Stakeholder engagement in accreditation and quality assurance via the program advisory board: contributions and benefits

Purpose Accreditation bodies often require higher education institutions to establish program advisory boards (PAB) to integrate industry insights into the curriculum, as a mechanism to improve graduate employability. This research aims to investigate how stakeholders engaged in these advisory boards contribute to the institution and assist in the quality assurance and accreditation process. Design/methodology/approach Qualitative interviews with 31 members of business PABs across three Australian universities were analysed using a constructivist grounded theory approach. Data were supplemented by a desk audit of Australian universities policies and practices in relation to advisory boards enabling. Findings Advisory boards are a valuable source of information to institutions, providing expert insight into industry trends and requisite graduate skills and capabilities. Furthermore, external stakeholders provide a rich account of their contributions, viewing their “real world” insights as critical to bridging the gap between academic theory and workplace realities, significantly contributing to institutional accreditation and quality assurance processes. Internal stakeholders affirm this perspective. Research limitations/implications The findings are specific to the Australian context and may have limited generalisability. Practical implications Advisory boards help institutions meet quality assurance compliance requirements from governments, international and professional accrediting bodies. Originality/value This study fills a gap in qualitative research on external stakeholders in PABs, offering comprehensive insights into their contributions to accreditation and quality improvement within the Australian higher education context.