THE Higher Education Authority (HEA) has urged local universities and colleges to ensure that they produce graduates who have the right skills needed to improve the Zambian economy. HEA Director General Professor Kazhila Chinsembu says graduates need to have relevant, up-to-date competencies that align with Zambia’s national development ambitions and aspirations. Professor Chinsembu has made a very important observation, one that many employers across the country have echoed for years: there is a persistent mismatch between the graduates emerging from Zambian institutions of higher learning and the skills that industries actually require. This is not a trivial concern. It speaks to the heart of Zambia’s development agenda, because no country can build a strong, modern, competitive economy with a workforce...
