Annelie Dagerklint and Ingmarie Karlgren helped to launch the Corporate Partnership Programme in 1999.
“Of course, we looked at what other business schools around the world were doing. Some places adopted more of a cocktail party approach, but we wanted to focus on collaboration and content. It was hard work, but we got several partners on board in the first year. It felt like there was a pent-up demand to have contact with the academic world,” explains Annelie Dagerklint.
Employer branding and skills development
There were early indications from the partner companies that they wanted help in finding the right students, and so the Career Service was set up in autumn 2000.
“We can’t be an actual headhunting company, but we can help our partners to show the students what they have to offer,” says Annelie Dagerklint.
“As a partner company, you can have as much time as you want for employer branding. But any initiatives have to be of high quality. Students aren’t as easily seduced as they were 20 years ago. We know what is needed and are happy to help,” says Ingmarie Karlgren.
Skills development is another key area of the Partnership Programme. A number of opportunities for learning and development are organised each year: from quick fixes in Meeting Points to longer and more in-depth collaborations such as those available through Executive Faculty (see article on next page).
“The trend over time is for companies to want a more customised partnership. For example, we held an Executive Workshop for 30 people from SKF with a visiting professor from San Francisco,” says Annelie Dagerklint.
Keeping education alive and relevant
In a genuine partnership, knowledge flows in both directions. Via its partner companies, the School gains an increased understanding of the challenges and skill needs in society.
“There’s an auditors’ network within the group of partners. They identified a need for the students to learn more IT skills as part of their education. In response, a course has now been added to the programme – a concrete example of how things can work,” says Ingmarie Karlgren.
