Investigating the Compatibility of Higher Education Institutions Programs with the Requirements of the Labour Market in Palestine رسالة ماجستير

Abstract

Palestinian higher education institutions face numerous challenges in adapting to the evolving labor market requirements. The aim of the current study was to assess the compatibility of higher education programs with the needs of the labor market in Palestine, in order to address the challenges faced by Palestinian higher education institutions in adapting to the evolving labor market requirements, which lead to increased unemployment and supply-demand gap. Employing a mixed approach that combines quantitative and qualitative methods, the study was conducted on a sample consisting of )200( graduates, using a questionnaire to collect data. In addition, a personalized questionnaire was developed for conducting interviews with ten experts in the Palestinian Ministry of Higher Education and scientific research (MOHE) and staff members in Palestinian universities. The study concluded that the reality of the outputs of higher education programs was moderate, and that the labour market requirements were high, and the strategy of the ministry of higher education and scientific research was moderate. The results showed that there is a direct positive relationship between the outputs of higher education programs and their appropriateness to the requirements of the labour market and the strategy of the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research. It has also been shown that the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research strategy plays a mediating role in the relationship between the outputs of higher education programs and the appropriateness of labour market requirements. The study concluded that there were no statistically significant differences at the level of significance (0.05) between the averages of the respondents' points of view about the outputs of higher education programs, and the compatibility of the requirements of the VI labour market, and the strategy of the Ministry of Higher Education in Palestine due to the variables: (gender, age, occupation, educational qualification, specialization, and workplace). In light of the findings, the researcher suggested several recommendations, which include updating the curriculum to include technical and soft skills, providing practical training and experiences, collaborating with the private sector, offering training programs and workshops, monitoring performance and career guidance, promoting scientific research and innovation, evaluating of matching strategies to align the outputs with the labour market, strengthening communication with the public sector, and developing mechanisms to track and evaluate graduate employment.