New programme to boost students’ employability

Students from the University of Rwanda will soon start benefiting from a new programme aimed at equipping them with entrepreneurship and employability skills much needed in the labour market.

The programme, called The Bridge, is an initiative of AIESEC, a non-governmental organisation, and is intended to benefit thousands of students from the six different colleges of the University of Rwanda, according to officials.

AIESEC is the world’s largest youth-run organisation dedicated to developing the leadership potential of young people.

According to Maliki Uwase, AIESEC Rwanda director, the initiative is part of a partnership with the University of Rwanda.

“Like the programme – The Bridge – we want to bridge gaps between the labour market and graduate students by equipping them with practical training through mentorship. We will focus on employability and entrepreneurship skills,” Uwase told University World News.

“The entrepreneurship track will be for those who are interested in creating their own jobs. The employment track will be for those who are interested in working for others,” he said.

How the programme works

According to Uwase, the agreement between the University of Rwanda and AIESEC determines that students will be equipped with soft skills such as interviewing, communication and self-expression skills, among others, prior to linking them to both public and private institutions in the country and beyond.

“We realised that most students fail to get employment, not because they don’t have enough hard skills, but because they lack soft skills.

“They don’t know how to deal with interviews, to express themselves and how to present, for example,” he said. These soft skills will be cultivated through the programme to empower students to take their place in the labour market.

Eligible students are those in their final year of study. Applications will open in advance so that the programme can start as soon as the 2022 academic year starts in May. In the pilot phase, 300 students will be selected. This number will increase each year, depending on the availability of resources.

Students will acquire the soft skills free of charge and AIESEC will cover all the expenses during the training, Uwase said.

Initiative is long overdue

Students have welcomed the initiative, saying that they expect positive outcomes, like being ready for work, and being more competent and confident to compete with others.

Brendah Umutoniwase, a fourth-year IT student from the College of Arts and Social Sciences said the programme will help them acquire practical and soft skills that will boost their ability to compete with the rest of the world.

“At university, we mostly learn theory, but I think that this programme will provide more practical and soft skills to prepare us for job-readiness,” Umutoniwase said.

Elias Kiyaga, who oversees student welfare at the University of Rwanda, said such an initiative is long overdue.

“Usually, people join universities with the target of obtaining a degree, but this programme will help students get those other skills to complement those degrees so they can perform at their best. We are thankful for the programme. The university’s doors are open to everyone, and we do need other partners to help our youth,” he said.

AIESEC was originally a French acronym for Association Internationale des Etudiants en Sciences Economiques et Commerciales.