The consultative workshop was organized aiming at the experience sharing between professionals of industries and higher education institutions and to begin Open Door Industries Visitation Day on 16^th June 2021 at the main campus.

Dr. Fasika Bete, Institute of Technology Scientific Director (IoT), during his welcoming speech, said that a network between training institutions, employers, professional associations, industry, and the local community creates a conducive environment for experience sharing and industries shall have to develop the necessary technical staff through institutional networking and by providing on the job training to their staffs in different universities. He added that the Open Door Event is one of the events under the university-industry linkage program and it aims to initiate and create a linkage between industries in and around Hawassa with Hawassa university students and instructors and as a bridge shows the clue of working scientific and technological environment for students. Working for mutual benefits in teaching-learning activities by establishing new programs, industrial funding of university research and partnering projects, links that respond to the demand for and the supply of goods and services, and link for creation, acquisition, and dissemination of knowledge are the key growing relationships that can expect to increase between the university and industry linkage. 

Dr. Fisiha Getachew, Vice President for Academic Affairs (VPAA), in turn, enlightened that a network, as well as collaboration between training institutions, employers, professional associations, and more importantly the industry, is the top priority given area by Hawassa University. By engagement or collaboration, we are referring to the situation that higher learning institutions need to redesign their mission in teaching, research, and technology transfer so that we engage more sympathetically and productively with the community and local industries. He also added that there is limited experience sharing or collaboration among the industries and higher education institutions, but now is the crucial time for establishing a strong collaboration between higher education institutions and industries. Bringing together universities and industries through this "Open Door Event" will help to enhance our endeavor of offering a relevant and quality education to our students and identify possible collaborative partnerships where all of us are supposed to benefit immensely.