Benchmarking FAQs
What is Vitae’s benchmarking exercise?
Vitae’s benchmarking exercise enables a higher education institution to quickly self-assess its employability practices through a short questionnaire.
What does Vitae measure?
Vitae measures the five dimensions of employability, which include relevance of learning, governance and strategy for employability, employer engagement, career services and work-integrated learning, and alumni management.
How did Vitae choose the five dimensions of employability?
The five dimensions of employability are based on foundations of applied research and studies by respected academicians and practitioners. The importance of industry advisory in curriculum development and review has been highlighted from the program-specific perspective at various types of institutions – from comprehensive and research universities providing world class hospitality training to engineering departments at colleges and universities and other technical and non-technical programs throughout the world.
Why is data so important to employability?
The employability strategy of a higher education institution needs to have a data-driven mechanism to evaluate success and aid in evidence-based decision-making with respect to program relevancy and alignment with industry needs. Institutions, sectors, and entire countries can gain valuable insights through graduate outcome data, which is also relevant in curriculum review.
What is the foundation for Vitae’s global benchmark?
The global benchmark for each of the five dimensions of employability is a simple average of the questionnaire’s scores from institutions whose results have been validated through Vitae’s 360° Assessment. In addition, the Vitae team has added data from select institutions through a qualifying process to validate the data, to make the global benchmark as robust as possible.
How will the data be utilized?
Benchmarking results are for research insights and decision-making purposes at the institution completing the questionnaire. Institutional data will not be assimilated into Vitae’s global benchmark dataset unless the institution specifically provides its consent, after which the data must be validated by the Vitae team through discussion with the respondent and his/her institution.
What types of institutions are included in the benchmark from Vitae’s 360° Assessment, and where are the institutions located?
The benchmark includes data from public and private universities and institutes as well as technical institutes that deliver their services on-site, online, or through a hybrid approach. Represented regions include Latin America and the Caribbean, Sub-Saharan Africa, and the Middle East.
Is the global benchmark a ranking system?
No. The Vitae benchmark is intended to serve as a lens through which an institution can examine its employability practices and take away recommendations for improvement. The benchmark is not aligned with other university ranking systems and is not intended to evaluate the overall quality of an institution’s academic rigor or graduate employment status.
How often is the global benchmark updated?
The benchmark is updated on a quarterly basis as data is collected and validated through the Vitae platform.
Is there only one submission allowed per institution?
There’s no limit to the number of submissions for each institution, however if an institution is part of the benchmark, it’s tagged as such in the platform’s database. This information cannot be over-written by another user from the same institution, or even by the original user.
How can I best prepare myself to complete the benchmarking exercise?
You will need to reserve at least 20 minutes to complete the exercise. You also need to be familiar with your institution’s practices with respect to employability.
Are there any other requirements to take the benchmarking?
Yes. It’s required that you create a user profile if you wish to visit your results or retake the exercise in the future.
