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"Students’ qualifications and market-needed competencies" Gap Analysis

What is the STREAM project?

In the MENA region, the unemployment rate among HE graduates is among the highest in the world due to the mismatch between education outcomes and expectations of the labor market. With the fast-evolving pattern of the market needs resulting from revolutionary technologies such as Industry 4.0, AI, robotics, and machine learning, a new shift in the human resource requirements map is at hand. This left HEIs with an inevitable time-pressing challenge to adjust the learning processes to yield particular competencies that expand way beyond the technical knowledge that has been the focus for many decades.

Thus, this project aims to develop a generation of globally exposed HE graduates who are equipped with the essential character and social and cognitive skills blended with academic competencies. With a higher degree of readiness for the fast-evolving community and job market and who are capable of integrating effectively in a multicultural, diverse ecosystem. Hence, a competence-tailored student journey map that blends academic and academic-complementary competencies during the student's lifetime is introduced.

A pilot set of 35 short- and ten long-term extracurricular activities and "quests" that are competence tailored are designed and programmed into the LMS and SIS of partner HEIs and 35 courses (120 ECTs) in engineering and ICT. This was restructured to align with SDGs in a competency-based format, targeting the complete envisioned picture of the future "Global Citizen" possessing competencies identified via an exhaustive GAP analysis developed at the beginning of the project.

A target of at least 60 students at each of the seven partners HEIs in Egypt, Jordan, and Algeria is planned. The Student-Stakeholders Engagement Portal, where employers and students share their profiles and have an open arena to engage in internships, summer jobs, and capacity-building programs, is essential in the proposed integrative (academic/extracurricular/industry engagement) approach.

Nile University is one of the leading partners in the STREAM project; coordinated by Riga Technical University in Latvia and co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union, and working together with:

Institutions from program countries: University of Applied Sciences Dresden, Polytechnic University of Cartagena
Institutions from partner countries: Egypt-Japan University of Science and Technology, South Valley University, Wuzzuf, Al Alfi Foundation, University of Mostaghanem Central, University of Tlemcen, Princess Sumaya University for Technology, and Irbid National University

What is the WP1- Gap Analysis?

The Gap Analysis is a part of the STREAM project (University Student Capacity Building: Towards Readiness for Sustainable Development-Oriented Regional Job Market), co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union.

The analysis aims to increase the awareness of the current regional employability and market-needs compatibility situation and pave the road for guided development of the project activities.

The competency gap between students' qualifications and market-needed competencies has been mapped with the use of two online surveys, developed in close cooperation with the STREAM consortium:

Targeted at current students of ITC fields, as well as recent graduates in ITC
Targeted at Employers, Trainers, and HR staff from companies hiring in the ICT fields).

Survey and GAP Analysis Deliverables

It identifies the current state of the graduates' qualifications and competencies in the participating countries and the MENA region in general.
It Surveys the current and future market trends and needs in terms of skills and competencies of the graduates in the participating MENA partner countries and the EU.
Identifying and defining the exact roadmap to bridge from (1) and (2).

NU is pleased to share the very first outcomes of the project activities. The Gap Analysis was the first milestone in achieving the ultimate objective of the STREAM project, which is to develop a generation of globally-exposed university graduates. They should be equipped with essential character, social and cognitive skills blended with and into academic and subject-matter competencies, with a higher degree of readiness for the fast-evolving community and job market. Also, they should be capable of integrating effectively into a multicultural, diverse ecosystem.

Concluding Work Package 1 (Preparation) of the STREAM project, the analysis – necessary to identify the fine-tuned implementation steps of the entire project – will help to increase the awareness of the current employability and market-needs compatibility situation and pave the road for guided development of the project activities towards its goal.

You can refer to the attachments (Survey Reports and Gap Analysis) to access detailed information regarding the methodology and findings:

  • Gap Analysis
  • Survey 1.1 Final Report
  • Survey 1.2 Final Report
  • Survey 1.3 Final Report
  • General Final Report
  • Egypt Report
  • Jordan Report
  • Algeria Report
  • EU Report