career opportunities

Researchers have explained the emigration of Nigerian teachers, popularly termed japa, mainly through low remuneration and insecurity, while giving less attention to access to professional development and career progression. This study examined the professional development and career opportunities available to Nigerian nursery and primary school teachers in Nigeria and abroad, and how these are linked to the decision to migrate. A mixed-methods design was adopted. The study analysed the quantitative responses from 384 teachers in Nigeria and 20 teachers in the diaspora using means, standard deviations, and percentages. The study also thematically analysed semi-structured interviews with eight teachers (four in Nigeria and four in the United Kingdom and Canada). Teachers in Nigeria reported some exposure to professional development, but only 44% agreed that it was sufficient and 39% that it was affordable, although they indicated that most came from private schools and external organisations rather than from government. Teachers abroad reported greater access to professional development, often free and mandatory, and 80% agreed that they did not feel limited in their career advancement. However, only 40% agreed that they had experienced better career growth, and the interviews showed that visa conditions and the absence of Qualified Teacher Status confined some teachers to support roles. Professional development and certifications also functioned as a pathway to migration: the interview revealed that two of the teachers in Nigeria were preparing to leave through courses and certification, and three of the four teachers abroad had migrated in order to study. The findings suggest that limited professional development operates as a push factor and that certifications provide the route out. It was recommended that affordable and sustainable professional development should be provided for teachers in Nigeria.

In South Africa, the persistent issue of graduates being ill-prepared for the job market highlights the deep-seated inequalities within the country's higher education system. Often, employability is attributed to student motivation or individual “skills gaps,” but these explanations overlook the structural mismatches that affect the transition from university to employment. This paper explores how curriculum design, Work-Integrated Learning (WIL), and the digital divide interact to contribute to career unpreparedness among students at a Historically Disadvantaged Institution (HDI) that serves many rural and low-income communities. This study addresses that gap by foregrounding the perspectives of institutional actors, lecturers, WIL coordinators, and academic advisors at a single HDI. Through an interpretivist qualitative study using semi-structured interviews with lecturers, WIL coordinators, and academic advisors, the paper examines how these institutional figures perceive the relationship among academic programmes, labour market demands, and students' real-life circumstances. The findings reveal that curriculum updates often lag behind the fast-evolving job sectors, particularly in Information and Communication Technology (ICT); that WIL systems are fragile due to limited placement opportunities, inconsistent employer engagement, and brief placement periods; and that students from rural and economically disadvantaged backgrounds face compounded challenges, including transport costs, weak professional networks, barriers to digital access, and limited knowledge of recruitment platforms. Additionally, the study highlights that the digital divide extends beyond mere connectivity issues to encompass disparities in access to devices and data, digital confidence, and digitally facilitated career opportunities. Amidst the discourse on the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), globalisation, sustainability, and equity in African higher education, this paper calls for a transformation of the curriculum to be more collaborative, data-informed, and attuned to social needs. It proposes strengthening partnerships with advisory boards, co-creating curricula with industry, employing AI tools to align curricula, and coordinating policies among universities, employers, the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET), and technology developers. The paper concludes that improving graduate employability in South Africa requires more than technical reforms alone; it necessitates addressing the structural inequalities that shape who can transition from higher education to meaningful employment. The paper contributes a structural-misalignment framework, a clear distinction among empirically grounded, analytically derived, and forward-looking implications, and a methodologically transparent account of qualitative analysis in a sensitive institutional setting.

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فرصت‌های شغلی برای فعالیت به عنوان پژوهشگر علمی، مدرس، مدیر بازاریابی، نویسنده علمی، مسئول کنترل کیفیت یا مسئول تولید در صنایع غذایی، شیمیایی و داروسازی وجود دارد. همچنین امکان اشتغال به عنوان تحلیل‌گر (سرمایه‌گذار مخاطره‌پذیر) و متخصص محیط زیست/ایمنی فراهم است. شرکت‌های زیست‌فناوری به مدیران اجرایی با مدارک مدیریت یا کسب‌وکار نیاز دارند. فارغ‌التحصیل زیست‌فناوری می‌تواند در بخش دولتی مانند دانشگاه‌ها و پژوهشگاه‌ها یا در مراکز خصوصی به عنوان پژوهشگر یا دستیار پژوهشی مشغول به کار شود.

