Involving students to promote employability of higher education

1
Involving students to promote employability of
higher education

• Anita Lice
• European Students Union

CEDEFOP peer learning event, Thessaloniki, 20
November 2007.
2
European Students Union

• Promoting the educational, social, economic
  cultural interests of students at the European
  level towards all relevant organisations
  institutions for 25 years

• 47 members
• 36 countries
• Over 10 mill. Students
• Formerly ESIB The National Unions of Students
  in Europe

3
The development and policy level work that ESU is
doing to promote young graduates entry to the
labour market
4
Policy

• ESU policy focuses on the higher education and
  related issues to promote students interests

What does it mean to be employable? (from
students WS)

• At the Higher education institution
• Adapt to emerging societal needs
• Explain the value of the degrees (communication,
  learning outcomes, involvement of the
  stakeholders)
• Reputation
• Career guidance services
• Taking into account the market needs
• Promoting the transversal competences and soft
  skills
• Good quality education

• For the Individual
• Be able to apply knowledge, skills and
  competences in different contexts
• Adaptability to the workplace environment
• Self-aware of the capacities self-confidence
• Ability to be self-employed and to develop and
  achieve a life project

5
Policy

• Employability process and concept rather than a
  mere mathematical relationship between completion
  rates and employment statistics.
• ESU continues to believe that the main goals of
  education are personal development, promotion of
  and education for active citizenship, developing
  and spreading knowledge and humanity as well as
  fostering of critical thinking and learning to
  learn. And education system must work towards the
  aim of a democratic society with equal
  opportunities for all that puts the interests of
  all people in its centre and educates them for
  their activity in the labour market. (ESIB
  2004, 2006)

6
Policy

• The trend towards articulation of learning
  outcomes (in terms of knowledge, skills,
  competences, most notable in the context of the
  development of QF), outcomes based,
  student-centered models of (higher) education
  welcome and acts as a transformation of narrower,
  utilitarian notion of employability.
• Employability and issues of work is not the
  issue of HE system alone, but incorporate many
  factors (e.g., social security, labour
  legislation, economic models and regional
  disparities)

7
Policy

• Potential of HE to enhance employability

ACADEMIC Quality education
SOCIAL Equal opportunities
Increasing social cohesion ? Diverse society
take advantage of education Increasing
efficiency of HE system ? Students do
participate in and takes full advantage of
education

• Student centered education
• curricular reform
• qualifications frameworks
• skills and competences

8
Which channels does ESU use to consult the
national student unions to find out expectations
of new graduates towards the counselling
services?
9

ESU committees

Dialogue information (discussion, WS,
trainings, publications)
Policy
Representation

ESU Board (the national unions
of students in Europe)

Work towards specific services for students
Representing HE and/or VET students
Recognized cooperates with various stakeholders
Involved in HE governance, QA process
10
Co-operation with the national unions of students

• ESU collects information from its members and
  provide them with information- ESU policy
  making by members in the board meetings-
  gathering information from students- providing
  unions with reports, articles, information
  papers.
• National unions of students have different ways
  of policy-making (representing )
• Student unions are not about consumer
  protection, but are NGOs, which are developing
  opinion and lobby for it.

11
What negotiation fora does ESU use to influence
other relevant actors and policy/decision-makers
in order to bring to their attention the actual
information and guidance needs of students making
the transition from education to working life?
12
Negotiating employability

• Majority of students in Europe work already
  before graduation. Integrated policy approach is
  needed to ensure that all students can take the
  best advantage of the best possible quality
  education and - in transition from education to
  the labour market - can take the best
  opportunities available to make use of the
  outcomes of their education.
• National policy actors through the national
  unions of students
• Promote employability ideas within the Bologna
  Process through participation in the working
  group on employability, various conferences,
  talking directly with labour unions
• Major concerns/priorities Employability of
  bachelor degrees has become one of our major
  concerns by now link between VET and higher
  education and access from on study programme to
  other promoting mobility and internationalisation
  
• European working groups (Expert group on
  entrepreneurship)

13
Good practices on employability (from WS)

• Employers
• Offer placements, internships, and coaching
• Support HEI and also have agreements with HEI to
  train employees
• HEI
• Communication with society on the relevance of
  the education provided
• Promoting mobility
• Career guidance services
• Stakeholder involvement in HEI governance
• Research-based and up to date education
• Ensure lifelong learning programmes

• Government
• Government should increase access to HE
• Promote students and staff mobility
• Set minimum standards in terms of salaries
• Ensure autonomy of HEIs
• Students
• Willingness to continue further studies
• Involvement in student unions, academia,
  participation
• Develop soft skills apart from core academic work

14
Thank you!
www.esu-online.org