Report calls for collaboration between schools and businesses

A report released at the World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE) in Doha has called for more collaboration between schools and the world of work.

WISE carried out a survey of its global community regarding the effectiveness of education systems around the world and the results identify major gaps in how education systems are preparing students for work, and call for closer collaboration with employers and more emphasis on teacher quality.

The 2015 WISE Education Survey: Connecting education to the real world, conducted by Gallup, is based on responses from 1,550 members of the WISE global community from 149 countries.

It indicates that respondents are largely critical of the job education systems are doing, including the key task of preparing students for the workforce. Three-quarters of those surveyed are dissatisfied with the overall education system in their countries, with only 34% of respondents believing his or her country’s education system has improved in the past decade; 29% say it has worsened.

The lack of integration with employers is seen as a key challenge in post-secondary education. Less than half of those surveyed believe the system is preparing university students for success in work. Seven in ten (69%) of the respondents say that preparing students for the world of work is the responsibility of the university, not employers. But only 39% believe universities in their countries are adequately preparing students for the workplace. 62% of those surveyed identify lack of work or internship opportunities that prepare students for jobs as the top challenge in post-secondary education.

They believe the best way to achieve better work readiness is through more collaboration between schools and employers, giving students ample opportunity to exercise the skills they learn in real world classrooms.

WISE is currently taking place in Doha, Qatar.

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