MoE conducts survey on employer satisfaction of local graduates Results from the study will allow the ministry to better understand the employability of uni graduates

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN — The education ministry is conducting a study to assess employers’ satisfaction on the performance of graduates from local tertiary education institutions, its permanent secretary said on Monday.

The ‘Graduate Employment Studies and Employer Satisfaction Survey’ will evaluate the marketability of local graduates and gauge the effectiveness of education policies, said Dr Hj Azman Ahmad.

Speaking at the UBD Career Fair 2021, he said the survey findings are hoped to provide an insight into the effectiveness of current policies and strategies of tertiary education institutions

The survey will involve all public and private higher education and technical institutions.

“Higher education institutions can utilise the findings to develop and implement initiatives that boost employers’ confidence in hiring their graduates, thereby increasing the employment rates of their graduates,” he said.

The permanent secretary said Brunei still managed to carry out its national priorities despite the major implications and challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“One such priority is the accessibility of education for all. Every school and higher education institution have adapted methods to ensure teaching and learning are not disrupted by working remotely and integrating technologies to allow education and training to be conducted through various forms of blended learning,” Dr Hj Azman added.

Over 70 job opportunities up for grabs at UBD career fair

UBD is holding its sixth career fair from January 11 to 16, featuring 40 exhibitors with over 70 full-time and part-time job opportunities and internship placements.

COVID-19 measures such as mass gathering limitations do not hinder UBD from organising the event, said the co-chair of UBD Career Fair Nurathirah Salihah Hj Md Salleh.

Students, alumni and potential employees may access the career fair virtually via with live streaming of engagement sessions with exhibitors.

“This provides exhibitors a web-based platform to conduct sessions with students, alumni and potential employees, allowing more in-depth sharing on topics such as corporate environment, upcoming apprenticeships and internship programmes,” Nurathirah Salihah added.

The website has profiles of employers/exhibitors, along with details of vacancies while jobseekers can send their CVs and confirm their attendance to engagement sessions with employers.

As part of its initiative to improve employability, UBD has also launched an entrepreneurial platform called UBD Startup Centre.

The centre provides an avenue for graduates to explore entrepreneurial ideas and work with  current students from multi-disciplinary backgrounds.