University-business education partnerships: An examination of the co-operative relationships involved in providing university education for sponsored business employees.

In Australia tertiary education is increasingly seen in market terms, with greater emphasis on 'user pays' and a lessening of government resources available for tertiary education. One of the consequences of this entrepreneurial and volatile environment is the formation. of cooperative education partnerships. A cooperative education partnership is a partnership between an educational institution and industry in which education and training is jointly developed and delivered by the university for the principal benefit of employee and employer. The aim of this research is to examine the issues that contribute to mutually beneficial university business education partnerships. Specifically, it will examine the structures and processes integral to five cooperative education partnerships, to ascertain the nature of their reciprocal relationships. Business organisations cooperate with universities in cooperative education partnerships to improve their productivity and competitive advantage. The development of reciprocal relationships depend heavily on effective communications, flexibility, acceptance of one another's different cultures and a commitment to working together for the survival of the partnership.