Linking Academy to Industry Christine Cahill, Esq. St. Thomas Aquinas College

Bridging the Employability Gap ●The Issue: Getting good students into the workforce--the challenge of the educator/college ●One Solution: Partnerships with the business community to link academics with industry ●One Method: Advisory Boards

The Role of an Advisory Board ● advise the school on issues that impact mission and strategy ● advise on business promotional opportunities ● recommend improvements in programs ● identify experiential learning opportunities ● work on special projects requested by the institution based on the business experience of its members

Roles….. ● help shape the school’s curriculum ● provide counsel on strategic, operational, and financial directions for the school ● provides a liaison between industry and the institution ● source of adjuncts/guest speakers

If you build it, they will come... ●alumni ●retirees: college and in the geographic area ●local business ●networks of colleagues ●director of experiential learning

Best Practices to develop the Board ● mission statement ● agenda for meeting ● frequency of meetings ● LinkedIn/technology connection ● technology to connect/stay connected

The first meeting ●dinner/meal ●one ‘chair’ (me) ●timing is important (not during tax season!) ●roundtable ●be mindful of time ●allow ideas to develop

How it works to “Bridge the Gap” ●internships/externships ●job shadowing ●‘experiences’ ●change/modify curriculum ●Business promotional opportunities ●Special projects

More of how it works... ●Liason between business and the industry ●What employers are looking for ●soft and hard skills development and programs ●how to develop relationships with other alumni ●“tell the story” of the college (competing with other colleges)

Expert Panels Entrepreneurial Panel

Experiential Learning ●utilize to bridge the gap further ○ job shadowing ○ lectures ○ interview/networking receptions ○ mini internships ○ mentors

Discussion