Higher Education Global Evidence Summit: Poster Sessions - Employability
Aligning Curriculum with Industry Needs Using Online Labor Market Intelligence in Malawi
- Kondwani Mwangulube, Executive Director, Myjobo.com
- Emmanuel Nkhukuzalira Magomero, Workforce Development Specialist, ECASU Trust
Malawi lacks a functional labor information system. Figuring out job trends and the most in-demand skills from the industry that is key to informing evidence-based curriculum review for institutions of higher learning is a challenge. Myjobo.com and SHEAMA analyzed 15,000 online job vacancies to extract and aggregate non-technical skills included in the Ads to determine in-demand employability skills. The aim was to develop, through a collaborative process, the first Employability Skills Framework for Malawi as a key tool for improving employability amongst the graduate pool. The framework provides a basis for skills assessment, curriculum alignment for higher institutions of learning, career services, and focused skills training programmes. A platform for collaboration between industry and institutions of higher learning now exists to ensure sustained alignment of curriculum and job market trends. In the absence of traditional systems, innovative technological approaches to data generation have helped address the challenges.
U.S.-Modeled Career Center Outcomes at Technological Institute of the Philippines
- Richard Abendan, Chief of Party, RTI International
- Frank Alejandrino, Assistant Vice President, Technological Institute of the Philippines
This poster captures the interventions and outcomes of the Technological Institute of the Philippines (TIP) in developing its Career Centers, with technical assistance from USAID through the Science, Technology, Research and Innovation for Development (STRIDE) program (2013-2022). It highlights the journey of a private HEI that has increased graduate employability and private sector partnerships through strengthened career center services patterned on those of US HEIs. Results from U.S.-based training coupled with localization of programs answer the employability question: “How can institutions support graduates’ employability beyond their academics, particularly for underrepresented groups and individuals?” Key learnings and impacts were discussed during the Q&A portion, which interested participants looking to improve both private sector collaborations and student career services at HEIs in a developing country.
The Tanzania – Nisonger Center ECHO Collaboration on Neurodevelopmental Disabilities
- Greta Hilbrands, Psychology Post-Doctoral Fellow, The Ohio State University, Nisonger Center
- Bijal Lal, Special Education Teacher, Independent - Tujumuishe Tanzania
The Tanzania – Nisonger Center ECHO Collaboration on Neurodevelopmental Disabilities is an international virtual program that provides special educators in Tanzania training on Neurodevelopmental Disabilities. It involves learning about evidence-based practices and other strategies to ensure positive outcomes for students with disabilities. The project is an expansion of a pilot project, and the 21/22 Tanzania ECHO Project has reached 30 special educators from the public sector in four different cities in Tanzania. It involves a bi-monthly training program with eight sessions. The didactic presentations, live ECHO sessions, and case studies allow for a unique experience of mutual learning, sharing practices, and problem-solving to best meet the needs of low-resource classrooms. The poster reflects on the data collected, the successes, and the importance of similar international collaborations that can be adapted to best fit and mutually support inclusive learning.
Connecting Employability and Education: Global Career Competency Frameworks
- Kate Moore, Principal and Co-Founder, Global Career Center
- Naveen Shah, Director and Founding Team, India & South Asia, Global Career Center
The global pandemic has reshaped how employers view the workforce and how their employees learn. The concept of hybrid and virtual training and learning experiences for internship and apprenticeship hires, for example, should be part of this conversation. This session explored the relevance, responsiveness, and ROI within education as translated to employability. We’ll review this visualization and discuss career competence models and how employers, HEIs, and students can use a framework for learning and development. By sharing research related to employability metrics, participants learned about the first iterations of the GCC Global Career Competence Model and saw examples of these types of metrics applied to various forms of education. This was a session for HEIs, the private sector, and governmental actors alike, as the presenters reviewed the benefits of these models for all stakeholders to reshape how participants see the upcoming global workforce and education.