Can university-industry linkages stimulate student employability?

dc.creatorIshengoma, Esther, K
dc.creatorVaaland, Terje I.
dc.date2016-01-25T08:35:29Z
dc.date2016-01-25T08:35:29Z
dc.date2016-01
dc.date.accessioned2018-04-18T11:49:26Z
dc.date.available2018-04-18T11:49:26Z
dc.descriptionYou can find this paper in http://www.emeraldinsight.com/doi/abs/10.1108/ET-11-2014-0137
dc.descriptionPurpose The purpose of this paper is to identify important university-industry linkage (UIL) activities that can stimulate the likelihood of employability among students. Design/methodology/approach A total of 404 respondents located in Tanzania, comprising students, faculty members and employees from 20 companies operating within the oil and gas industry and mining constitute the empirical basis for the study. Descriptive analysis, the Mann-Whitney U-test and a Kruskal-Wallis test were applied to help analyse the data. Findings The results reveal that UIL activities were strongly perceived to raise the employability of students, in particular student internships in companies followed by joint projects and the involvement of companies in modernizing university curricula. Adoption and diffusion internship strategies are suggested for foreign companies and for local firm, respectively, as vehicles for increasing employability. Research limitations/implications Perceived effects on the likelihood of employability are measured, and not actual effects. Practical implications The findings have implications for foreign companies exploring resources in the host country, local firms trying to improve competitiveness, universities trying to improve its role in society, students preparing for work-life and policy makers defining premises for resource-extractive foreign companies. Originality/value Very few empirical studies of UILs have previously been carried out in a developing country context, and in particular in dealing with student employability. The fact that many developing nations have attractive rich natural resources implies that international companies have a motive to invest in the UILs, and possess valuable competencies that can improve the overall quality of the universities and the attractiveness of graduating students.
dc.descriptionThis study is partly funded by financial contributions from Statoil Tanzania.
dc.identifierEsther Ishengoma , Terje I. Vaaland , (2016) "Can university-industry linkages stimulate student employability?", Education + Training, Vol. 58 Iss: 1, pp.18 - 44
dc.identifierhttp://dx.doi.org/10.1108/ET-11-2014-0137
dc.identifierhttp://hdl.handle.net/123456789/184
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/123456789/9897
dc.languageen
dc.publisherEmerald Group Publishing Limited
dc.subjectDeveloping countries
dc.subjectTanzania
dc.subjectEmployability
dc.subjectUniversity-industry linkages
dc.subjectPetroleum/mining industry
dc.titleCan university-industry linkages stimulate student employability?
dc.typeJournal Article, Peer Reviewed

Files