Examining the Impact of Industry Partnerships on Project-Based Learning Initiatives within Engineering Education: A Systematic Literature Review

The emphasis on project-based learning (PBL) persists in enhancing engineering curriculum by giving students hands-on experience with real-world experiments, preparing them for the industry. Collaboration between academia and industry allows students to address actual industry challenges through PBL. This platform provides students with genuine learning experiences and industry practices that inspire them throughout their studies. It is important to highlight that South African institutions previously struggled to engage industry partners for educational purposes.The current systematic literature review study wishes to investigate the importance of industry partnerships on PBL within engineering education to benefit both students and industry demands.The systematic literature review methodology seemed appropriate for the current study due to its nature of extensively reviewing credible electronic databases. The electronic databases opted for included IEEE Xplore, ERIC, ScienceDirect, Web of Science, Elsevier, and Google Scholar. The keywords considered in this study included "project-based learning," "industry partnerships," and "engineering education." The inclusion and exclusion criteria focused on articles credible articles and peer-reviewed conference publications between 2010 and 2024.The industry partnership through PBL equips students with lifelong experiences coupled with problem-solving skills, critical thinking, teamwork, and professional competencies. Academics are also afforded opportunities for industry secondment where they spend some time in industry while being exposed to the latest technologies to enhance their teaching capabilities. The industry also grasps opportunities to co-own selected facilities by branding them.The findings of this systematic literature review highlight the importance of industry partnerships with institutions of higher learning through PBL initiatives. Students are also afforded opportunities to better understand the fundamentals of engineering principles in real life. The PBL platform allows students to do projects that bring real changes that they can see and feel. Industry is, therefore, able to comprehend that institutions of higher learning could provide much-needed solutions with their support.In the South African context, it is still a challenge to get the cooperation of industry to work with the institutions of learning regarding curriculum matters. As results engineering students even do their third-year Capstone design projects internally without the involvement of industry. It is therefore recommended that faculties should extend invitations to industry to bring their problems to be solved by students while supervised by academics.