Globalisation and rapid advances in technology have had a swift and substantial impact on the way organisations do business and the need to have a highly skilled and flexible workforce. Corporations have started to recognise education and training is not a cost but rather an investment in order to attract and retain the best workforce. Some organisations have centralised their education and training functions and established in-house educational facilities, sometimes labeling them as corporate universities. As corporations expand their range of education programs for employees, many are forming partnerships with traditional universities to provide accredited university awards to complement their in-house programs. This thesis explores existing literature on the growing phenomena of corporate universities and university corporate partnerships to develop an understanding and context to the nature of such partnerships. The research involves qualitative research to explore emergent factors identified in the literature as contributing to the successful strategic management of university-corporate education partnerships. A quantitative research study is then undertaken in what appears to be the first global quantitative study of university-corporate education partnerships to explore: The purpose of a corporate university, or structured corporate education; Reasons leading to the establishment of university-corporate education partnerships; Factors that contribute to the success, or lack of success, of a university corporate education partnership. Emerging from the research, a model is presented as the basis for the successful management of university-corporate education partnerships, embracing such factors as: the need for a corporation and its university partner to develop a shared vision of the purpose of the corporate education program and partnership; the need for trust and openness in the partnership arrangements between a corporation and its university partner; regular communication between those responsible for the management of a corporate education program in a corporation and those responsible for the management of the corporate education unit within a university. In particular, the research finds that within both a corporation and its university partner, there needs to be support and commitment for the corporate education program and partnership by senior management, starting at the level of chief executive. Senior management commitment is important for demonstrating the significance of a corporate education program to an organisation and ensuring appropriate funds are invested in the development and delivery of corporate education programs. However, like any partnership, the research indicates the importance of careful selection of the partner. This means, from the initial approach by a corporation, universities need to take the time to get to know their corporate partner, the purpose of their corporate education program, the role the university can play in a corporate education program and the expectations of the corporate partner. Given that universities are increasingly seeking new income to address declining funding from governments, corporate education programs developed and delivered in partnerships is a significant opportunity as corporations play an increasing role in the lifelong learning and development of their employees. Those universities that take the time to develop a partnership approach to corporate education are likely to generate long-term relationships with corporations, rather than be treated as an outsourced education provider that is contracted casually on an as-needed basis.

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