Kingston University IT head calls for industry involvement
1 min read
A leading academic has called for computer science departments to play a more active role in improving the employability of graduates by ensuring courses respond to the demands of industry.
"Creating courses that meet the requirements of employers and focusing on the industry context of computing is crucial if students are to secure better jobs upon graduation," states Professor Vesna Brujic-Okretic, the new head of the School of Computing and Information Systems at London's Kingston University.
"Universities need to increase links between their staff expertise in research and industry with their education programmes," he continues.
"By getting students directly involved in the professional world, for example by making internships an integral part of a degree, they can provide a quantum leap in transforming graduates into desirable employees."
Prof Brujic-Okretic's comments come in the wake of media reports alleging some computer science courses are nothing more than sausage factories that have poor employment prospects for those enrolled.
"Concentrating on the technology alone is simply not enough," he asserts. "At Kingston University, we give our students first-hand experience in modern technologies, such as cloud computing and virtualisation, but we also ensure that they can apply these technical solutions to a wide variety of contexts once they enter the workplace."
