Career Readiness: Is Education Bridging the Gap to Workforce Success - A Comparison of the Harare Institute of Technology (Zimbabwe) and University of Stavanger (Norway)

By Prince Gora

Education for me has been beautiful and transformative. It has taken me from the tiny rural area of Ringa near Beatrice to the heart of Harare, Zimbabwe and now to the picturesque landscapes of Stavanger, Norway.

The main goal of this journey, traversed from the young age of five to now, my mid twenties, has been one: to prepare for the workforce, directly and indirectly.

In my early years, I learnt merely for the love of learning and for setting a solid foundation for the future but as I grew older, I began to worry about my career prospects and tried to learn things that could prepare me for the workforce. As the imperative to integrate into the workforce became increasingly evident and imminent, the educational institutions I attended progressively specialized to meet the evolving demands of my professional readiness.

HEAT at HIT

Up to high school, the focus of all the schools I went to was simply to get good grades and enough background knowledge to get into college. When I enrolled at Harare Institute of Technology (HIT), for the first time in my life, focus was turned to preparing me for the industry, or rather, for my life after college.

Due to the state of the Zimbabwean industry, the focus was not only to prepare me for the job industry but also to enable me to create jobs when I would eventually complete my studies. Though studying engineering, my educational journey at HIT saw me taking courses in communication and presentation skills, programming and perhaps most importantly, entrepreneurship, innovation and business.

The truth is that my classmates and I were not very fond of studying all these extra modules. We didn’t really understand why we were learning these things. “We are studying to be engineers, and not business people,” we argued.

In addition to the aforementioned courses and normal engineering courses, we had to carry out an 8 - 12 months intense internship (job placement) program, take various practical courses, make industrial visits and write up to 3 projects. The last of these served as our final year dissertation but all 3 were equally intense.

Virtually all of us hated this academic structure because the academic environment at HIT was rigorous and put us under immense pressure throughout our time there. Indeed, I cannot seem to remember a time when I was ever ‘free’ during my days at HIT. The pressure also meant that it was very difficult to study during the semester and many of us resolved to cram when exam time came near, particularly during the famous ‘SWOT’ week where many of us crammed, passed and then quickly forgot. Because of this; it’s not exactly rare to receive a random email or text message from an old classmate seeking information about something we learnt in class.

Looking back, we probably should have put more focus on the non-engineering subjects and embraced the pressure because it turned out that HIT knew that we needed more than engineering theories to make it in the brutal and shrinking Zimbabwean industry.

They probably did more than needed to be done, and I really have to emphasize that my analysis of HIT’s ability to prepare students for the job market in Zimbabwe should not be confused with my overall student experience there. That one, is a topic for another day.

There are, of course, some shortfalls with how HIT is preparing students for the job market. Some of these, like limited resources and outdated infrastructure are mostly beyond their control but they still need to be addressed because they pose hurdles in providing students with the latest tools and technologies.

Taking 8 - 10 modules per semester and doing 3 projects during the course of studies probably needs closer interrogation, to see if the pressure this exerts on students is really worth it. Job placement; though very noble, probably needs to be scrapped. With the shrinking industry in the country, very few students - and usually those who are well connected - are actually getting valuable working experience. The rest of us have to settle for things that add little to no value to our engineering studies because getting an internship position at any company in Zimbabwe has become very difficult.

There was a bit of industry - university collaboration at HIT but with the benefit of hindsight and a new experience, I have had to sadly conclude that it was probably too little. Furthermore, the implementation of new technological methods at HIT is rather far off the mark. All of these areas need to be addressed.

The major challenge facing HIT however is that there are not enough industries to absorb all of its graduates at the moment. Of course their strong emphasis on creating jobs, also echoed by the Ministry, has helped to ease this situation but not by much. I advocate for government intervention to play a pivotal role in supporting students and graduates by offering financial loans and implementing youth-friendly policies. This strategic approach aims to not only kickstart entrepreneurship but also to breathe new life into the industry. In a way, they are letting HIT down which has a legacy of producing resilient and adaptable graduates who excel in their chosen fields. My suggestions in this article can only further amplify the positive impact HIT has on career preparedness.

Tech and Students at the Centre at UiS
This is only my second semester at Universitet i Stavanger (UiS) in Norway so my analysis doesn’t exactly benefit from hindsight. Nonetheless, the transition from HIT to UiS has been quite an experience. At UiS, I found myself immersed in a different educational paradigm.

What really struck me is how student centric and technologically advanced they are. The learning environment is so good that I once remarked to a fellow African student in my department that, “Coming from Africa, there is literally no reason why we must fail or even get bad grades here.”

To a friend who queried on whether or not I was going to continue student activism, I simply said, “Let’s just say that if I had started my education here, I wouldn’t be a student activist in the first place.” Everything that I fought for in Zimbabwe, everything I was told is too much to ask for; is a reality here. Actually, I think we were asking for too little.

I have spoken at length about the student centric approach at UiS here because it is the basis of their education. They put students and their needs at the center of everything they do and one of the students’ main needs is, of course, to fit in the job industry.

Not only is the Norwegian approach student centric but it also places a strong emphasis on practical, hands-on learning, encouraging students to apply theoretical knowledge in real-world situations. The University of Stavanger's commitment to research and innovation is evident in its state-of-the-art facilities and collaborative projects with industries. This focus on practical skills has a direct impact on career readiness, aligning education with the requirements of the workforce.

I haven’t been here long but I have already been on at least 10 industrial visits; many more than I had in 4 years at HIT. I have also attended 2 job fairs organised by UiS, again something that I never did at HIT.

