Maria Kristin Gylfadottir, Policy Officer

European Commission, DG EAC

Modernisation of Higher Education – the CommissionPerspective

2

Overview

1. The Challenge: a Europe with increasing (and unmet) skills needs

2. A European Response: Europe 2020

3. An EU Reform Agenda for the Modernisation of Higher Education

4. How can Higher Education systems respond?

3

A Europe with increasing (and unmet)skills needs

1 - The Challenge

The EU labour market 10 years from now?

� Employment in 2020: 235 million (~ pre-crisis peak)

� Jobs becoming more knowledge- and skills-intensive

� Globalisation and technological advances =>changes in sectoral structure and demand for new types of skills

� By 2020 35% of all jobs will require high-level qualifications

5

More jobs for the better qualified

0

50

100

150

200

250

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

Millio

n jo

bs

Low qualifications Medium qualifications High qualifications

Forecast

+ 15,6 million jobs

+ 3,7 million jobs

- 12 million jobs

Source: Cedefop, 2010

Not enough people have high level education...

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Europe 2020:a strategy forsmart,sustainable andinclusive growth

2- Europe´s Response

8

Europe 2020: 3 interlinked priorities

1. Smart growth: developing an economy based on knowledge and innovation

2. Sustainable growth: promoting a more efficient, greener and more competitive economy

3. Inclusive growth: fostering a high-employment economy delivering social and territorial cohesion

9

7 flagship initiatives

Smart GrowthSmart Growth Sustainable Sustainable

GrowthGrowthInclusive GrowthInclusive Growth

Innovation

« Innovation Union »

Climate, energy

and mobility

« Resource efficient Europe »

Employment and

skills

« Agenda for new skills and jobs”

Education and

employment

« Youth on the move »

Competitiveness

« An industrial policy for the globalisation

era »

Fighting poverty

« European platform against

poverty »Digital society

« A digital agenda for Europe »

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What can the European Commission do?

�Education Policy = national competence

�Open Method of Coordination with Member States

� Strategic reflection and policy shaping

� Specific initiatives and instruments

� � the share of early school leavers to 10%(currently 14.4%)

�� increase the share of the population aged 30–34 having completed tertiary education to at least 40% (currently 33.6%)

11

Europe 2020 Targets for Education

How well are we doing?(40% of 30-34yr olds to be qualified at HE level by Europe 2020)

The same as last...but a table

47,3

40,9

22,6

18,1

18,6

19,8

22,1

23,5

23,5

25,7

27,7

28,4

29,8

32,3

33,6

34,8

35,3

40,0

40,6

41,4

43,0

43,5

43,8

44,4

45,1

45,7

45,8

46,1

47,0

49,9

37,3

32,6

8,9

7,4

11,6

13,7

10,6

11,3

15,9

14,8

19,5

25,4

25,7

18,6

22,4

18,5

12,5

30,8

29,2

26,5

29,0

27,4

42,6

35,2

31,1

40,3

31,8

21,2

32,1

27,5

15.5

20,4

(:)

16.2

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50

Norway

Turkey

Iceland

Croat ia

Romania

M alta

Italy

Czech Republic

Slovakia

Portugal

Austria

Hungary

Bulgaria

Greece

Germany

Latvia

EU 27

Slovenia

Poland

Estonia

Spain

Netherlands

United Kingdom

France

Lithuania

Belgium

Cyprus

Finland

Sweden

Luxembourg

Denmark

Ireland

(%)

2000

2010

Benchm

ark

2020

More people should reap the benefits of a university education

�How will Europe reach the 40% benchmark?

�Make Higher Education attractive and widen participation

�Reduce drop-out rates

�More flexible pathways and attendance modes

�National targets appropriate for own circumstances

�University is not for everyone - Vocational education and training should be a valuable alternative

. . . But can our Higher Education systems cope?

� Is there a trade off between quality and quantity?

� Diminishing exceptionality?

� Competition for students

3 - Agenda for Modernising Higher Education

stimulating and supporting progress

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A New Communication

� A Policy document

� sets out key challenges, opportunities and recommending actions at EU and Member State level

� guides EU spending priorities for Higher Education

� Key Theme

�How to raise the numbers whilst maintaining high quality provision?

European Higher Education systems in 10 years or so?

What do countries and regions need?

What do students want?

What do employers want?

By...

� Promoting excellence in teaching and human capital development

� Ensuring excellence in research and maximising innovation potential

� Strengthening equity and equal opportunities and promoting regional development

4 - HOW can Higher Education be responsive

...to the needs of society and the labour market but also shape the future?

What next?

� Higher Education has never been higher on the EU Agenda

� Reforms are needed to allow universities to play their

full part in driving smart, sustainable growth

� Graduate employability: an increasingly important

theme at various levels

� Learning from each other: advances modernisation

� EU programmes and policy debate: support and

impetus

•

Contact the Commission:http://ec.europa.eu/education/lifelong-learning-

programme/doc80_en.htm

Contact me:

Maria-Kristin.Gylfadottir@ec.europa.eu