Formation Continue du Supérieur

Par Josselin (jdeh). Le classement QS World University Rankings by Subject, publié aujourd'hui, laisse apparaitre de bonnes nouvelles pour les universités françaises. En effet, trois de celles-ci font partie du top 20 dans au moins une des 30 disciplines du classement. meltyCampus vous en dit plus. L'histoire, les sciences politiques et les langues vivantes. Voici les trois disciplines dans lesquelles excellent respectivement l'Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, Sciences-Po Paris et l'Université Paris-Sorbonne (Paris IV). Classées 13e, l'Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne n'est dépassée par personne en ce qui concerne la discipline histoire. L'Université Sciences-Po Paris, classée 13e en sciences politiques est, elle, la quatrième institution européenne dans le domaine. Suite...

L’accord Unédic auquel sont parvenus les partenaires sociaux est conclu pour 2 ans et s’appliquera aux salariés dont la date de fin de contrat sera postérieure au 30 juin 2014 ou dont la procédure de licenciement économique sera engagée après cette date. Cet accord va servir de fondement pour la rédaction de la nouvelle Convention d'assurance chômage et des textes d'application qui devront être agréés par le ministère chargé de l'emploi. La convention Unédic en cours est prolongée jusqu’au 30 juin. Suite...

La crise économique et financière a engendré un taux alarmant de chômage et de sous-emploi dans l’Union européenne. Paradoxalement, plus d’un employeur sur trois a du mal à pourvoir les emplois vacants. Un certain nombre d’études pointe l’inadéquation des compétences responsable de ce taux élevé de chômage.
Pour le Cedefop, d’autres facteurs entrent en ligne de compte pour expliquer cette hausse du chômage et la difficulté à pourvoir certains emplois vacants : même si les déficits de compétences existent, ils ne sont pas les premiers responsables du déséquilibre entre l’offre et la demande.
Pour le Cedefop, la situation diffère selon le niveau de l’emploi : on trouve près de deux fois moins d’emplois de niveau peu élevé que de travailleurs ayant les qualifications correspondantes, alors que le nombre d’emplois exigeant une formation supérieure correspond grosso modo au nombre des travailleurs hautement qualifiés disponibles. Si le déséquilibre est en revanche avéré pour les emplois de niveau intermédiaire, il s’explique moins par l’absence de compétences que par un phénomène de surqualification (29 % des travailleurs).
Autres facteurs de déséquilibre, les frictions du marché du travail (main-d’œuvre sédentaire, variations saisonnières, rigidités salariales...) ou encore l’inefficacité des stratégies de recrutement et de formation.
Voir l'étude du Cedefop.

By Tara Carman. Findings question government's position that jobs are vacant due to lack of homegrown skilled employees. As the B.C. government warns of a looming skills deficit and tens of thousands of temporary foreign workers pour into the province each year, a report from Canada’s parliamentary budget officer suggests there is no significant labour or skills shortage. The findings of Tuesday’s report, titled Labour Market Assessment 2014, go against the grain of the federal government’s position that jobs are remaining vacant because of a lack of adequate homegrown skilled employees where they are needed. More...

By Jeff Selingo. As demand surges for a college degree around the world, the higher-education enterprise has never been stronger. But the state of the industry that serves the enterprise is broken, particularly in the United States.
For most of the 20th century, the U.S. bragged that it had the best colleges and universities in the world— and rightfully so. Not anymore.
Over the last 30 years, American higher education has lost its way. More...

Middle East Higher Academic Council announces thesis and dissertation publication obligatory for all Online Master’s and PhD students currently based in the Middle East.
In wake of their attempt to effectively combat the rise of degree fraud and improve the standard of education offered in the Middle East region by various regional and international online universities, MEHAC recently passed a new regulation that makes thesis and dissertation publishing mandatory for all online Master’s and PhD students. More...

The French government is planning to announce more than 300 excellence scholarships worth over one million euros for the academic year 2014-15. Students from all fields and subjects at the bachelor’s, master’s and PhD levels are eligible to apply for these scholarships.
“The French government is keen to welcome Indian students in a wide range of fields like engineering, management, and design,” said a spokesperson from the embassy. The benefits of these scholarships include a monthly stipend to cover daily expenses, free student visa, medical insurance coverage and assistance in finding affordable accommodation in France.
Other offers are the Charpak scholarship programme which offers three types of funding (research internship programme, exchange programme, amaster’s programme), Eiffel scholarship programme which provides benefits like living expenses (1,200 euros/ month), travel expenses, health insurance and accommodation. More...

Universities from Gujarat may get several Australian students from next year under the Australian government's 'New Colombo Plan' initiative. The Australian universities are planning to introduce an entire semester in their curriculum for focusing on some Asian countries, especially India. Australian Consul General Mark Pierce told TOI that they want Australian students to spend more time and connect with Indians. More...

