Adopting a Corporate University Model by our Universities

A corporate university model was initially devised to meet the training requirements of industries and corporate. It was a model that added value to business in terms of revenue and profit, improvement in customer retention, improved employee productivity, cost reduction and retention of talented employees. Today, let’s see how this corporate university model can be molded and customized to suit the needs of the universities and other Higher Educations Institutions (HEIs). Due to COVID-19 situation, there is need for digital innovation and resilience in the use of technology. Hence, our staff and faculty must also upgrade their skills and competences to adapt to these changing trends. The corporate university model will prepare us to face the challenges of the future.

What is a corporate university model?

A corporate university has many facets (i) it is an educational entity (ii) it is a strategic tool to achieve goals through individual and organizational learning (iii) it aligns training/ learning with organizational goals and objectives (iv) it enables continuous learning (v) it blends formal classroom learning with practical, on-the-job learning. In short, a corporate university is a kind of larger version of the training department of an organization, a center of excellence, a change management cneter of any company. World renowned corporate universities include Crotonville, Motorola, Google, Apple, Deloitte , General Motors, Disney, McDonald and Hamburger university. The HEIs like M.I.T., Cal Berkeley and Stanford had adopted this model even before the term originated. The objective of a corporate university model is to “retool skills and knowledge continually” and provide the opportunity to staff and employees to add value to their knowledge and skills, and in return, give back to the organization their output “through innovation, efficiency and productivity”. Corporate universities were thus created only to produce knowledge workers and develop the intellectual capital in every organization.

Impact of corporate university model: the big picture

1. Ever since the corporate university model became popular, employees have learnt new skills and also earned degrees and certifications to boost up their careers. They show more efficiency in their job performance. By joining hands with platforms like MOOC, Coursera, LinkedIn Learning and Udemy, corporate have developed skills programs clearly linked to their business objectives and organizational strategy. These corporates have made an appropriate use of technology to develop inhouse learning management systems to support the learning function.

2. All developing nations are shifting from resource-based (oil, agriculture, etc.) economy to knowledge economy. The nature of workforce is changing; there is a shortage of skilled workers and labor capital; on the education front, universities need to replace traditional teaching and learning systems with modern learning strategies.

3. Learning can be given an institutionalized look, through such models like ‘a corporate university model of learning. Moreover, it is necessary to maintain a consistent human productivity level in students in order to make them real human capital and ready to resolve live strategic issues.

4. Our students should continuously learn, unlearn and relearn through learning-centred initiatives We need to focus on students’ long term personal and career growth, employability and skills enhancement. All this is possible only if universities make learning more student centered (customer oriented) and transform into Learning or knowledge organizations.

Why universities (HEIs) should adopt this model

1. Teaching at universities is no longer only an academic function or a semester event of a calendar but also a business and learning prerequisite. It is seen as an investment of time and human effort. Teaching no longer leads only to a qualification (bachelor’s or master’s) but it is strategically aligned and configured according to business strategies, stakeholders’ requirements (external) and institutional operational policies and procedures (internal). Teaching and learning are thus now also essential to accomplishing the university’s strategic vision, mission and goals.

2. There are also a lot of similarities between an industry and a university, which justifies the adoption of a corporate university model. If universities talk of learning outcomes, industry talks of profitability; if university talks of internal and external benchmarks, industry aims for competitive edge; if universities talk of satisfaction of its alumni, graduates and stakeholders, industry cares for customer satisfaction, employee retention and shareholders’ benefits. A university is a facilitator of learning; an industry is a place to nurture and nourish that learning. Like a university, an industry has also now adopted a Learning Management System (LMS) e.g., Blackboard, SABA systems etc.to monitor their L&D activities.

Modus operandi? How?

The question that many universities face is how to adopt a corporate university model. The first and foremost step is to build your university as a business case. Start internal business consulting with Deans, Vice Deans, HODs and other stakeholders. Develop 3-4 short/ long term goals (e.g., employability, skills development, program accreditation, etc.). Make people understand systems and strategies by granting them autonomy and empowerment. In short, focus on change management. Secondly, it is necessary to develop group dynamics and retention strategies. Develop team building and leadership development. Adopt reward and recognition as incentive programs for reducing the attrition rate. In this way, you can prepare a strong human capital dedicated to your vision, mission and goals. Next, involve yourself in internal marketing and communication campaign within affiliated colleges and their staff. It is necessary to focus on driving change initiatives and their implementation vertically and horizontally across the organization. Align each vertical with training /learning about institutional strategies, goals, mission and objectives. Last, but not the least, put academic focus on research, creativity/innovation; initiate new curriculum planning, new study plans with industry participation.

A corporate university model not only transforms the university educational environment, but it also produces the best human capital (university graduates) who can be easily aligned to specific goals and strategic initiatives of the nations (e.g., Vision 2030)