Adonis Diaries

Corporate universities outnumbering traditional ones?

Corporate universities have increased two folds in the last decade and number around 4,000 universities.

It is estimated that over 4 million people study in specialized universities financed and run by corporations; these special students will outnumber the well-established traditional universities very soon.

Corporate universities are no longer the exclusive domain of the first 500 corporate listed in “Fortune“, but it is becoming “urgent in the competition race in global economy” says Mike Stanford of “International school for administration development” in Lozano (Switzerland). Stanford goes on “It is not easy to switching from general knowledge to practical methods .”

In developing States, corporate universities are supplementing the rare traditional universities in what the corporation need in specialization.  Hands-on learning is the motto for these corporate universities.

Since over 40% of experienced engineers are going into retreat, it is urgent that new practiced engineers fill the void.  Apparently, only 25% of graduate engineers and 15% of accountants and financial analysts are ready to work for multinational corporations.

Most graduates are not initiated and trained to communicating efficiently among different cultures and working in teams.

Corporate universities are not offering diplomas yet, although they are affiliated with traditional universities.  The courses are tailor-made for specialized expertise and of short duration.

Basically, corporate courses are of applied sciences in nature, targeting strategic business expansion.

In 1961, McDonald started its own corporate university in Oak Brook (Illinois) in order to standardize cooking and preparation methods. General Electric, Siemens, and Motorola colleges are already world-wide features.

A sample of corporate universities demonstrates the reasons for heavily financing universities  with the latest technologies and facilities tailored-made to the benefits and interests of companies.

In Moscow, you have “Corporate Hydropower University” teaching managers of industries the latest technologies and specialization in turbines and power generators.

In Rio de Janeiro, “Pertobrass University”  offers engineers continuing education on ocean oil extraction in deep reserves 7,000 meters below the Atlantic Ocean. It is becoming the leading corporation for oil extraction in deep water (about 24% of all new ventures); it will need an additional 9,000 new engineers by 2015 (which traditional universities in Brazil cannot graduate).

Another example,  “Emphasis higher education center” in New Delhi has two landing spaces for helicopters, a geodesic dome, movie theaters, resembling to “Epcot center” and Disney; it is being expanded to accommodating over 15,000 students with private rooms and computers at a cost of $150 million. Chris Gobalakrishane, Director of “Emphasis”, says: “We are trying to bridge the schism between what traditional universities produce and what industry demand”

Many of these corporate universities are flexible in even locations.  For example, the Russian “Oporombrom” sends teams of teachers to 20 factories manufacturing and assembling helicopters and airplanes for 3 days sessions.

Many publicly owned enterprises and private companies have vast pools of practically illiterate employees.  Thus, these corporate universities update the bright employees and steer them to becoming experts in restricted domains.

The interest of corporations and the social exigencies of governments will dictate the following trends:

First, traditional universities (led by public universities for shortages in allocated budget) will shorten the graduation schedules for undergraduate studies.  Humanities will mostly be eliminated and engineering courses reduced to the basic courses.

Second, the indoctrination of students to the capitalist system and its requirements will be shifted to secondary and high school years.

Third, “educated” people will be encouraged to join the working force earlier than currently planned in order to compensate for shortages in younger generations and the lengthening of “life expectancy” among the aging population.

Fourth, it is more profitable for corporations to leading new hired educated workers to specialized types of targeted expertise as competition demand.

Fifth, graduate studies will be restricted to the brightest and to rich families who can afford to maintaining the “nobility” hereditary status in the family.