Preparing students for
successful career pathways
This focus area supports institutions to strengthen the systems that shape graduate employability. Through shared learning and practical implementation, institutions are better equipped to provide students with the competencies, knowledge, and resources needed for a smooth transition from university into meaningful careers.
Through our Careers and Employability engagements, we have:
Initiatives in Employability
The Systems Change Program supports higher education institutions in building coordinated, sustainable approaches to student employability. Through dedicated career leads and experienced mentors, institutions design and implement holistic systems that strengthen career services, skills development, and employer engagement.
The Career Strategy Workshop guides institutions in developing or refining a practical, results-oriented career services strategy. Participants engage in structured activities including needs assessments, goal setting, funding exploration, and tool-based planning. Institutions leave with a clear roadmap to strengthen student employability in sustainable and measurable ways.
Our Career Fairs initiative helps institutions plan and host career fairs that connect students directly with opportunity with practical tools, guidance, and strong industry partnerships. This initiative allows universities and employers to work closely together, so students have clearer pathways into work.
In partnership with Kepler, this hands-on soft skills curriculum supports higher education institutions in strengthening graduate employability. The program equips students with essential 21st-century skills that employers across sectors consistently value.Â
The pilot launched in three public Rwandan TVET institutions, reaching more than 1,300 students with training in communication, problem-solving, technology, and professional conduct. Rwanda’s Ministry of Education has since approved the curriculum for adoption across all eight public IPRCs, with the potential to benefit more than 10,000 students nationwide.
The Career Services Digest shares practical insights, tools, and emerging trends that strengthen employability outcomes across Africa.
Designed for policymakers, institutional leaders, industry partners, donors, and government officials, the Digest highlights best practices in career development and workforce readiness. It also provides students and alumni with clear, actionable guidance as they navigate their transition from university to the workplace.
The Career Services Toolkit helps faculty, career advisors, and university administrators build coordinated approaches to employability. Adopting the toolkit will help Institutions estalish systems that strengthen career programming, deepen relationships with alumni and industry, and track key outcomes such as graduate placement rates and employer feedback.
The Education Collaborative Mentor Pool brings together experienced professionals across our key focus areas: Career and Employability, Entrepreneurship Development, Ethics and Leadership, Faculty Research and Development, Accountability Systems, and Student Services.
Mentors support institutions by sharing expertise, strengthening programs, and contributing to sustainable improvement. The pool ensures that institutions can draw on trusted guidance as they design and refine initiatives that advance student success.
Our Innovation and Proof of Concept Grants support institutions in piloting practical solutions that strengthen student outcomes and institutional systems. Institutions may receive up to $20,000 to advance projects in career readiness and relevant training and other The Education Collaborative focus areas.
The Career and Employability Community of Practice brings institutions together to explore how students can build career pathways in university.
The community explores how educational institutions can build career-ready learning environments through partnerships and feedback loops with employers and industry and embedding career development programs into campus activities.
The Education Collaborative is dedicated to improving education outcomes for students across Africa. Institutions in our network engage to advance their own strategic priorities for systems improvement – learning from one another while contributing expertise to address shared challenges across the sector.
