COUNTRIES: Iraq
DURATION: 09/30/2019 - 12/31/2023
FUNDER: U.S. Embassy Baghdad
PARTNER: Purdue University
CONTACT[email protected]

Program Description

Built the capacity of the University of Anbar to provide improved educational and career development opportunities to students, thereby preparing graduates with the 21st-century hard and soft skills needed to enter the workforce successfully.

The Investing in the Liberated University of Anbar project, funded by the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, aimed to strengthen the capacity of the University with a focus on engineering education, English language teaching and learning, and career support for students. The project consisted of a substantial collaborative needs assessment followed by technical assistance activities to address priority needs.  

World Learning delivered several professional development workshop series for faculty in three colleges who either prepared English teachers or taught through the medium of English, strengthening the respective skill sets and pedagogies. World Learning also delivered workshops to strengthen the University’s career services to meet student needs and facilitated a labor market assessment to inform curricula design and student support. World Learning’s implementing partner, Purdue University, supported the University’s College of Engineering with international accreditation preparation and several faculty development initiatives. 

Program Goals

  • Identified and prioritized the University of Anbar’s capacity development needs through a participatory needs assessment.
  • Supported and fostered sustainable partnerships between the University of Anbar and Purdue University and World Learning/SIT Graduate Institute.
  • Strengthened the human and technical capacity of the University of Anbar through the implementation of priority activities in STEM, career advisory and internship placement services, and English language teaching and learning.