Industry participants were 9 Links, TCS, Capgemini, IBM, KPMG, Infibeam, Cygnet Infotech among others.WITH discussions focused on bridging the gap between academic learning and industry requirements, particularly in sectors such as financial services, fintech, and technology, leading universities and institutions of Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar, along with technology and global companies from Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT City), Gandhinagar organised a roundtable session recently.The first among the Industry–Academia Roundtable series launched by GIFT City brought together academic institutions and industry stakeholders to strengthen collaboration and align talent development with the needs of India’s International Financial Services Centre (IFSC), as per a note.Senior academic leaders, placement heads, HR and talent acquisition leaders, and sectoral experts from leading universities and institutions came together to discuss aligning academic outcomes with evolving industry requirements.The institutes who participated included Ahmedabad University, Gujarat Technological University, Nirma University, Pandit Deendayal Energy University, KS School of Business Management and Research, LJ Institute of Management Studies, L D College of Engineering and the three international universities at GIFT City-Queen’s University Belfast, Deakin University and University of Wollongong.Industry participants were 9 Links, TCS, Capgemini, IBM, KPMG, Infibeam, Cygnet Infotech among others.Shefali Gaur, Leader – Americas Service Engineering at IBM, said, “Future workforce will be defined not just by degrees, but by adaptability, digital fluency, and a problem-solving mindset. Platforms like this are important to align academic outcomes with industry needs and build employable talent.”While the participants highlighted the importance of moving towards a more integrated approach, where academic programmes are closely linked with real-world industry exposure to enhance employability outcomes, the key areas of focus included curriculum alignment, structured internships, live industry projects, research collaboration, and the development of talent pipelines aligned with evolving industry needs.Story continues below this adNimay Kalyani, Campus Director, University of Wollongong, said, “To prepare job-ready graduates, the industry–academia relationship needs to evolve from alignment to integration. This will help students develop both technical knowledge and the ability to solve real-world challenges.”