35 Hawassa university graduates begin in-country traineeships with leading Ethiopian horticulture companies

In the first week of July, 35 recent graduates of Hawassa University began their three-month in-country traineeships under the MOBILISE project. Following an induction delivered by the Ethiopian Horticulture Producer Exporters Association (EHPEA) on 20 June, the graduates joined seven leading horticultural companies across Ethiopia, marking the start of a new phase of the project focused on strengthening graduate employability through workplace learning.

Coordinated by Maastricht University School of Management (MSM) in partnership with Hawassa University and EHPEA, the programme brings together graduates from Horticulture, Agricultural Economics, Agribusiness and Value Chain Management, Plant Science, and Food Science and Post-Harvest Management. Throughout the traineeship, participants receive workplace mentoring, academic supervision, and regular support from the project partners.

Over the next three months, the trainees will gain practical experience across the horticultural value chain, including nursery management, greenhouse and open-field production, irrigation, crop nutrition, integrated pest management, harvesting, post-harvest handling, quality assurance, packaging, marketing, and agribusiness operations. Alongside technical knowledge, the programme also focuses on developing employability skills such as teamwork, communication, problem solving, entrepreneurship, and professional ethics.

The trainees are hosted by seven horticultural companies located in Koka, Holeta, Zeway, Batu, Arbaminch, and Bishoftu, providing exposure to different production systems and business environments. Beyond the immediate learning experience, the programme aims to strengthen cooperation between higher education and the horticulture industry while creating opportunities for graduates to establish professional networks that can support their future careers.

Building on the experience gained through previous international mobility activities, this first cohort represents an important step towards embedding structured workplace learning within Ethiopia's horticulture sector and strengthening long-term collaboration between universities and employers.