I sometimes attended lectures by industry experts, often in my business related modules at HIT but it was only once in a while. At UiS, I have that kind of lecture at least once every month. This collaborative learning environment has given me a strong connection and perspective on the industry here, which I believe is a key aspect that contributes to better career preparedness. There is no job placement here but the university-industry collaboration makes up for that.

Conclusion
My educational journey from HIT to UiS has provided me with a diverse perspective and underscored the importance of a holistic approach to higher education.

Both Zimbabwe and Norway share a common goal of preparing students for successful careers, but the methodologies and resources available differ significantly. Norway's investment in education, research, and technology has positioned its higher education system as a global leader in producing workforce-ready graduates. Meanwhile, Zimbabwe grapples with the task of modernizing its educational infrastructure to meet the demands of the 21st-century job market.

I am forever grateful to the Harare Institute of Technology whose strengths lie in its commitment to building a strong foundation, fostering resilience, and producing graduates who contribute meaningfully to society. As I continue my Master's program in Norway, I carry with me the valuable lessons and experiences from both institutions, hopeful that each can learn from the other to create well-rounded, career-ready graduates on a global scale.

Law 16 Of The 48 Laws Of Power: Use Absence To Increase Respect And Honor

 

I read the 48 laws of Power as a teenager and thought that it was evil. As I grow older though, I am beginning find it to be extremely important and a necessary tool for my day to day life. I often read it from time to time to remind myself of what I have to do in this world but sometimes I read it to understand the actions of the powerful of this world. Today is such a day. Often times, I keep such readings to myself but today I want to share with you all to just see how many of you can connect the dots.

JUDGMENT

Too much circulation makes the price go down: The more you are seen and heard from, the more common you appear. If you are already established in a group, temporary withdrawal from it will make you more talked about, even more admired. You must learn when to leave. Create value through scarcity.

OBSERVANCE OF THE LAW

For many centuries the Assyrians ruled upper Asia with an iron fist. In the eighth century B.C., however, the people of Medea (now northwestern Iran) revolted against them, and finally broke free. Now the Medes had to establish a new government. Determined to avoid any form of despotism, they refused to give ultimate power to any one man, or to establish a monarchy. Without a leader, however, the country soon fell into chaos, and fractured into small kingdoms, with village fighting against village.

In one such village lived a man named Deioces, who began to make a name for himself for fair dealing and the ability to settle disputes.

He did this so successfully, in fact, that soon any legal conflict in the area was brought to him, and his power increased. Throughout the land, the law had fallen into disrepute—the judges were corrupt, and no one entrusted their cases to the courts any more, resorting to violence instead. When news spread of Deioces’ wisdom, incorruptibility, and unshakable impartiality, Medean villages far and wide turned to him to settle all manner of cases. Soon he became the sole arbiter of justice in the land.

At the height of his power, Deioces suddenly decided he had had enough. He would no longer sit in the chair of judgment, would hear no more suits, settle no more disputes between brother and brother, village and village. Complaining that he was spending so much time dealing with other people’s problems that he had neglected his own affairs, he retired. The country once again descended into chaos. With the sudden withdrawal of a powerful arbiter like Deioces, crime increased, and contempt for the law was never greater. The Medes held a meeting of all the villages to decide how to get out of their predicament. “We cannot continue to live in this country under these conditions,” said one tribal leader. “Let us appoint one of our number to rule so that we can live under orderly government, rather than losing our homes altogether in the present chaos.”

And so, despite all that the Medes had suffered under the Assyrian despotism, they decided to set up a monarchy and name a king. And the man they most wanted to rule, of course, was the fair-minded Deioces. He was hard to convince, for he wanted nothing more to do with the villages’ in-fighting and bickering, but the Medes begged and pleaded—without him the country had descended into a state of lawlessness. Deioces finally agreed.

Yet he also imposed conditions. An enormous palace was to be constructed for him, he was to be provided with bodyguards, and a capital city was to be built from which he could rule. All of this was done, and Deioces settled into his palace. In the center of the capital, the palace was surrounded by walls, and completely inaccessible to ordinary people. Deioces then established the terms of his rule: Admission to his presence was forbidden. Communication with the king was only possible through messengers. No one in the royal court could see him more than once a week, and then only by permission.

Deioces ruled for fifty-three years, extended the Medean empire, and established the foundation for what would later be the Persian empire, under his great-great-grandson Cyrus. During Deioces’ reign, the people’s respect for him gradually turned into a form of worship: He was not a mere mortal, they believed, but the son of a god.

Interpretation

Deioces was a man of great ambition. He determined early on that the country needed a strong ruler, and that he was the man for the job.

In a land plagued with anarchy, the most powerful man is the judge and arbiter. So Deioces began his career by making his reputation as a man of impeccable fairness.

At the height of his power as a judge, however, Deioces realized the truth of the law of absence and presence: By serving so many clients, he had become too noticeable, too available, and had lost the respect he had earlier enjoyed. People were taking his services for granted. The only way to regain the veneration and power he wanted was to withdraw completely, and let the Medes taste what life was like without him. As he expected, they came begging for him to rule.

Once Deioces had discovered the truth of this law, he carried it to its ultimate realization. In the palace his people had built for him, none could see him except a few courtiers, and those only rarely. As Herodotus wrote, “There was a risk that if they saw him habitually, it might lead to jealousy and resentment, and plots would follow; but if nobody saw him, the legend would grow that he was a being of a different order from mere men.”