The Government has challenged industry and tertiary institutions to collaborate and foster strong partnerships that address the existing skills mismatch to keep abreast of the fast-paced technological changes.
Concerns have been raised in recent years that local tertiary institutions, such as colleges and universities, are producing half-baked graduates who are failing to meet the expectations of industry.
Speaking at the Industry-University Innovate Together Summit organised by multimedia group Zimpapers in Harare on Tuesday, Skills Audit and Development Minister Professor Paul Mavima said: "Our gathering here today offers a powerful solution to this problem.
"The industry-university collaboration will enable us to forge strong partnerships where academia can gain direct insights into the latest industry trends and technological advancements."
Prof Mavima said the challenges in the industrial sector stemmed from a mismatch between what is produced by the training institutions against what is needed in the industrial sector.
Such collaborations, he said, could be in different sectors that include agriculture and information communication technology.
"For instance, in the agricultural sector, which remains the backbone of our economy, universities can partner with agri-businesses to develop curricula that integrate modern farming technologies, climate-smart agriculture and agri-business management. "Through internships and fieldwork, students would gain hands-on experience and align with the real-world demands of the agricultural industry.
"I see no reason why, for example, one of our big companies in the agricultural sector, SeedCo, does not have a professorial chair they are sponsoring at the University of Zimbabwe?
"Why don't we even have a building at the university that's associated with SeedCo where they put their resources into ensuring that the university is capacitated to help them with the innovation and research that they need?"
"And again, why doesn't Econet have a professorial chair at the University of Zimbabwe? Why don't we see research funds? Serious research funds coming from Econet going into our universities to promote research and development at that level."We want innovation that is world-class coming out of our universities, we need the private sector to help.
"It is noble that our universities have established innovation hubs where students work directly on industry-driven projects, gaining invaluable practical skills, but we need to adequately fund these innovation hubs so that sustainable businesses that can be developed to large corporations are developed."
Speaking at the same occasion, permanent secretary in the Ministry of Skills Audit and Development, Ambassador Rudo Chitiga said there was an urgent need for tertiary institutions and industry to collaborate in changing the curriculum and adopt one that addresses the needs of the private sector.
"There is a need for agility in changing the curriculum. "We also need constant dialogue between stakeholders," she said, adding that her ministry has come up with a 10-point plan for skills development.These include the responsiveness of curricula to dynamic industrial skills and modernisation for skills training institutions.
"As a ministry, it is our co-business to see the industry collaborating with academia in enabling skills to our students.
Renowned economist Dr Reneth Mano, who is also the Livestock and Meat Advisory Council chief executive officer, said the country's medium-term development plan, the National Development Strategy 1 (NDS 1) and the Education 5.0 policy were designed to promote innovation to foster economic growth and development.
"What is the intent of these two frameworks? Is it to develop context-specific solutions? Which means these are locally-founded solutions, and the second thing is to address our national priorities.
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"Our research must talk to these national priorities and commercialise our research and development outcomes," he said, adding that it was high time Zimbabwe published research and experimental development outcomes.
In his address, National Biotechnology Authority (NBA) CEO and registrar Dr Deckster Savadye said his organisation was forging ahead with consolidating partnerships with tertiary institutions to foster skills development and producing local products using natural resources.
In fostering growth and development of the biotechnology industry in Zimbabwe, NBA has partnered with Masvingo Polytechnic College, among other stakeholders and established the Marula factory in Rutenga.
The factory processes marula fruit to produce products such as wine, oil and other by-products like briquettes for biofuel and bio-fertiliser.
