Scoping Study - Algerian Higher education and employability

The purpose of this consultancy is to write a report that provides an overview of the higher education sector in Algeria. The report will include socio-political changes in the sector and the impact of internationalisation on the development of the LMD system that started in 2004.

Exploring system to system approaches

This report will be central to the coordination of activity by the British Council and possibly other international stakeholders in developing system-to-system approaches to reform and development in the HE system in Algeria. Areas to explore include the following, though many of these will be interrelated:

• i)Approaches to quality improvement in teaching and learning in universities in Algeria
• ii)innovation
• iii)science and science diplomacy
• iv)research
• v)employability and work-skills
• vi)internationalisation and mobility
• vii)language and language policy.

It is envisaged that the consultancy will be a combination of desktop research and in-country scoping. The consultant will be required to outline the Algerian higher education structure, strategy and approach, identify key stakeholders locally and internationally; and to use this information to recognise areas where the UK systems, tools and processes could be adapted to support the ambitions of the Ministry and the sector.

The consultancy

The consultancy will aim to build on the British Council's existing relationships with universities across Algeria and the Ministry of Higher Education to achieve a wider engagement in education reform in the country, particularly around employability which is the subject of current work in Algeria. It will also aim to support and add value to the work that has already been done in English through the SEEDs project and the Scholarship Fund.

Specific attention should be paid to the leadership and governance of the Algerian HE system, both at a Ministry level and an institutional level, with a view to developing insights into ways in which the UK sector and the Algerian sector might work together more effectively in the future. In addition, the role of the student needs to be better understood with regard to access, academic study, progression and the political and social issues surrounding employability.

The role of the MOHESR in relation to university funding, governance and management is also important for understanding the current and potentially the future approaches to the university sector in Algeria.

Additional information: The scoping study will need to begin in January 2017 and be completed by early March 2017.

This opportunity is based on desk research and a visit to Algeria to meet key stakeholders.