BRIDGING THE GAP BETWEEN THE ACADEMIA AND THE INDUSTRY: A PATHWAY TO QUALITY ASSURANCE IN CHEMICAL ENGINEERING TRAINING AND PRACTICE

Teddy Odisu*; Roland Azike and Sylvester Uwadiae

Department Of Chemical Engineering, Igbinedion University, Okada, Edo State, Nigeria

E-mail: teddyodi2002@yahoo.com

ABSTRACT

It has been seen that there exist a huge gap between the academia and the industry and this has in no small way affected the quality of graduates from the university, the quality, type and ease of research and the level of development in our technology most especially the Chemical Engineering profession. This research x-rayed the history of Chemical Engineering, the probable cause and cost of the gap, the way forward in addressing the problem, benefits to be derived and even a case study of industry-University linkage in India and how this have affected technological strides, employability of graduates and the profession in general. Lastly, practical suggestions were made. It is the belief of the writer that if these suggestions are followed, with the necessary seriousness, the gap will be bridged well on time and the benefits will be reaped before the system becomes too bad to repair.

Keywords: Academia, industry, gap and bridge.