University-Industrial Partnerships Towards Producing Quality Graduates

Most engineering and technology educators realize the important role of industries and the value of effective and meaningful university-industry partnerships. Through cooperative education and close collaboration with industry leaders, the industry inputs can greatly enhance the university’s curriculum, evaluation process, faculty professional development, internship program, and academic delivery. Based on ten years of experience in developing curriculum and quality assurance at Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, this paper discusses issues on the engagement of industry expertise in ensuring that the quality of graduates meets industry requirements. The paper also highlights outcomes of the synergy and challenges in managing this partnership in the forms of expert panel workshops, industrial advisory panels, internship programs, adjunct lectures and final year project evaluation.