Contact Person
Brian Power - Ireland
Elisabeth Gehrke - ESU

Composition
Armenia, Austria, Belgium/Flemish Community, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Norway, Romania, United Kingdom, Ukraine, EC, EI, EUA, EURASHE.

Purpose
(With reference to the sections of the Communiqué on “Providing quality higher education for all”, “Enhancing employability to serve Europe’s needs” and “Setting out priorities for 2012-2015”)
 
In the Bucharest Communiqué, in undertaking to provide quality higher education for all, EHEA Ministers observed, “…widening access to higher education is a precondition for societal progress and economic development. We agree to adopt national measures for widening overall access to quality higher education. We will work to raise completion rates and ensure timely progression in higher education in all EHEA countries…”
 
Ministers also re-confirmed the declared objective of the social dimension as already outlined at the London and Leuven/Lovain-la-Neuve Ministerial Communiqués – that the student body entering and graduating from higher education institutions should reflect the diversity of Europe’s populations.
 
Ministers also agreed to step up their efforts towards underrepresented groups to develop the social dimensionof higher education, reduce inequalities and provide adequate student support services, counselling and guidance, flexible learning paths and alternative access routes, including recognition of prior learning.
 
In setting out the specific priorities for 2012-2015, the Ministers committed to strengthening policies of widening overall access and raising completion rates, including measures targeting the increased participation of underrepresented groups. The Ministers also undertook to develop a system of voluntary peer learning and reviewing by 2013 in countries which request it and initiate a pilot project to promote peer learning on the social dimension of higher education.
 
The Ministers further committed to enhance the employabilityand personal and professional development of graduates throughout their careers.  In that regard, they asserted that lifelong learning (LLL) is one of the important factors in meeting the needs of a changing labour market, and acknowledged that higher education institutions play a central role in transferring knowledge and strengthening regional development, including by the continuous development of competences and reinforcement of knowledge alliances.

Specific Tasks
· To mobilise the cooperation of all relevant actorsin pursuing efforts to promote greater access, participation and completion rates in higher education for all students.
 · To fulfil the Ministerial commitment to adopt national measures for widening overall access to quality higher education by supporting EHEA countries in their work to develop and implement national access plans or strategies.       
·  To support the development of common approaches in monitoring the implementation of national access plans by elaborating core indicatorsthat may be used for measuring and monitoring the relevant aspects of the social dimension in higher education.
·  To promote the development and implementation of institution-level strategies for widening access, targeting the increased participation of underrepresented groups and raising completion rates.
·  To support and guide the implementation of a pilot project (PL4SD) to facilitate peer learning on the social dimension of higher educationwhich will assist EHEA countries in developing, implementing and monitoring social dimension policies.
·  To contribute to the development of structured peer review processes across EHEA countries and institutions.
·  To address the emerging pedagogical and didactical requirements to support the needs of a more diverse student population and improve their completion rates, through practical recommendations on implementing student-centred learning (SCL).
·  To address aspect of employability by advancing implementation of Bologna reforms and raising awareness on the purpose of those among stakeholders (including employers).
·  To help to identify and set priorities for peer learning and peer review activities concerning the areas of the social dimension and lifelong learning.

Last Update

Reporting on the Bologna Process Implementation read more
Contact Person

Contact Person
Marin  Jhonson - Estonia
Sylvie Bonichon - EURASHE
Deirdre Goggin - Ireland
Mehmet Durman - Turkey
Ruth Whittaker - United Kingdom (Scotland)

Composition

Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Belgium/Flemish Community, Belgium/French Community, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Latvia, Malta, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland, Rectors’ Conference of the Swiss Universities, The Netherlands, Turkey, UK, UK/Scotland, Scottish Social Services Council, European Commission, EUA, EURASHE, UNESCO

Purpose

Contact Person
Jean-Philippe RESTOUEIX - Council of Europe

Composition

Contact Person
Tomislav Vodička           
Marina Crnčić Sokol        
Virpi Hiltunen                  
Reeta Pattelma                                      
Alan Scott       
Leia Fitzgerald
       
Composition
Austria, Belgium /Flemish Community, Belgium/French Community, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, England, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Ireland, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Montenegro, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Scotland, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, EC, ESU, EUA.

Purpose
·         To contribute to the implementation of the full portability of national grants and loans through strengthening EHEA countries’ national policies.
·         To offer practical solutions for EHEA countries with regard to the implementation of schemes of portable student support.
·         To share information on developmentsand examples of good practice in relation to the portability of student grants and loans in orderto ensure balanced and sustainable mechanisms to support the mobility of students.
·         To raise issues of common concern in relation to the portability of student support.
·         To support the student body entering and graduating from higher education institutions to reflect the diversity of Europe's populations, reduce inequalities and provide adequate student support services.

Specific Tasks

Contact Person
Peter GREISLER – Germany
Gottfried Bacher – Austria
Luis Delgado – Spain

Contact Person
Nicola Vittorio - Italy
Marzia Foroni - Italy
Gloria Molero - Spain
Cezar Haj – Romania
Composition

Contact Person
Adam Tyson – European Commission
Klara Engels-Perenyi – European Commission
Composition
Armenia, Austria, Belgium/Flemish Community, Germany, France, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, Netherlands, Norway, Moldova, Sweden, Ukraine, UK, EUA, EURASHE, ESU, ENQA
Purpose
To prepare a revised version of the ECTS Users' Guide by mid-2014, by reflecting on policy development and implementation in the area of ECTS and learning outcomes since the previous revision of the ECTS Users' Guide in 2009, giving consideration to issues such as the following (and including in its scope further issues to be identified in consultation with the Working Group and external experts):

• Linking ECTS better with student workload and learning outcomes
• ECTS in short-cycle provision, in 1^st and 2^nd cycle programmes of different length and in 3^rd cycle
• Including the attainment of learning outcomes in assessment procedures
• Reflecting the developments in the area of the recognition of prior learning and with relation to the new EU Directive on Professional Qualifications

Reflecting on the use of the Grading table in Annex 3 of the current ECTS Users' Guide
Specific Tasks

• to identify in consultation with experts the key items to be reviewed
• to develop a revised version of the Guide
• to liaise with the Structural Working Group for their input
• to consult with external stakeholders
• to present a finalised draft to the Structural Working Group and the BFUG for adoption

Last Update
ECTS Guide
Working methods of the WG on the revision  of the ECTS Users Guide
2012-2015 ToR_Revision of the ECTS Users' Guide Ad-Hoc WG. More...

Conference 'Towards a European Area of Skills and Qualifications'

Organised by: European Commission

The conference will present the results of the public consultation and the Eurobarometer survey on a European Area of Skills and Qualifications. Key experts, policy makers and stakeholders will reflect on possible ways forward.