T-Shaped Talent: Bridging the Skill Gap Between Industry and Academia
Feb. 4, 2025—Depth or breadth? In university-industry partnerships, some of the most valuable individuals have both. This idea of dual skillsets is referred to as “T-shaped,” where the deep expertise in a technical area is represented by the vertical bar of a capital T, and the breadth of knowledge across disciplines and operational areas is represented by the horizontal crossbar. Professionals have used the term “T-shaped” for decades to describe the skills and individuals that demonstrate both types of expertise in fields like software development, engineering, and more. Unfortunately, companies are increasingly seeing fewer T-shaped individuals among recent university graduates. U-I partnerships can help reverse this trend.
Broad skills
In this context, the vertical axis in T-shaped skills represents subject-matter expertise, usually in a research discipline—think chemistry, biotechnology, or data science. The horizontal bar representing breadth is softer skills often missing from university curricula. These may include the ability to analyze and interpret information from multiple sources, advance and maintain professional and interpersonal relationships across organizations or disciplines, and synthesize original ideas and innovations from disparate inputs. Some definitions of a T-shaped individual can include those who possess knowledge across soft skills and multiple technical knowledge areas. For example, an individual who may lack soft skills could have a breadth of knowledge in two technical fields, like chemistry and data science.
In companies, professionals need these T-shaped skills to work effectively. They allow individuals with different specializations and experiences to communicate and collaborate across functional disciplines. Experience working in multidisciplinary teams helps grow these skills. Additionally, having a wide array of expertise as well as deep knowledge in a subject area helps solve complex challenges and speed up discovery by enabling the individual to consider multiple perspectives and learn from pooled information. For more information on T-shaped skills and UIDP member efforts in this area, see event materials from the 2016 T-Summit or the Essential T-Shaped Skills webinar.
U-I knowledge gaps
When students move from an academic setting into industry, they often bring subject matter expertise in their field but lack the skills that would make them T-shaped individuals. Unless students have had extensive internships or co-ops, their experience in using their technical skills has been limited to a university lab. Often, companies must spend considerable time—commonly cited as 18 months or more—acclimating new hires to their roles. They must learn how to work in professional teams, consider perspectives from different fields, and combine knowledge from disparate sources to find solutions. Companies increasingly say they would like universities to incorporate T-shaped skills into their curricula to better prepare students for industry careers.
U-I collaboration can help students learn T-shaped skills. One avenue is for companies to collaborate on university curriculum that includes these elements. Internships and co-ops can also help students develop T-shaped skills while offering real-world experience in an industry setting. Companies report that this helps them improve their recruitment and retention rates, a topic UIDP covered in this recent 3-Minute Read. Some industry professionals may be able to interact directly with students through teaching courses or mentorship activities, which can help students better develop their communication skills and helps them make business connections. Industry-based Ph.D. research programs, like the CASE Studentships offered by U.K. Research and Innovation (UKRI) and the Industry Ph.D. program from UIDP member Northeastern University, give students extended workplace experience, which supports their T-shaped development. (See this 3-Minute Read for a deeper dive into these kinds of programs.) Ultimately, prioritizing T-shaped skills in students will help them in their careers and lead to better placement rates while ensuring companies receive employees ready to get to work generating new ideas and discoveries.
Why it matters
T-shaped skills are vital for long-term success in industry careers. By combining resources and perspectives, universities and companies can work together to create better pathways for students to gain these skills that help them succeed in their careers.
We want to hear from you. How does your organization help instill T-shaped skills in students? Let us know on LinkedIn.