Who we are
We exisit to help our students become successful. We measure success not by how many have graduated but by how many achieved a diginified means of living.The career centers in universities and vocational guidance and counselng offices in polytechnic colleges existed at least five years earlier than the alliance formation.
The alliance between the career centers was established with the support of a USAID funded Kefeta project. The project created a platform for the centers to share experience, learn from each other, share resources and combine voices for grater impact.
We are career service centers in 11 universities and 11 polytechnic colleges. We provide career relevant trainings, career counseling and link students with employment opportunities.
How it all started?
In August 2021, USAID Ethiopia awarded its Integrated Youth Activity (IYA) to Africa’s largest international health NGO, Amref Health Africa. IYA is a 5-year, $60 million multisector project with the goal of empowering Ethiopian youth to own, lead, manage, and advance their own social, educational, economic, and civic development. Simultaneously, IYA will strengthen the capacity of Ethiopian higher education institutions (HEIs), youth-serving organizations, and other service providers to support economic and social opportunities for youth. Led by 100% Ethiopian professionals, Amref designed “Kefeta,” an integrated approach that draws from strong partnerships with Ethiopian civil society organizations (CSOs) and the private sector, with additional support from international partners including Arizona State University (ASU). Kefeta will benefit the lives of at least two million youth across Ethiopia, building their agency, linking them to economic opportunities, and improving their access to youth-friendly services. To achieve such widespread and sustainable impact, Kefeta’s approach is predicated upon developing and improving systems, networks, and organizations that serve youth across multiple sectors, including higher education. As such, strengthening the capacity of the Ethiopian higher education system to promote youth economic, civic and social development is a primary dimension of Kefeta’s solution. This has been accomplished by convening a group of public universities and TVETs, in conjunction with the Government of Ethiopia and other local and private sector partners, to form the Ethiopian Higher Education Alliance (“Alliance”).
Why an Alliance?
Programs implemented at single HEI’s are effective at building the competence of individual faculty, students, and programs, but less successful at achieving institutional and systemic change. Effective implementation of higher education policies, strategies, initiatives and activities requires cooperation and collaboration among different stakeholders. An Alliance design improves collective learning and overcomes the deficiencies of siloed efforts, allowing HEIs to jointly examine challenges, co-design and transparently test solutions, evaluate impact, and hold one another accountable.