COLLABORATION BETWEEN INDUSTRY AND ACADEMIA: A PANACEA FOR ENHANCING PRACTICAL CHEMISTRY AND TECHNOLOGY TRAINING IN NIGERIAN TERTIARY INSTITUTIONS

Abstract

Recently, Academia-Industry collaboration has attracted studies from scholars in 
higher educational systems in Nigeria due to the deficiency or lack of proficiency of 
many graduates of our tertiary institutions, mostly in the natural sciences of chemistry 
and technology. Consequently, industries and agencies of government who are the 
employers of labour view this challenge as one of the causes of unemployment, and an 
obstacle to achieving corporate goals and a serious obstacle to national development. 
There seems to be a gap between theoretical instruction and practical competency in 
Nigerian tertiary institutions.  Mostly, Nigerian tertiary institutions tend to present 
essential theoretical principles without complementary laboratory practical 
experiences; thereby producing graduates who are cognitively filled but lacks 
rudimentary practical skills, especially among chemistry and technology graduates. 
Skill gaps in job performance of university graduates indicate a mismatch between 
university output and labour market needs. Also, a minimal industrial interaction with 
the students while in school, limits possibilities for larger experience and skill learning, 
reducing academic competences. A synergistic relationship known as collaboration 
between the academia and industries can achieve university goals through research, 
industrial training for students, support for development projects, and joint curriculum 
development. This paper analyzes options for improving practical chemistry and 
technology training in Nigerian higher education, by providing a framework of 
understanding and collaborations between Nigerian higher institutions(academia) and 
relevant industries for national industrial development. Using current literature, and 
descriptive case studies, the paper suggests a multi-stakeholder model that prioritizes 
co-designed curricula, industrial internships, research partnerships, infrastructure 
sharing, patent development, marketing, communication and continuous assessment of 
competency outcomes, between the academia and the industries. The paper concluded 
that systematic collaborations produce mutual benefits. The paper therefore, 
recommends actionable legislative reforms, long-term funding methods, and 
collaboration for effective incorporation of industrial demands into academic practice.