It's the 21'st century. And we speak of an education model which is totally different. Imparting skills is one thing, but preparing students to be `match-fit' to meet with the tougher demands of the industry is quite another. Above all, it isn't enough for educational institutions to produce a band of `employable' people; we also need those ready to take up cutting edge research in key areas which ensures advancements of our industry…

The radical message from Prof Nigel Thrift, Vice-Chancellor of UK's Warwick University, rang on in the ears of those gathered to listen to him (at the CII-organised talk on "Emerging trends in higher education; India as a knowledge partner"). He spoke about the idea of an open, trans-national education system that allowed students to take advantage of the environment that suited their pursuit, irrespective of its location.

While setting up overseas campuses could have been an easier option, Warwick has set out to find workable, long-term partners among Indian universities, which would help pooling-in expertise and create a strong teaching and research team capable of handling the knowledge challenges of the world.

Any pessimism that may arise over the plan will be dispelled in an instant, as Warwick need not turn any farther than its own campuses for an example. Warwick Manufacturing Group, or WMG, has already done the path-breaking work and all that the departments at Warwick have to do is to follow the model.

Though no specific names have been penciled in, Warwick would possibly look at the IIT's for working in areas like engineering, energy etc and other leading B-schools for management education.

Collaborative efforts are not new considering that many private Indian institutions are already offering courses in partnership with foreign universities. But, this could be one of the earliest instances of a major UK university showing keen interest for collaboration with Indian institutions. Prof Thrift insisted that this effort would not change the admission processes of students from India at Warwick.

"We certainly welcome Indian students to our campus," he said after the event. "Our partnership effort is unlikely to change the way students apply and eventually get admitted in our university, especially considering that the number of students seeking admission is quite small."

 The partnership effort, if it goes ahead, could perhaps expose the major institutions in this country to a radically different approach to higher education. Prof Nigel has noted that most universities in the UK are forced to find their own funding, as government grants are minuscule. He said Warwick has around 18 to 19 companies of its own, whose profits keep its academic endeavours going. By contrast, a majority of institutions here though look up to the government for support, which perhaps stifles innovation and doesn't encourage a change in approach. 

In the last two decades, the WMG has taken industry-institution partnership to a different level, by working closely with various industries in finding workable solution for the problems they face. Though its research efforts were restricted to manufacturing in the early days, it has since moved over to various key sectors like health and digital technology. Its current turn over is said to be a 100 million pounds.

"This sort of (industry-institution) co-operation is, in fact, more beneficial for the institution," pointed out Prof Thrift. "If you take production processes, you would find scientific research needed to find a different kind of solution to suit the ever-changing demands of manufacturing. And if you keep examining various other issues related to the process, you will realise that the industry feeds us with problems to work with -which is precisely what researchers like to deal with."

The vice-chancellor also dismissed fears that closer cooperation with industries would erode academic quality. "This is not true. Working with the industry and academic endeavours can go absolutely as two different streams without one affecting the other. Such worries are definitely unfounded," he said.