UNIVERSITY-INDUSTRY COOPERATION IN ENHANCING ENGINEERING EDUCATION IN NIGERIA

This paper examines the benefits of University-Industry cooperation in terms of the role and contributions of industry in enhancing engineering education in Nigeria. Considered are the financial contributions of industry through direct and indirect means to engineering education, which includes provision of equipment and infrastructure, funding of research, and contributions to other engineering educational programmes. Industry’s participation and contributions to the informal aspect of undergraduates’ training outside the universities are also considered. Industry’s contributions to the engineer’s education even beyond the conventional university training to the time of attaining chartered status and throughout the professional life of the practicing engineer are also examined in detail. In conclusion, while the traditional research partnerships obtainable in the advanced economies may not be available in the university-industry relationship in Nigeria because of its low-technology-driven economy, it is found that many of the existing practices could find beneficial applicability in other countries