Alumni in Employability
Utel University
Utel is a 100% online digital institution dedicated to accessible and flexible education for students worldwide. Based in Mexico. Utel offers over 70 officially recognized programs, including Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctorate degrees. With a focus on employability, Utel supports students from their first day through graduation and beyond, equipping them with valuable skills for personal and professional growth. Boasting a global network of over 145,000 students and alumni.
Beginning in 2022, UTEL participated in IFC’s Vitae 360° Assessment which examined satisfaction levels and ROI perceptions from employers, alumni, and students. Vitae compared Utel’s outcomes to regional and peer benchmarks from over 150 higher education institutions, encompassing more than 40,000 data points. These findings provided Utel with a strategic roadmap to enhance its employability strategy, resulting in:
- 20,000+ New Platform Registrations
- 565 New Alumni Mentors
- 55% increase in alumni survey feedback
- Introduction of employability tools for alumni
The universities efforts, led to more alumni engagement as mentors and employability agents. These strengthened connections have encouraged valuable feedback and boosting Utel’s reputation, the quality of their programs, and benefits for students and alumni.
In an interview with IFC, Utel University shares the unique challenges of online universities in terms of employability, and how IFC’s guidance provided an invaluable roadmap to move forward, ensuring post-graduation student success in the workplace.
This interview was conducted with Gabriela Capurro, Director of Employability and Engagement at Utel.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Q. Can you tell me about Utel University?
Utel University is a fully accredited online institution offering innovative, flexible, and personalized learning experiences. Our mission is to make quality education accessible to learners of all ages, backgrounds, and locations, overcoming traditional barriers such as affordability, accessibility, and rigid schedules. Leveraging data-driven strategies and predictive models, we place our students at the center of everything we do, enhancing retention and creating personalized learning experiences that meet their unique needs.
Education goes beyond the classroom — it should drive both professional growth and personal fulfillment. At Utel University, employability is at the core of everything we do, embedded across every stage of the student experience. Our comprehensive ecosystem of support includes tailored career services, training in soft and digital skills, hands-on learning opportunities, and partnerships with leading employers, ensuring students are prepared to thrive from day one and long after graduation.
Additionally, Utel holds prestigious national accreditations such as FIMPES and CIEES in Mexico, as well as international recognitions like the QS Stars Rating and ASIC in the UK and. Together with our collaborations with industry leaders such as Google, Meta, Mercado Libre, and AWS Educate, this recognition underscores our commitment to academic excellence, innovation, real-world relevance, and equipping students with the skills demanded by today’s job market.
Q: Why did you decide to work with IFC on employability? What were your goals?
We wanted guidance, to validate our strategy and be exposed to international best practices. Our goal was to strengthen and integrate job skills development into each stage of our students’ academic journey, as well as to implement tools and strategies to measure and continuously improve student’s employability outcomes. In addition, we wanted to create an ecosystem of linkages with industry that would favor immediate job placement, professional advancement and joint training.
Q: What are the challenges of employability for online universities like Utel?
Online universities must connect students to job opportunities that are accessible and relevant, regardless of geography. Our students are diverse and may have already had careers that may not be aligned with their long-term aspirations. This requires a highly personalized approach.
We need to break down barriers and perceptions about online education in the labor market. Thus, we focus on ensuring our graduates are seen as highly competent professionals. Our solution to such challenges is to create a comprehensive employability strategy that accompanies the student from admission until well after graduation, ensuring that each step is aligned with the changing demands of the labor market.
Q: What were the key findings of the IFC Employability Assessment?
IFC’s employability assessment showed we needed to refine aspects of our strategy. We were fully aligned with the need to expand work-integrated learning opportunities, further strengthen the development of soft skills and digital competencies and ensure that our teachers are adequately supported for optimal performance.
The IFC assessment underscored the importance of involving employers in academic development and joint projects, which has enabled us to link our education more closely with market demands. The recommendation to personalize the employability experience of our students using data and predictive models was also crucial.
Q: What were the main benefits of IFC advice?
IFC helped us identify key areas for improvement. We developed more accurate indicators of success. This has been critical to measuring our impact more effectively. These advances improved our current services and laid the foundation for new initiatives. We turned the Career Expansion Center into an Employability and Linkage Directorate, which ensures job placement, the development of an entrepreneurial profile, supporting graduates, and integrating the entire institution into our 360° employability strategy.
Q: How did IFC’s findings contribute to your strategy and services?
We began to continuously monitor the employability progress of our students. We reinforced our alliances with companies to develop training that is directly matched with the market. We integrated soft skills development and employability advisors, ensuring that our graduates not only have technical knowledge but also the necessary competencies to excel. We personalized Utel’s data framework to create models that improve the student experience and long-term employability.
Q: Did you face any difficulties?
One of the biggest challenges was integrating new practices and technologies into existing systems, which required effort for a smooth transition. There was initial resistance from some students who were used to traditional methods. However, these challenges provided us with an opportunity to reinforce our commitment to innovation and continuous improvement.
Q: Do you have any advice for other colleges?
My advice to other universities is to engage IFC and to leverage its advice, knowledge and expertise. See IFC Vitae’s service as an opportunity to measure, evaluate, look beyond, and adopt a global perspective. Be open to change and willing to take a comprehensive approach. Focus on academic development and career preparation from day one. Integrate applied training, personalize career services, and foster strong relationships with employers. Use data strategically to anticipate needs that deliver tailored interventions to students throughout their journey.
About Vitae
An innovation of the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, Vitae helps higher education institutions develop pathways to improve graduate employability and outcomes. Our tools offer a data-driven approach for institutions to identify their relative strengths and weaknesses while evaluating themselves against a global benchmark of best practices.
