The global economic growth relies on innovation and successful transformation of businesses.
No (or only very few) business sector will remain unaffected. The IT Industry is the most obvious but it’s also the bakery or the craftsman next door that is affected by the digital transformation.
One of the attributes that is typically used when we talk about Digital Transformation is “agility” – the power to move quickly and innovate fast. Other attributes that businesses must gain through their transformation:
- The capability to predictively spot new opportunities in markets
- The capability to demonstrate transparency and trust
- The capability to deliver unique and personalized experiences
- The capability to operate in real time
Last year, an article from Accenture stated: “How can companies develop a customer-relevant digital business when change is the only constant and best practices are being redefined at warp speed?”
Now – here is our challenge:
According to the study “Digital Talent Gap” by Cap Gemini Consulting, 87% of companies realise digital transformation is a competitive opportunity but over 90% of companies lack digital skills (#skillsgap). 50% of companies realise ‘mobile’ is a key skill for digital transformation but over 80% face talent shortages.
An observation that was recently made is that the number of ICT jobs have been growing faster than any other job category.
How can the various educational systems globally
harness industry-led education?
According to the European Commission, our education needs “new and innovative models to adapt to the fast changing environment.”
Academic Institutions need to transform as well and so need their students in order to achieve a competitive advantage over others. While it’s important that students get to know the basics of technology, they also need to be aware and understand the new technologies. Given the current “War for Talent” for IT related jobs, knowledge advantages gained can be tremendous – especially if they can be proved with an industry-acknowledged certification.
Various multinational corporations provide programs to colleges and universities by offering open curriculum at no or little cost. There is the EMC’s Academic Alliance, VMware’s IT Academy, CISCO’s Networking Academy, the LINUX Professional Institute (LPI) and many more.
By instituting these programs, the corporations seek to create a collaborative relationship with academic institutions whereby their students can obtain industry relevant knowledge and certifications which could enable employment in firms seeking skilled workers in these technology sectors.
It’s a win-win situation. Lecturers are provided with latest technology curriculum (updated on a regular basis), while the corporate partner will receive benefits like visibility in the academic community and a good network into future employees, customer or partner.
If you are a university or college representative and interested to join the EMC Academic Alliance program, you can either use the hyperlink above to submit your application OR you can post further questions to this post.
If you are somehow linked to a university or college and you would like us to contact them with further information on EMC’s program, do not hesitate to contact us via Academic_Alliance_Program_Office@emc.com
