The “African Centre for Career Enhancement & Skills Support (ACCESS)”, a consortium of six African Universities and the University of Leipzig in Germany invites applications for PhD grants. The programme which is financed by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), will analyse the employability of university graduates within the African context.

The programme aims to research how graduates in Africa search and find work and build up their careers, and to develop and test innovative concepts for employability promotion at Higher Education Institutes (HEIs) in Africa. Employers in Africa say that they are looking for graduates who can think for themselves, take initiatives, integrate into fast-paced work environments, learn new ways of working and develop creative solutions to real problems.

But what does this mean in practice? How can students best be supported in developing these job-relevant capabilities that rely more on methodology and key skills than on academic content? How can job-relevant learning approaches be integrated into all disciplines and study programs (curricula) at African and European Universities? What can be learnt from the experiences of existing graduates and from the existing efforts at employability promotion at universities in African and Europe? How can university employability promotion be developed in collaboration with partners outside universities in the private or public sector?

What do we know about the functionalities and experiences with digital (coaching) platforms?

As of May 1, 2020, six PhD grants (ca. €1,200 per month) will be available. ACCESS is an interdisciplinary programme, therefore, applicants from a wide range of disciplines, including History, Politics, Economics, Business Studies, Education, Anthropology, Human Geography, Information Systems, Engineering and cognate disciplines, may be considered. One candidate will be accepted from each of the following countries: Benin, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, and Tunisia.

The successful doctoral candidates will be supported for a maximum of three years, within which they will be expected to produce their PhD thesis in the subject area. They will become member of the Research Academy at the University of Leipzig. Each PhD candidate will be coached and supervised by at least two academic supervisors: one from his/her home institution in Africa and one from Leipzig University.

Download Full Details