Rewiring the Future: How Business-University Partnerships Are Transforming IT Education 

The modern labor market is evolving at an incredibly fast pace. To remain relevant, IT education must not only keep up with changes but also anticipate future demands. Universities, which previously worked according to traditional models, are now forced to rethink their approaches and actively collaborate with businesses. 

Teaching What the Market Actually Needs 

The skills required in IT today aren’t just changing — they’re multiplying. From AI and cloud infrastructure to cybersecurity and data ethics, the gap between what students learn and what companies need is widening. 

That’s why forward-thinking universities are reengining their curricula around professional standards — defining clear, practical competencies that align directly with the real-world demands of employers. The result? Students graduate with more than a diploma. They leave with the skills and confidence to step straight into the workforce. 

And these aren’t one-size-fits-all programs. By embedding flexible qualification frameworks into academic systems, universities can offer personalized learning tracks where students choose both the pace and content based on their career goals. But this vision only works when academic institutions and employers co-create those pathways together. 

Dual Education: Learning Through Work 

One of the most effective innovations in this space is dual education — a blended model where students split their time between university courses and working on actual company projects. 

SoftServe, starting in their third year, students join real teams and work on real deliverables. Over 1,000 students take part in more than 20 dual programs, developing technical expertise and workplace fluency long before graduation. 

Dual education comes in two flavors: 

• A classic model, where students join active teams and contribute to live projects; 

• An online model, delivered through digital platforms and supported by experienced mentors. 

Both models let students build their careers while completing their degrees — no compromises, no delays. 

Micro-Qualifications: Flexible Learning for Rapid Changes 

Another innovation in education is micro-qualifications — short courses that allow students to quickly acquire specific skills or knowledge. This is especially relevant in the IT sector, where technologies change at an incredibly fast pace. Micro-qualifications enable students to gain new skills without having to wait for updates to the entire university curriculum. 

The EU is already on board, recommending micro-credentials as a core component of future-proof education. For students, they offer the flexibility to adapt. For employers, they provide a sharper lens on real-world capability. 

Grant Programs as Catalysts for Change 

Programs like Erasmus+ and Horizon Europe are more than funding opportunities — they’re powerful tools for reimagining how education works. These grants enable universities and companies to collaborate on new learning models, refresh outdated content, and expand access to dual education programs across borders. 

SoftServe uses these programs not only to pilot innovation but to scale it — helping universities launch next-gen learning experiences and bringing industry closer to the classroom than ever before. 

Advantages and Challenges of Partnerships 

Of course, not everyone embraces change right away. Some educators worry that dual education will shrink their roles or dilute academic quality. Others are skeptical of informal or accelerated learning formats. 

But the data tells a different story. So far, over 7,000 educators have participated in upskilling initiatives led by SoftServe. More than 170 academic programs have been modernized, and partnerships continue to grow. Rather than replace traditional teaching, collaboration with business is expanding its potential — making it more relevant, more practical, and more empowering. 

The Future of IT Education 

The future of IT education won’t be defined by rigid degree paths or theory-heavy lectures. It will be shaped by real-world collaboration — by universities and businesses sitting at the same table, designing programs that are both rigorous and responsive. 

And for students, that future is already here: a pathway to meaningful experience, employable skills, and careers that don’t begin after graduation — they begin during it. 

_{Words and credits
Andriy Pereymybida, Talent Acceleration Center Director at SoftServe 
Mariia Rashkevych, Global University Alliances Manager at SoftServe}