A collaborative approach to workforce future-proofing

Oct 30, 2024 – 1.33pm

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This Industry Insight is produced in commercial partnership with UNSW.

As developments such as AI reshape industries, the gap between the skills employers require and those graduates demonstrate is widening. This challenge reflects a deeper issue in the collaboration between universities and businesses – or rather, the lack thereof.

There is increasing scrutiny on whether universities are truly preparing students for the workforce. Lectures, exams, and theoretical exercises alone do not adequately prepare students to navigate today’s complex workplaces. Internships and placements, once reliable pathways to employment, are not always available at the scale or frequency needed to fully meet the evolving demands on graduates and businesses.

A new collaborative model is essential – one that integrates real-world imperatives into academic programs, says Tim. UNSW

This disconnect creates a two-fold challenge: graduates struggle to find roles that align with their skill sets, while businesses seek employees who can contribute from day one. A key factor is the limited exposure students receive to real-world problem-solving during their studies, leaving them underprepared to tackle the practical demands of the workforce. As a result, businesses face a talent pool that lacks the hands-on experience needed to meet their expectations.

Addressing this issue requires more than incremental changes to education; it calls for a fundamental shift in how academia and industry collaborate to build a workforce that is agile, adaptable, and equipped for the future.

A new collaborative model is essential – one that integrates real-world imperatives into academic programs at scale and provides experiential learning experiences for students where they can immediately apply what they are learning. This model must provide all students, not just a select few, with meaningful exposure to industry realities, ensuring they develop critical employability skills.

The UNSW Sandbox

UNSW Business School has designed the innovative Sandbox program to address these gaps. The Sandbox program is a transformative approach to employability, positioning industry as a co-creator of education rather than a passive recipient of graduates.

Through the program, students engage directly with industry partners to solve contemporary business challenges as part of their degree. The program creates courses that serve as “industry sandboxes,” where industry experience and real-world problem solving are embedded directly into course curricula.

Since launching in November 2019, more than 10,000 students have worked on over 90 real-world challenges, partnering with 170 practitioners from various industries and community groups, including Microsoft, EY and PwC, and key players in the non-profit sector, such as the Australian Red Cross. Through the Sandbox program, students discover new career pathways while creating solutions to pressing issues like digital resilience and sustainability, gaining the experience and skills employers value most.

For businesses, the program provides an immediate pipeline of creative ideas and emerging talent, especially in emerging fields like AI, cybersecurity, and digital transformation. For students, it opens doors to real-world opportunities, positioning them as job-ready graduates in a competitive market. For academics at UNSW Business School, the reward is seeing their work applied to real-world impact and demonstrating leadership in academia-industry partnerships.

Going global

In 2023, the UNSW Business School expanded the Sandbox program through the launch of the Global Sandbox Alliance, creating an international network of universities and industries working together to tackle pressing global challenges. Founding partner members include the University of Toronto and Nanyang Technological University, with the alliance set to expand further.

As the alliance expands, Australian students will have access to cross-border projects and international business challenges, further enhancing their employability. At the same time, Australian businesses will benefit from partnerships with students and academics from some of the world’s most prestigious institutions, ensuring they stay competitive on the global stage.

Yenni Tim is an associate professor at UNSW.