The University Industry Linkage (UIL) office
UIL-TT was established in 2011, which by then was known as “UIL office” which predominantly was engaged in facilitating the enrollment of students in internship program. In 2014 the office was re-established as the “Office of Research and Community Engagement”, keeping the internship coordination and incorporation of the researches and community engagement activities. Following the upgrading of the institute which actually had a mandate of a college to a fully flagged institute -Haramaya Institute of Technology (HiT) in 2016, the office is renamed “University-Industry Linkage and Technology Transfer(UIL-TT) Office”.
The UIL-TT office engagement of students in practical training in different industries in Ethiopia as part of fostering of industry led education through Qualified Internship System (QIS), the involvement of staffs of the institute in externship to help them tie the lessons in their class with industrial problems and identify those which could be solved by university-industry collaborative researches/projects, engagement of staffs and students of the institute in technology transfer activities in which the end users are the community at large and the industries (small to large). The office is also involved in facilitation of community-based projects and training’s which are undertaken by the academic staffs of the institute and students in collaboration with our stakeholders (for instance, TVETs).
UIL – Qualified Internship System (QIS)
The office strives in building better linkage with different industries through Memorandum of Understandings (MOUs), which helps both stakeholders in finding the ways they can work together to get the best out of their synergy. Haramaya Institute of Technology has also established Qualified Internship System (QIS), which is part of the new revised curriculum for the engineering fields. In this system students will get their first practical experience in industries during internship period which is considered in the second semester of 4th year or in the first semester of 5th year, so that they practice and acquire technical and operational knowledge, as well as skills in various sections of the industry.