Connecting Academe with the Industry and Community through Research

by: Dr. Emeliza T. Estimo (Research Coordinator, JBLCF-Bacolod)

Institutions of learning are perceived to be a source of new ideas. This is where we mold great minds to become productive citizens of the community. This is where we shape future generations of professionals who will eventually become the leading workforce in the industry. And while the academe serves as a reservoir of new ideas, the world out there provides a playing field in which these ideas can be maximized. Hence, educational institutions need to play a more active role in their relationship with external stakeholders in order to maximize the use of these ideas. A strong fusion between the industry and the academe through research can create new frontiers of knowledge that can become a powerful engine for innovation and economic growth.
In today’s growing quest for global competitiveness, educational institutions invest so much in its trifocal functions, putting emphasis on strengthening its quality in terms of instruction, research, and extension. The interdependent relationship among these functions signifies the institution’s strategic directions. Every educational institution must not view itself as a separate entity whose primary concern is to produce graduates. Embedded in its vision, mission, and objectives is the goal of producing professionals who are not just academically proficient but globally competent---graduates who will be able to translate competence into productivity, professionals who will be able to apply what they have learned in school as they perform their roles in their immediate community and the industry that they are trained to serve.
Research findings as Baseline Data
From the perspective of the academe, findings gathered from institutional studies conducted by the faculty and students are used as baseline data for solving internal issues and problems related to academics and other major operations of the school. Recommendations from these studies become inputs for critical administrative decisions in terms of curriculum enhancement, instructional innovations, and improvement of institutional services to benefit the internal stakeholders. But more than this, research should serve as a mechanism to bridge the gap between the academe, the industry, and the community. It is a useful tool for identifying the actual needs of the industry, forging connections between the school and the outside world, and offering solutions to address issues and problems that affect both the academe and the external community. In relation to this, the Philippine Qualifications Framework (PQF) foregrounds the importance of consultation and establishing a mutually shared advocacy with the stakeholders by way of looking at industry needs and studies that contribute to the formulation of national policies as significant inputs if we want to attain quality outputs that align with global expectations.
The Role of Teachers and Students
The inclusion of research as one of the primary thrusts of every institution, particularly among HEIs, implies a more dynamic and demanding role among teachers and students. University faculty members are expected to be not just as teachers, but also as researchers and service-oriented professionals. This traditional trinity is expected to operate in relation to the specific goals and mission of the college or university. Students, on the other hand, are expected to learn their courses with Research as a primary tool for enhancing their higher order thinking skills. This implies doing more rigorous paperwork and longer allocation of time for research. In keeping with the research thrust, internal policies are implemented to strengthen the institution’s research culture. These policies may include conducting in-house activities to enhance the research capabilities of the faculty members and students, and requiring them to do research, present their papers in various research conventions and conferences, and publish in accredited research journals.
For students, research has been included as a curricular requirement whereby they are expected to produce studies in line with their field of specialization. Recently, applied and developmental research has been a welcome idea than the traditional survey research that used to be famous decades ago. The inclusion of research in the curriculum is deemed important in harnessing students’ critical thinking skills as well as developing social awareness and responsibility on issues that affect the society in general. The challenge is how to make students think outside their shell and see the forest of ideas that are practically relevant in searching for solutions to social and economic problems confronting the society.
Challenges in Research among HEIs
Currently, Higher Education Institutions are concerned with internal and external challenges relevant to Research. Among the internal challenges are (1) employees’ resistance to research, (2) unattractive research incentives, (3) inadequate research facilities and resources (physical, financial and manpower), (4) poor/lack of research footprints among administrative leaders, (5) limited budget for research, and (6) availability of time to do research. As pointed out by SKOIE (2000), growing research and establishing a nexus between teaching and research is not without personal costs in terms of time required, squeezing research out of people and departments that have no training, aptitude or inclination (Skoie, 2000) as these inevitably generate tension.
Externally, educational institutions continue to address the gaps resulting from a mismatch in priorities between the academe and the industry. The needs and motivations of the industry focus on economic survival and obtaining economic profit and growth by sustaining cost-effective/efficient systems, banking on the latest technological innovations, and employing globally competitive manpower. Some academic institutions, if not all, are still working towards compliance to regulatory requirements, discovering opportunities for funding, and earning prestige and recognition through paper presentations and publication, making their research directions a bit misaligned. There is also a dearth of studies that really address the needs of the industry and the community as a whole.
Forging linkages through Reasearch
Although we welcome studies conducted within the corners of the institution, we also strongly encourage researchers to discover new dimensions and greater possibilities of conducting studies that have local, national, and global value and impact. We cannot do that if we limit our research perspective in the context of the academe. Forging linkages through collaborations and staying connected with the external community and the industry is the latest talk of the town in the field of research. As the intended recipients of the graduates that we produce, our industry and community partners have their own stories to tell. As academic institutions, we need to match our academic goals in line with the needs of the industry and the community. We need to listen to our external stakeholders and learn from what they have to say. We need to update our system of doing things to make it more relevant to industry expectations, and we have research at our disposal to serve as a tool towards this end.
