In the wake of the unemployment crisis in the country that has left millions of youths grappling with a myriad of socio-economic challenges, higher learning institutions are devising new ways to make their students more employable.
Zetech University is leading the way by enhancing its Research and Innovation faculties to prepare students for the job market as well as enable them to become problem solvers of many problems that face the community and the country at large.
According to the University’s Human Resource Director Beryl Mate, the institution upholds research and innovation to nurture job creators, problem solvers and industry-ready graduates.
“At the University we believe that research skills training empowers students to investigate problems, generate knowledge, and apply evidence-based solutions skills that are very important in the workplace,” she said in a statement.
She averred that innovation helps in developing the student’s ability to think creatively, solve real problems, and adapt to change.
The University has been supporting student-led innovations and start-ups by providing innovation labs, other equipment and facilities, and seed capital promotes innovation initiatives which are critical in developing problem solving skills and creativity.
“For example, the University holds bootcamps and hackathons and has an innovation hub (Izet) through which students develop solutions to solve community-based problems,” she noted.
She quipped that students are also being offered tailor-made courses that are in tandem with the requirements of the industry, noting that digital and technological, leadership, innovation, entrepreneurship courses are incorporated in all programmes as common courses.
“Further personal branding, job search skills, CV writing, interview skills, in a nutshell employability skills training is run every semester making the students workplace ready,” she said.
The Director maintained that entrepreneurship training not only instils a mindset of the students being employers that create opportunities for others as opposed to employees, but also encourages students to create solutions to solve social problems for which the University provides seed money.
“We need this entrepreneurship spirit so very much especially in Kenya and Africa where the rate of unemployment is very high. We are offering courses that are relevant to what the industry needs-for instance, data science and analytics. There is an adage that goes that data is the new oil describing the importance of data in today’s world especially for its use in decision-making,” she noted.
Ms Mate quipped that students at the institution undergo industrial exposure through attachment and internship placements as well as incorporation of industry visits in the curriculum for experiential learning.
“Provision of career and job placement services help prepare students for the job market through not only sourcing for placement opportunities, but also through organising of career fairs, CV writing and job search strategies training, networking opportunities, coaching and mentoring services to prepare them for the job market,” the Director noted.
The don added, “Our curricula also incorporate emerging societal issues such as climate change, data-driven decision-making, sustainability, the importance of global cooperation, and issues of social change are no longer wishful issues.”
She at the same time urged students to apply soft skills in their area of specialization and create a network of relevant people so as to succeed.
“Soft skills go beyond technical skills. We must endeavour to be technopreneurial individuals because there’s a wide application of technology in almost all areas,” she said
Ends……
Facebook Comments