The MOVE Report on Academia–Labour Market Gaps and Employability in Kurdistan and Yemen is now ready and online!

The MOVE project is pleased to announce the publication of the Report “Assessment of Academia-Job Market Relations: Academic Offer, Job-Market Needs, Gaps and Good Practices in Kurdistan region of Iraq and Yemen”, a comprehensive assessment of the relationship between higher education and labour market needs in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq and Yemen, with a particular focus on agricultural engineering and environmental studies.

The report examines the gaps between existing academic provision and labour market expectations, identifies emerging skills needs, benchmarks good practices in graduate employability at local, regional, and international levels, and maps key stakeholders in the labour markets of both partner countries. Its findings provide an evidence-based foundation for strengthening cooperation between universities, employers, public institutions, and other relevant stakeholders.

Bridging the gap between higher education and employment

The analysis draws on desk research and on responses collected through different questionnaires: one survey addressed to institutions, academic staff, students and socio-economic stakeholders, and three additional questionnaires targeting institutions, students, and graduates and alumni, respectively.

The findings reveal a significant opportunity for universities to strengthen their contribution to sustainable development and employment in the agricultural and environmental sectors. While 81.6% of respondents expect demand for graduates in these fields to increase over the next five years, 72.1% report that existing academic programmes are only partially aligned or not aligned with labour market needs. Practical preparation also emerges as a major weakness among recent graduates, underlining the importance of connecting academic learning more closely with real-world professional experience.

Key skills for the future of agriculture and the environment

The report highlights key priorities for curriculum development to better align academic programmes with labour market needs, including sustainable agriculture, climate-smart production, agricultural technologies, environmental monitoring, and soil and water management. It also stresses the importance of strengthening digital competencies, particularly in GIS and remote sensing, data analysis, and emerging technologies, to equip students and graduates with the skills needed to address evolving challenges in the agricultural and environmental sectors.

It also emphasises the importance of transversal and professional competencies, including AI applications, entrepreneurship, project management, communication, problem-solving, and professional English. Combining technical knowledge with practical training and transferable skills is essential to better align higher education with labour market needs and strengthen graduate employability.

Together, these priorities point towards a more integrated approach to higher education, combining strong technical foundations with digital competencies, managerial skills, practical application, and structured workplace exposure. Strengthening these areas can help students and graduates respond more effectively to changing labour market demands and emerging opportunities in agricultural and environmental sectors.

Turning evidence into action

Beyond identifying gaps and skills needs, the report translates its findings into priorities for curriculum review and employability action at consortium level. It underlines the importance of establishing stronger, more systematic partnerships between higher education institutions and labour market stakeholders.

Recommended actions include:

• Developing internship opportunities and student training programmes to strengthen practical learning and workplace readiness.
• Engaging employers and sector specialists through guest lectures and advisory committees.
• Promoting jointly supervised student projects and applied research initiatives.
• Strengthening collaboration between universities and employers in curriculum development.
• Establishing regular stakeholder feedback mechanisms to ensure that academic programmes remain responsive to changing professional needs.

These measures can help create more effective pathways between education and employment, while supporting universities in adapting their programmes to the specific economic, social, and environmental contexts of Kurdistan and Yemen.

Supporting more responsive and employment-oriented higher education

The publication of this report (under the WP2) represents an important step in the MOVE project’s efforts to strengthen the links between academia and the labour market. By bringing together stakeholder perspectives, identifying skills gaps, and highlighting transferable good practices, the report provides a shared evidence base for partners to develop more relevant curricula and improve graduate employability.

Its findings will support ongoing discussions within the MOVE consortium on curriculum improvement, university–employer cooperation, and the development of practical opportunities for students and graduates.

The report will also serve as a key evidence base for the upcoming assessment and review of the 12 curricula already selected by the partner universities, two at each institution across Yemen and the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI). This process has supported to identify gaps between existing academic provision and labour market needs and guide curriculum improvements to strengthen the relevance of higher education and graduate employability.

Discover the report and explore its findings to learn more about how MOVE is working to bridge the gap between higher education and the world of work in Kurdistan and Yemen.