Involving students to Involving students to promote employability of promote employability of higher higher educationeducation

Anita Līce European Students’ Union

CEDEFOP peer learning event, Thessaloniki, 20 November 2007.

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

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

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)

• 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

• 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

• 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)

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)

Policy

Potential of HE to enhance employability

Policy

ACADEMIC Quality education

SOCIALEqual opportunities

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

Increasing social cohesion Diverse society take advantage of education

&Increasing efficiency of HE system Students do participate in and takes full advantage of education

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

ESU ESU committeescommittees

ESU Board (the national unions of students in ESU Board (the national unions of students in

Europe)Europe)

Dialogue & information

(discussion, WS, trainings,

publications) Policy Representation

Representing HE and/or

VET students Involved in HE governance, QA

process

Work towards specific services

for studentsRecognized; cooperates

with various stakeholders

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 NGO’s, which are developing opinion and lobby for it.

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?

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)

Negotiating employability

Good practices on employability (from WS)

Government• Government should increase

access to HE• Promote students’ and staff

mobility• Set minimum standards in

terms of salaries• Ensure autonomy of HEI’sStudents• Willingness to continue

further studies• Involvement in student

unions, academia, participation

• Develop soft skills apart from core academic work

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

Thank you!

www.esu-online.org