University of Duhok (UoD)

MOVE Project

Enhancing university graduates’ eMplOyability through skills deVElopment and industry collaboration in Kurdistan region of Iraq and Yemen.

The majority of university graduates in Iraq and Yemen expect to find employment in the public sector, particularly within government roles. This expectation has persisted for decades, as governmental jobs are widely viewed as more secure and stable.

By targeting four universities in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq and two in Yemen, aims at modernizing and enhancing one key study program at each partner institution, with a focus on agricultural engineering and environmental fields, to better meet local market demands. This pilot initiative is designed to equip graduates with essential skills, including an entrepreneurial mind-set, to foster employment in the green economy. MOVE will empower graduates to thrive in an increasingly competitive, sustainable world.

The key objectives of the project MOVE are:

1- Assess the relationship between academia and the job market: Conduct a thorough analysis of the connection between academic programs in agricultural engineering and environmental studies and local labour market needs, while benchmarking best practices for graduate employability.

2- Curriculum review: Strengthen the capacity of partner universities to update at least one curriculum (in agriculture and/or environmental studies) to better align with the demands of the local job market, reducing the gap between graduates' competencies and market needs.

3- Enhance staff and student skills: Provide capacity-building opportunities for university staff and students, focusing on transversal skills (soft skills, digital skills, green skills) to empower higher education institutions to actively contribute to both local and global sustainable development goals.

4- Foster entrepreneurial mind-sets: Promote innovation and entrepreneurship among students by empowering Career Development Centres and organizing joint student hackathon focused on addressing societal needs and local market demands

5- Policy development and strategies for ESD and green transition in Yemen and KRG: by establishing Living Labs in each partner institution that align with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) related to environmental and sustainable development, the project will define policies and strategies to foster green transition in the two partner countries through education sustainable development