Author: Prof. (Dr.) Rachna Rastogi

Abstract: In an era of rapid technological disruption, global competition, and evolving workplace expectations, higher education institutions must revise and redesign curricula to produce industry-ready graduates. This paper argues that up skilling, workplace immersion, and a growth mindset are fundamental to bridging the academia–industry gap. The empirical study is based on a questionnaire administered to corporate heads, senior managers, and industry professionals. The findings reveal that digital communication etiquette, technical writing proficiency, persuasive presentation skills, active listening, workplace responsiveness, crisis communication, and conflict resolution abilities are among the most demanded competencies. The study proposes a collaborative model involving curriculum co-design, simulation labs, real-world documentation, industry mentorship, and experiential learning. It highlights existing challenges such as limited resources, inconsistent industry engagement, and slow curriculum revisions. The recommendations include structured collaboration frameworks, periodic industry mentoring followed by student’s assessment and feedback, increased funding, exposure of industrial practices for faculty. The paper concludes that integrating authentic workplace communication tasks into ELT syllabi can significantly enhance employability, industry readiness, and professional behaviour among learners.

Keywords: Industry-ready professionals, ELT curriculum, up skilling, curriculum co-design, simulation labs, employability skills, workplace communication.

Article Info: Received: 07 Nov 2025; Received in revised form: 05 Dec 2025; Accepted: 09 Dec 2025; Available online: 14 Dec 2025

DOI: 10.22161/ijels.106.52