes for more than 20 years, I’ve seen how academic expertise is highly valued for its impartiality and its role as a modern knowledge benchmark. This prestige is significant; in a time when information – and the disinformation that comes with it – floods our lives, it is vital for our increasingly market-driven society to look to the university as a source of knowledge and progress, offering at least one place where exchanges are not influenced by the dominance of business interests. It also explains the success of MBA programmes, where executives, already highly recognised within their companies, return to university to seek top-level training directly from what is assumed to be the source of fundamental knowledge.

These university-industry partnerships are undoubtedly beneficial, but in my view, they must not compromise the university’s primary mission of providing a universal education closely tied to fundamental research. One might say I am defending my own interests, but I am not in favour of the trend where companies offer their own training programmes and, for example, award master’s degrees. While these programmes are financially supported by the companies and often ensure internal employment for students, they bring us back to the question: does training a young person to fit the mould of a company truly add value for either part? Doesn’t this closed-loop approach hinder the company’s openness to new concepts and fresh perspectives?

Once a year, the institution where I work organises a large forum where 150 companies meet 2,000 students. The students move from stand to stand to discuss internships, job opportunities and so on. The sight of a flock of students in their twenties, almost all in dark blue suits, white shirts and black shoes, always strikes me. This uniformity is unlikely to be a coincidence; it aligns with the codes of the corporate world and clearly illustrates the trend towards shaping a standardised individual, seemingly at odds with the very concept of university.

I believe most universities have gone above and beyond to prepare students for the corporate world – through professional partnerships, internships, innovation hubs and lifelong learning. At least at my institution, I’m not sure what more could be done. The real challenge now is to ensure these collaborations do not homogenise students but instead foster creativity and intellectual diversity.

Stéphane Bouchonnet is head of the Master of Science and Technology programme at École Polytechnique in Palaiseau, France.

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