Learning from Stakeholders' Feedback
Allow me to share with you one of the best practices of our institution. In the maritime industry, global competitiveness is a primary tool for survival. In 2014, the Philippines contributed 402,000 seafarers to more than 30% of the global maritime workforce. In the same year, the remittances from the Filipino seafarers alone contributed $5.5 billion to the national economy. As providers of these future seafarers, maritime institutions in the country are faced with a pressing demand of producing competent cadets and future marine officers. We constantly strive to be compliant with national and international standards. Every year, we prepare ourselves with the never-ending audits to ensure that we continue producing top-caliber cadets who could cope with the growing demands and expectations of the industry. In keeping with these expectations, our institution annually conducts a satisfaction survey with our stakeholders who comprise the employees, students, parents, alumni and the shipping industry. Company visits are done every November for a period of one week. The process includes sending out four teams, each composed of the Research Coordinator, Academic Coordinator, and Shipboard Training Officer or Placement Coordinator, who are deployed in different areas of Manila to visit tie-up companies as well as those that entertain walk-in applicants from our University. Each team is able to visit an average of 12 to 18 shipping companies, bringing us a total of 48 to 72 companies for the entire week. Through this mechanism, feedbacks are gathered from the different groups of stakeholders using the survey method, one-on-one or focus group discussions, and interview. This activity gives us the opportunity to talk to company Presidents and Crewing Managers who give us first-hand feedback on the performance of our graduates and helpful suggestions for further improvement. These input data are processed through the Research Office and results are referred to concerned departments for appropriate deliberation, planning, and implementation and monitoring. The stakeholders are then provided with updates on how their concerns were addressed by the institution.Through this activity, we are able to gauge institutional performance from the point of view of the stakeholders, get first-hand feedback from our industry and community partners, identify opportunities for improvement, build more external linkages, be abreast with the latest issues that affect the industry, and identify new areas for research.
Opportunities in Reasearch
Building external linkages not only connects the academe with the industry. It also paves a way for opportunities to happen. Our institutional membership with the International Association of Maritime Universities has opened a break for us to become part of an internationally-funded collaborative project called GECAMET (Gender Equality and Cultural Awareness in Maritime Education and Training), a project which I am working on with other researchers coming from nine countries on five continents. This project tackles several issues that affect the maritime industry and the academe, making our internal concerns much smaller compared to what confronts us globally. Results of the six papers under this project will be presented in the next IAMU conference in Spain comes October 2018 and shall be recommended as bases for policy-making and for amendment in the MLC 2006 Manual to further protect and ensure the rights of women seafarers.
Currently, we are also engaged in another collaborative project with five other Maritime HEIs in the Philippines. This project entitled “Life Skills of Maritime Students in the Philippines: Responding to the Realities of Seafaring” will bring into light the importance of developing life skills as a possible solution to maritime issues related to crewing. These issues include stress and fatigue, shortage of workforce, heavy workloads, increased demand in standards of training, homesickness anxieties, threats on safety and security, incidents of depression leading to suicidal behavior, work discrimination, and interpersonal conflicts on board such as bullying.
To be able to forge strong linkages with industry and the community through research, a strong support system is needed to ensure a focused involvement of both academe and industry. Academic institutions should develop systems and procedures to ensure that industry expectations are met without any compromise on academic aspirations. The academe should tilt the focus of basic research to applied and developmental research. Research topics program or course-specific and must lean towards the application of knowledge to build or design useful things. This type of research is driven by the motivation to promote public welfare and the goal of producing cost-effective measures, such as the development of technology, to reduce, if not totally eradicate, the immediate problems confronting the industry/society.
Leadership in Research
University leadership is vital. Leadership must come from the top management that should identify strong leaders who are capable of crossing boundaries between industry and the academe to foster strong ties between parties. To attract industry involvement, universities must have people capable of building and managing partnerships. Collaborations only work well when they are managed by people who cross boundaries easily and who have a deep understanding of the two cultures they need to bridge.Cross-fertilization of ideas must be sustained. Universities should create opportunities for academics and company researchers and executives with a shared interest to come together and develop a dialogue. Informal exchanges over lectures, forums or seminars that bring both sides together can spark conversations and lead to new relationships.
Our New Mission
In the present era, there is a need to redefine the role of the research institution as a source of competence and problem-solving for society. Bold, visionary partnerships between industry and academe can accelerate innovation and help deliver solutions to pressing social challenges. But to harness that tandem, the mission of the research institution needs to be redefined. That mission now extends beyond teaching and learning to tackling key social challenges and helping drive economic growth. A new vision should include producing a highly skilled workforce for a globally competitive economy. The university in the 21st century should be viewed not just as a generator of ideas but as a generator of knowledge and competence that can benefit society.Research in almost all institutions of learning has evolved dramatically. Over the years, it has gone through layers of difficulties and challenges, not mentioning the headaches, heartaches, frustrations, and disappointments of those who have worked for the department to succeed. Staying firm and strong to break through all forms of resistance is no ordinary feat.
The scope of work and the expectations on this area of endeavor continue to magnify. Currently, our goals and targets as a separate unit in compliance with regulatory and institutional requirements and in accordance to international standards need to be met side by side with other added assignments and the external linkages that we need to establish and sustain. With our institution now being accredited to Level IV, the challenge has become even tougher. I am quite confident, however, that with the research culture being now embedded in our way of life, we can meet these challenges with conviction.
To end this article, I would like to leave you something to reflect on as one research community: “Doing research is a road less taken and self-motivation is something that cannot be taught nor enforced. In research, the struggle is as real, but there is no better learning than going out of our comfort zone, seeing the world through our research lenses, and making ourselves as agents of positive change for the benefit of society.”