Employability enhancement

The labour market has seen significant changes in recent decades, not least in terms of greater flexibility and digitisation. Leiden University is keen to prepare students for a working life in which flexibility, resilience and adaptability will be essential qualities. The university’s vision on teaching and learning expresses an ambition for high-quality labour market orientation to be integrated into the education we provide.

Society and the labour market are constantly evolving, influenced by technological, economic and cultural developments; the students of today may well go on to work in industries and professions that have yet to be invented. We need to prepare our students to remain employable in a changing labour market landscape.

Preparation to enter the labour market

The Preparing for the Job Market project, which was completed in 2020, put this ambition into practice to make sure our students are as well prepared as possible when they move into work. The project has developed a frame of reference for preparing to enter the job market that helps study programmes devise an integrated labour market preparation programme. 

Career Services

The university’s Career Services team advises students and recent graduates as they transition from studying into their first job. Both undergraduate and master’s students can go to the team for guidance with issues surrounding study choice and career advice, as well as to take part in a range of activities and workshops. There is a Career Services department in every faculty, helping study programmes to continue to increase our students’ employability.