Dar es Salaam. The University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM) has signed a partnership agreement with global audit and business advisory firm PwC Tanzania to help produce graduates with skills that match the needs of the job market.
The partnership seeks to bridge the gap between classroom learning and the practical requirements of employers by giving students opportunities to gain hands-on experience, use technology and learn from professionals in the private sector.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, PwC Tanzania representative Zainab Salome Msimbe said closer collaboration between the Government, private sector and universities was necessary to address the challenge of graduates entering the job market without the skills employers require.
She said one of the challenges facing graduates was the gap between what they learn at university and the skills needed in the workplace.
“This often forces some employers to spend additional time and resources retraining graduates before assigning them responsibilities,” she said.
Ms Msimbe said the challenge could be reduced if universities worked more closely with the private sector to improve curricula, provide practical training and identify skills required in different areas of the economy.
She also said rapid technological changes were creating demand for professionals in emerging fields, including data science and artificial intelligence, requiring universities to continuously update their curricula and teaching methods.
“The partnership is expected to contribute to efforts to align higher education with the needs of the economy by building a workforce with modern skills, creativity and the ability to compete in the job market both within and outside Tanzania,” she said.
For her part, UDSM Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academics), Professor Rose Upor, said the university was continuing to ensure its academic programmes reflected the needs of the job market.
She said the aim was not only to produce graduates who could secure employment, but also those capable of becoming productive from their first day at work.
“We want to see our graduates ready to start work on their first day. This partnership with PwC will help us strengthen our students’ ability to grow quickly in their careers and make a greater practical contribution,” she said.
Professor Upor said findings from the 2024 graduate tracer study showed that UDSM was performing well, but there was still room to further improve graduates’ capabilities through exposure to experience and knowledge from the private sector.
According to information presented at the ceremony, the study found that 65 percent of UDSM graduates were ready to start work, with the partnership expected to help raise the figure through practical training and knowledge exchange.
Under the agreement, UDSM and PwC will also upgrade the Resource Centre at the University of Dar es Salaam Business School (UDBS) by providing electronic resources and computer software to enable students and lecturers to undertake exercises that mirror real-world business environments.
The initiative is also intended to reduce reliance on theoretical knowledge by enabling students to learn through simulations and technologies used in business operations.
