As businesses had to adapt and cope with the unprecedented challenges and impact, the pandemic also forced the nature of work to change. Overnight, everyone must learn to work remotely. Online conference calls became a norm in the blink of an eye. Whoever managed to change in time managed to stay afloat.

As we observed in the last few years, the requirements for a future-ready workforce has been evolving. The pandemic has accelerated some of these requirements. According to the Future of Jobs Report 2020, published by the World Economic Forum (WEF), some jobs are destroyed, but more “jobs of tomorrow” are also created. Digitisation of work and processes had to happen within the shortest time as many countries were forced to lock down while businesses must still carry on. Due to this factor, reskilling and upskilling have been introduced to help the workforce meet the new norms’ requirements.

This finding will challenge society to think and rethink about how the workforce of today and beyond. In many places, formal education seems to be the normal and popular way towards fulfilling the needs of the industry or economy. This pathway often starts from K-12 (primary to secondary school), then towards university before the graduates head to the workforce. However, in recent years, tech and related industries started advocating hiring without a university degree background. Some companies emphasise skills and experience besides looking at a candidate’s academic qualification.

Such dynamics in the industry is nevertheless a good sign. Universities today can be inspired by such trends. They not only answer to the needs of the industry but will also stay relevant in being the trusted and respected institution that will contribute to society through the pursuit and application of knowledge. So what can a university do, especially during this challenging time, to remain true to its mandate to society?

Firstly, universities should review and adapt their academic programmes to be relevant to the needs of society. Indeed, core knowledge and fundamentals will remain essential to set up solid foundations and theories. But the application of knowledge should be up-to-date so that students see the relevance of the theories towards real problems found in applications. The applications of knowledge in the real world can effectively inspire young students to be more interested in the theories and fundamentals.

Secondly, students should be exposed to management, teamwork and problem-solving skills. The moment they leave their universities, they will most likely enter a company with a team of colleagues. They need to demonstrate the ability to work effectively in a team, communicate well with superiors and peers, as well as take up new tasks with confidence and solve these tasks independently. In my experience, young people have all these qualities in them. But not all are aware of it, and some require only a slight push, and they will begin to shine. The university is the best platform for discovering, exploring, and learning from mistakes to become the professional they are meant to be.

Thirdly, universities should become platforms for innovations where students are encouraged to work on ideas and solutions for real-world problems. Business values should be incorporated so that solutions are academically sound and ready for businesses or actual users. Hence, universities should challenge students to attempt, fail and learn from failure. Resilience, grit and resourcefulness are some of the qualities one cannot teach in classrooms. Through hackathons, business proposal competitions or challenges, students are expected to look beyond academic excellence. They need to see the whole picture when it comes to the application of knowledge and skills.

At Sunway University, the schools work closely with industry and alumni to obtain valuable insights about the latest development and requirements. These insights will allow the university to make necessary adjustments and enhancements to its contents. Experienced industry experts are also appointed as adjunct academics and guest speakers to share their experiences with our students. The School of Engineering and Technology organizes entrepreneurship programmes and offer elective subjects such as Startup Foundry to train students with practical entrepreneurial skills to develop business ideas to be validated by industry practitioners. The Sunway iLabs and iLabs Makerspace support students who wish to take the outcomes in these programmes and subjects to the next level by mentoring and connecting them to a more extensive network. We frequently bring students to compete in national and international competitions so that they gain experience and confidence in their knowledge and mastery of skills.

The pandemic may have caused the universities to adapt and reflect faster than we may prefer, but many have acted swiftly and embraced the challenges. As long as we are in touch with the needs and situations of society and the industry, we will remain relevant and can continue to contribute positively.
 

Professor Ts. Dr -Ing. Lau Sian Lun
School of Engineering & Technology
@email

This article was first published in Business Today, 28 November 2021.