Africa-EU university boost: Commission backs plan to double size of partnership scheme
African and European universities face similar challenges: the need to modernise, provide relevant curricula and offer students more opportunities to broaden their skills to increase job prospects. These issues will be among the themes addressed by Androulla Vassiliou, European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth, at a meeting with representatives of 60 African universities in Brussels tomorrow, 27 March. The 'African Higher Education Harmonisation and Tuning' event, jointly organised by the European Commission and African Union Commission, focuses on student mobility, recognition of qualifications and credits, as well as the development of new and joint degree programmes. Over the next seven years, it is envisaged that the new Erasmus+ programme will provide grants for 25 000 African students and academics to study or train in Europe, and around 2 750 African researchers will receive support from the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions.
"Education is the best investment against inequality and poverty. We need to cooperate better at all levels to help higher education institutions develop relevant curricula, enable students and staff to overcome barriers to mobility and address the recognition of qualifications," said the Commissioner. "The quality and response of higher education to society's needs is central to any reform. Employers demand that universities produce graduates with modern skills and the tuning initiative helps us work towards these objectives. Plans to extend the scheme have my full support," she added.
One of the aims of this week's meeting is to double the scope of the initiative from 60 African universities and 130 000 undergraduate students to 120 universities by 2015. First launched in 2011, the 'tuning' scheme aims to enhance the relevance and quality of university courses by involving employers and other stakeholders in curricula design. It also seeks to improve institutional evaluation and to implement a framework for quality assurance and accreditation. The targets build on themes discussed at the Africa-EU Partnership Conference at Libreville, Gabon, in May 2013.
In addition to the grants available through Erasmus+ and the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions, EU support for the 'Nyerere' mobility programme will also facilitate exchanges within Africa to encourage student retention and increase the competitiveness and attractiveness of the institutions.
Next Steps
The next African Higher Education Harmonisation and Tuning event will take place in October 2014 in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, and focus on joint degrees - study programmes developed by two or more international universities.
Background
The European Union's development policies in Africa emphasise good cooperation, innovation and quality in higher education, mobility of students and staff, and institutional support. As part of the Joint Africa-EU Strategy, the EU contributes to the Intra-ACP Academic Mobility Scheme (for countries in Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific) and the African Union Nyerere programme, which offers mobility scholarships for Masters degree students and doctoral candidates within Africa in key areas for social and economic development.
The EU has provided €78 million for higher education programmes supporting students and universities in sub-Saharan Africa since 2007. Over the past seven years, 4 600 African students and 980 academic staff across the continent received grants from the Erasmus Mundus programme and more than 2 000 Africans received research fellowship grants through the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions.
In addition to the increased opportunities available under Erasmus+, in the next four years the EU also aims to provide scholarships to around 500 students and 70 university staff within Africa under the Africa mobility programme.
The African Higher Education Harmonisation and Tuning initiative, launched in January 2011, aims to improve competences, the relevance of degree courses in relation to society's needs, and to develop comparable and compatible qualifications. To date, six workshops have taken place.
The African Union Commission promotes quality assurance and the harmonisation of higher education programmes. It aims to increase cooperation between universities, quality assurance agencies, accreditation bodies, ministries of education and national governments.
The Pan-African University plays a key role in promoting mobility and harmonising programmes and degrees. The African Quality Rating Mechanism seeks to ensure that the performance of higher education institutions can be measured against criteria agreed by universities across Africa. It contributes to the implementation of the Arusha Convention, which aims to enhance comparability, transparency and the mutual recognition of university degrees and certificates in Africa.
These measures complement the European Commission's 2013 strategy on 'European Higher Education in the world' and the EU's dialogue on higher education policies with non- member countries and regions around the world.
For more information
Joint Africa- EU Strategy
Joint Africa-EU Strategy: Key Facts
African Higher Education and Harmonisation Tuning Initiative
European Commission: European Higher Education in the World strategy
European Commission: Education and training
Androulla Vassiliou's website
Follow Androulla Vassiliou on Twitter @VassiliouEU.
Contacts :
Dennis Abbott (+32 2 295 92 58)
Dina Avraam (+32 2 295 96 67).

A British University -- Wolverhampton will cooperate with a Myanmar private Vitoria University to advance tertiary education in Myanmar and improving graduates' job prospects, local media reported Tuesday. The memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between the two universities, in Yangon, over the last four days, said the Freedom Daily. The courses offered include B.Eng (Hons) Civil Engineering, Electronic and Communication Engineering, Mechatronics, B.Sc (Hons), Architectural Design Technology, B.A (Hons), Business Management. More...