Taking Career Services one step further in Rwanda
As part of the SEAD West Project in Rwanda, a 4-day training was given in Career Information, Advice and Guidance (CIAG) Services to various career services stakeholders.
During this action-packed, 4-day training, MSM Career Services expert, Hermina Kooyman, covered general CIAG topics such as the importance, framework and best practices of CIAG. Furthermore, the CIAG "Toolkit" and various offerings were presented that can be included in the CIAG package to students. Additionally, the importance of developing of an alumni network was also covered, before culminating in the creation of an CIAG Action Plan.
The varied needs of the involved stakeholders ensured for rich discussions and the realization of the need to support one another. A SEAD West LinkedIn group was established to keep connected with one another after the training, so that the knowledge could continue to be shared and developed after the training.
Unanimously, the group found the focus on the Toolkit, especially CV and Motivation Letter writing, Networking (creating an Elevator Pitch) and Interview Techniques sections, that helped lead up to the creation of the CIAG Action Plan extremely useful and were motivated to implement some of these techniques and services into their CIAG department.
The group started off the training as 20 strangers and ended with 20 partners and friends. The interactive discussions and group work, encouraged by active learning, helped with the sharing of best practises and ideas, and the creation of group solutions. Although this SEAD-West CIAG training was initially created as a once-off training, the need for continuation was obvious. A seed was planted, and a community was created, to stay connected and support one another in the development of the various CIAG services within the Rwandan Education system. Feedback from the group was highly positive, confirming that the training had been beneficial to all.
About SEAD West
maastricht School of Management in partnership with the Rwanda Development Board (RDB) implements the SEAD West project: Strengthening Education for Agricultural Development. Through the project, the education & training institutions (IPRC Karongi, TVET Gisovu, TVET Kivumu, and TVET Bumba) are capacitated to better address the needs of the stakeholders in the agriculture sector with a focus on the Agri-Tourism value Chain.
The SEAD West project has, broadly, three lines of intervention: 1) Curriculum Development/Revision, both formal and non-formal; 2) strengthen the Applied research & innovation capacities of the partner institutions and 3) strengthen the outreach services, more specifically the offer of tailor-made training, and establishment of Service, Training, and Innovation Center in Agri-Tourism focusing on the Horticulture value chain and hospitality.
Orange Knowledge Programme
This project is part of the Orange Knowledge Programme (OKP) which is funded by the Netherlands’ Ministry of Foreign Affairs and managed by Nuffic. For more information click here.
MSM's Expert Centre on Emerging Economies
This institutional collaboration project is part of MSM's Expert Centre on Emerging Economies. The department is an expert centre on local economic development in emerging and developing markets. We capacitate managers and professionals from government, private sector, NGOs, and post-secondary education in Africa, Asia, Middle East, and Latin America. We offer consultancy and customized training programs, and we manage complex projects in key sectors, e.g. water, agriculture and health. For more information click here.
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