Strengthening Connections Between Industry and Higher Education

Polis Partners partnered with JSAProjects to undertake a structured industry demand study to support Southern Cross University (SCU) in strengthening connections between industry and the University's education and research activities. By identifying which programs authentically reflect the region’s industry base, SCU’s strengths and local student demand, and both immediate and longer-term workforce skills trends across the region, SCU could confidently deliver new courses to meet both industry and student needs.

Our work involved developing a framework with a range of inputs including interviews with SCU leaders, regional demographic analysis and student need profiling, industry data analysis, projections and identification of emerging skills and industry trends. Our framework was then validated through stakeholder feedback and underpinned a co-design workshop with industry partners.

Our concise reporting, supported by rigorous analysis, enabled SCU to make confident, evidence-based decisions that were easy to engage with and communicate to wider audience.