This study determined public school teachers’ level of awareness of the Expanded Career Progression (ECP) System and examined its relationship with job satisfaction in Bislig 1-B District, Division of Bislig City. A quantitative descriptive-correlational design was employed among 78 public school teachers selected from nine schools in the district using purposive eligibility criteria and complete coverage of the identified teacher population. An adapted and contextualized survey questionnaire measured ECP awareness across promotion pathways, professional development opportunities, competency-based evaluation, and compensation, incentives, and benefits, and measured job satisfaction across work environment, salary and benefits, career advancement opportunities, and administrative and institutional support. Data were analyzed using frequency, percentage, weighted mean, standard deviation, independent-samples t-test, one-way ANOVA, and Pearson product-moment correlation. Teachers were generally aware of the ECP system (WM = 3.93), with the highest awareness in professional development opportunities (WM = 4.14) and compensation, incentives, and benefits (WM = 4.13). They were generally satisfied with their jobs (WM = 3.80), with administrative and institutional support receiving the highest rating (WM = 3.99). Significant differences in both ECP awareness and job satisfaction were found according to age, educational attainment, and job position/rank, but not according to sex or teaching assignment. ECP awareness was moderately and positively related to job satisfaction (r = .482, p = .001). The findings indicate that clearer communication of promotion and evaluation mechanisms, accessible professional development, manageable workloads, transparent career opportunities, and continuing institutional support may strengthen teacher satisfaction and engagement.

این پژوهش سطح آگاهی معلمان مدارس دولتی از نظام توسعه‌یافته‌ی پیشرفت شغلی (ECP) را تعیین کرده و رابطه‌ی آن را با رضایت شغلی در ناحیه Bislig 1-B، اداره آموزش و پرورش شهر Bislig مورد بررسی قرار داده است. طرح پژوهش کمی از نوع توصیفی-همبستگی بر روی ۷۸ معلم مدارس دولتی که از میان نه مدرسه‌ی این ناحیه با استفاده از معیارهای هدفمند و پوشش کامل جمعیت معلمان شناسایی‌شده انتخاب شدند، اجرا شد. پرسشنامه‌ای اقتباس‌شده و بومی‌سازی‌شده، آگاهی از ECP را در محورهای مسیرهای ارتقاء، فرصت‌های توسعه حرفه‌ای، ارزیابی مبتنی بر شایستگی و جبران خدمات، مشوق‌ها و مزایا و همچنین رضایت شغلی را در محورهای محیط کار، حقوق و مزایا، فرصت‌های پیشرفت شغلی و حمایت اداری و نهادی اندازه‌گیری کرد. داده‌ها با استفاده از فراوانی، درصد، میانگین وزنی، انحراف معیار، آزمون t مستقل، تحلیل واریانس یک‌طرفه (ANOVA) و همبستگی حاصل‌ضرب لحظه‌ای پیرسون تحلیل شدند. معلمان به طور کلی از نظام ECP آگاهی داشتند (WM = 3.93)، که بیشترین آگاهی مربوط به فرصت‌های توسعه حرفه‌ای (WM = 4.14) و جبران خدمات، مشوق‌ها و مزایا (WM = 4.13) بود. آن‌ها به طور کلی از شغل خود رضایت داشتند (WM = 3.80)، که بالاترین امتیاز مربوط به حمایت اداری و نهادی (WM = 3.99) بود. تفاوت معناداری در هر دو متغیر آگاهی از ECP و رضایت شغلی بر اساس سن، سطح تحصیلات و موقعیت/رتبه شغلی مشاهده شد، اما بر اساس جنسیت یا نوع تدریس تفاوت معناداری وجود نداشت. آگاهی از ECP با رضایت شغلی رابطه‌ای مثبت و متوسط داشت (r = .482, p = .001). یافته‌ها نشان می‌دهد که شفافیت بیشتر در ارتباط با سازوکارهای ارتقاء و ارزیابی، دسترسی به توسعه حرفه‌ای، حجم کار قابل مدیریت، فرصت‌های شغلی شفاف و حمایت نهادی مستمر می‌تواند رضایت و مشارکت معلمان را تقویت کند.