Building bridges: A critical analysis of university–industry collaboration to improve diverse access to elite professions. Issue 4 (August 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Dickinson, Jill; Griffiths, Teri-Lisa
• Is Part Of: Industry & higher education. Volume 31:Issue 4(2017)
• Page Start: 227
• Page End: 238
• Publication Date: 2017-08
• Subjects: access -- diversity -- graduate employability -- higher education policy -- law -- self-efficacy; Business and education -- Periodicals; University cooperation -- Periodicals; 378.104
• DOI: 10.1177/0950422217707641
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0950-4222

Abstract

This article explores how universities and industry can work together to improve access to graduate opportunities for disadvantaged students. Focusing on an initiative which involved students from a 'post-1992' UK university experiencing London's legal sector, the article analyses the factors that contributed to the students' perceptions of their increased self-efficacy as a result of participating in the event. Using a focus group methodology, the authors critically examine the barriers that can be imposed by students' socio-economic backgrounds, which may prevent such initiatives from having a meaningful impact on diverse recruitment and fair access to the higher professional occupations. Concentrating on two strands of the Triple Helix model, the authors also make recommendations for building more effective bridges between universities and industry to improve access to the elite professions.