Bologna Process - Work Programme - Employability

When Ministers met in May 2007 in London, they identified employability as one of the priorities for the period leading to the next ministerial conference in April 2009. Employability has been one of the main goals to be achieved with the creation of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) from the very start but many concerns still exist - among employers, students, academics, higher education institutions and governments.
Hence, in April 2012 in Bucharest, the Ministers committed “to enhance the employability and personal and professional development of graduates throughout their careers”to serve Europe’s needs (the Bucharest Communiqué, 2012). The Ministers stressed the role of cooperation between employers, students and higher education institutions in achieving this goal. Furthermore, lifelong learning was acknowledged as one of the important factors in meeting the needs of a changing labour market; and it was also highlighted that higher education institutions play a central role in transferring knowledge and strengthening regional development.
Finally, the Ministers pointed at the learning mobilityas essential to ensure the quality of higher education, enhance students’ employability and expand cross-border collaboration within the EHEA and beyond.
 
What is employability?
There are many definitions of employability. For the purpose of the Bologna Follow-up Group, employability is defined as the ability to gain initial employment, to maintain employment, and to be able to move around within the labour market.

The role of higher education


Today’s graduates need to combine transversal, multidisciplinary and innovation skills and competences with up-to-date subject-specific knowledge so as to be able to contribute to the wider needs of society and the labour market (the Bucharest Communiqué, 2012). The role of higher education in this context is to equip students with these skills and attributes (knowledge, attitudes and behaviours) that individuals need in the workplace and that employers require, and to ensure that people have the opportunities to maintain or renew those skills and attributes throughout their working lives. At the end of a course, students will thus have an in-depth knowledge of their subject as well as generic employability skills.

2012-2015 Work Programme
For the period 2012-2015, the working groups, ad-hoc working groups and networks, in addition to the specific tasks defined by their respective Terms of Reference, will aim through the policy recommendations developed at the end of their mandate to enhance employability, lifelong learning, transversal, innovative and entrepreneurial skills and stimulate student-centred learning of the graduates.  
 
2007-2009 Work Programme
After the Ministerial Meeting in London in May 2007, the Bologna Follow-up Group set up a working group to provide a report to Ministers for their 2009 conference on how to improve employability in relation to each of the three cycles (with a particular emphasis on the first cycle) as well as in the context of lifelong learning.

Suggested themes to be covered by the report include

    * awareness-raising among employers of the value of a bachelors qualification and associated learning outcomes;
    * involving employers in devising curricula and curriculum innovation based on learning outcomes;
    * provision of careers and guidance services;
    * employment and career structures within the public service that are fully compatible with the new degree system;
    * self-employability;
    * recognition of degrees in the labour market across Europe;
    * the role of higher education in lifelong learning and continuing professional development.

As one basis for the report, late 2007/early 2008, the employability working group conducted a short informal survey on the issue of employability among the members of the Bologna Follow-up Group.
For preliminary results and an overview of the state of affairs by the end of October 2008, read the employability working group update prepared for the Bologna Seminar in Luxembourg.

Bologna Seminars
"Employability: The Employers' Perspective and its Implications", Luxembourg, 6-7 November 2008
"Enhancing European Employability", Swansea, 14-16 July 2006
"The employability and its links to the objectives of the Bologna Process", Bled, 22-23 October 2004

Useful links
    * International comparative surveys of graduates provide valuable information about the relationship between higher education and employment, e.g. REFLEX project; Careers After Graduation
    * The European University Association has initiated a project dealing with employability in the context of doctoral education: DOC-CAREERS Project (2006-2007)
    * In 2007, the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) coordinated an international project on
      University-Enterprise cooperation. More...