Xebia, a specialized IT consultancy and service organization, dedicated to providing the cutting-edge tools and making businesses work more efficiently, recently hosted the XGRAD 2021 Higher Education Summit on the online platform.

‘Industry and Academic partnerships – A key to innovation and Growth’ was chosen as the theme of the conference, where many dignitaries from Industry and Academy, including Dr Anil Sahasrabudhe, Chairman, AICTE, were a part. The goal was to dive deeper into the connection between the industry and academy, identifying the weak areas and coming up with solutions to benefit both the parties.

The colloquium was initiated to conduct discussions in the following areas: How industry and academic partnership affects the students; how technological advancement can ensure efficiency among students; how real-world experiences and classroom learning can marry to produce students with excellent skill-set. Various perspectives put forth by renowned academicians and professionals helped bring efficient solutions into limelight. Dr Anil Sahasrabudhe’s guest note on the importance of multidisciplinary education and keeping lifelong learning as the objective emphasized on the need to strengthen the partnership.

Dr. Sandeep Sancheti, Vice-Chancellor, SRM, Chennai, reflected on the elevation of technology in the present era and how there is a need for it to reach the classrooms. Tathagat Varma, from Walmart Labs, initiated the conversation of a gap between industry and academy, suggesting that 20% teaching should be done by the industry to help professors. Dr Sandhya, Executive Director Nasscom, talked about how learning technology is a constant process which does not have a finishing line. Xebia too presented its stance through the session by their Chief Digital Officer, Rajat Gupta, who brought the advancements in AI to the forefront. Mr. Gupta highlighted the impact AI has had on every industry and how it is set to change the world for better. This creates the need for a proficient IT workforce that can drive this change created by AI/ML.

Dr. Rupa Manjari Ghosh, Vice-Chancellor, SNU, pointed out a similar outlook; during her session she stressed on research and innovation focussed and student-centric education. The aim of Xebia Academy runs parallel to this perspective. Anand Sahay, CEO, Xebia, gave the attendees an insight into the working of Xebia, talking about how their existence depends on finding young talent with an open mind-set and the zeal to learn and manufacturing skilled professionals. Taking this forward, in his thank you note, Director of Xebia Academy Brijesh Kohli discussed their enthusiasm in facilitating young individuals and professionals with new technologies. He also talked about how Xebia has been churning out seasoned maestros who are industry-ready, by proving a blend of on-ground activities and core learning curriculums.

The conference concluded with a discussion among various stakeholders and academicians on NEP 2020, and howit can help the industry to set up research centers across various universities. The panel called attention to the policy’s ability to revolutionize the education system, agreeing that it will help bridge the industry-institution gap.

Looking at the flow of the entire summit, one can conclude that both sides agreed to the need of a strong alliance. While the industry seemed keen on intervening wherever the universities required them to, and facilitating the students with hands-on learning experiences, the academy on the other hand welcomed their conclusion with open arms.

Xebia’s goal to change the face of higher education and build a strong foundation for the IT industry is a constant process, which they plan to achieve through conducting many more such summits, bringing distinguished individuals under the same roof – in this case, on the same online platform – and creating more opportunities for aspirants to learn from.