Development of strategic international industry links to promote undergraduate vocational training and postgraduate research programmes

Abstract

After centuries of protectionism in international trade, the course is inexorably set for trade amongst nations without borders. More and more countries are joining the World Trade Organization and companies are repositioning themselves for the conduct of their activities in an environment free from physical borders and national legislative restrictions. Commercial activity is as old as humanity itself and touches every aspect of human endeavour. The raison d’être for academic institutions, which provide skills training for the labour force of the community of nations, lies, to a large extent, in fulfilling the requirements of commercial activity. Any profound change in the manner in which commerce is conducted, logically, requires an equally profound change in the philosophy of developing the skills of the labour force. This paper therefore discusses the challenges which academic institutions face in restructuring their curricula to meet the demands of the globalized economy of the future. The paper describes the general principles necessary to develop the attributes of a globally employable graduate and reports, in particular, on activities already being undertaken by the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT), in association with industry partners within and outside Australia to meet these challenges. The prime mover of these activities is a programme called the RMIT International Industry Experience and Research Program (RIIERP), which was established in 1992 by the author.

Keywords:

• Work ethic
• Global Industry Advisory Board
• Virtual research infrastructure
• Global perspective
• Cultural environment
• Globalization
• Global context

Acknowledgements

The author would like to acknowledge the generous support of all the companies involved in providing industry placements for the students of RMIT University. Their dedication to this programme is highly appreciated. He would also like to thank the members of the Global Industry Advisory Board for their active involvement in developing the programme. Furthermore, the author would like to acknowledge the contribution of many colleagues at RMIT University both in the administration and at the academic level, who have helped to ensure that RIIERP continues to be an exceptional educational experience for the students of the University.