Lene OftedalEuropean CommissionACA seminar 14.10.2011

The Modernisation Agenda and the Social Dimension of Higher Education

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. The Social Dimension of Higher Education

The EU labour market 10 years from now?

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

v Jobs becoming more knowledge- and skills-intensive

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

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

EUROPE 2020

• “Europe’s future depends on its 100 million young people”

• By 2020, 35% of all jobs will require high-level qualifications (today: 29%) = “knowledge economy”

• Too many school leavers (15% of 18-24 year olds have less than upper secondary education)

• Only 33% of EU population have an HE degree (USA: > 40%, Japan: > 50%)

• Youth unemployment is too high: 21%

EU 2020 - Widening access benchmarks

Early School Leaving

Higher Education Attainment (Age 30-34)

2008 202014.9%

10% at most

2008 2020

33%

40% at least

Progress towards the 40% target

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44 44 4341

40

3534

3028

24 2422

20 20 19 18

35

2628

32

4145 44

60

40

47

43 42

46

4040

50

44

40

45

40 40 42 (*)

3532

36

30

38 (*)

40 40

32

27

33

27

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

IE DK LU SE FI CY BE LT FR UK NL ES EE PL SI EU LV DE EL BG HU AT PT SK CZ IT MT RO

High

er e

duca

tion

atta

inm

ent %

30-

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ear o

lds

2010 attainment level Europe 2020 target Europe 2020 national target

Share of 30-34 year olds with tertiary attainment, 2000 and 2010 (%)

Source: DG Education and Culture – Data source: Eurostat (LFS)Note: Croatia: 2002 instead of 2000. Luxembourg and Malta: 2010 data is provisional

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

Ben

chm

ark

2020

What is the social dimension : Council Recommendations from 2010

• equality of opportunities in higher education • access, participation and successful completion of

studies• guidance and counselling • financial support• student services• student participation in higher education governance • equal opportunities in mobility, portability of financial

support, removing barriers, and providing incentives

An EU agenda for the modernisationof higher education

§ Europe needs more graduates

§ Quality, relevance and employability

§ Higher education’s contribution to economic recovery and long term growth

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

NL LU AT CY UK DK CZ DE RO SI SE FI BE IT FR EU PL BG HU PT EL IE SK EE LT LV ES

Annu

al u

nem

ploy

men

t rat

e

Low er Secondary Upper Secondary Tertiary

Higher education shields against unemployment

Annual unemployment rates by highest level of education attained (2010)

Share of new entrants to tertiary education (2009)

Source: OECD

Key policy messages in the Communication

§ Increase attainment levels (in line with Europe 2020 agreed national targets), including among underrepresented

- Progression routes and recognition of prior learning and experience

- Outreach to underrepresented groups, guidance and targeted financial support

- Reduce drop-out

§ Improve quality and relevance- Graduate employability- Tailoring learning modes to a diverse student body- Motivating and rewarding excellent teachers- Programmes informed by and adapted to labour market needs

Key policy messages (2)

Quality through mobility & international co-operation- Learning mobility windows and moving between programmes- Efficient recognition of studies abroad- Improving access and employment conditions for non-EU students and researchers

Education, research & business for excellence and regional development- Stimulating entrepreneurial, creative and innovation skills and environments- Encouraging partnership and co-operation with business- Involvement of HE institutions in regional development plans

Governance and Funding to support strategic choices - Sufficient, efficient and well-targeted funding- Empowering institutions to play to their strengths

EU-level action (1)

Improving the evidence base to support policy-making and increase transparency- ‘U-Multirank’ - Better data on mobility and employment outcomes and matching skills with jobs - Analysis and peer learning on funding approaches- High level group to look at key topics for modernising HE

Promoting learning mobility & international co-operation- Erasmus Masters student loan guarantee- Strengthened ECTS- Analysis of student mobility flows and franchise education

Modernisation Agenda to support the Social Dimension

• HE attainment 40 %• Universities to enhance Lifelong Learning• Flexible study pathways• Social inclusion benchmark• 20 % of all students mobile by 2020 – Bologna

benchmark

Students entering higher education through regular routes

Chances of a tertiary degree when parents have higher education

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RO SK CZ MT BG LT EE LV HU AT PL LU FR DE IT CH EL NO TR IS BE PT ES UK CY FI NL IE SI SE DK

EU Support

• EU competences mean: Open Method of Coordination

• Member States in driving seat (including student services)

• EU plays facilitating, agenda-setting and benchmarking role

• EU programmes: support mobility + joint projects in support of EU2020 objectives + Member State activities

• Education Europe 2014-2020, 15.2 bn (72 % increase for Education, Training, Youth)

The new programme

• Provide incentives and support for the modernisation of higher education systems and of all other levels of education and training, particularly cooperation and strategic partnerships between institutions

• Enable young people, incl. those with less opportunities, to be better prepared for employability, particulary through learning mobility

• Promote exchange of good practice, foster a European Area of Mobility

• Cooperation with countries outside Europe

Funding new programme

• Suggested budget 15.3 billion euros• 73 % increase• To be discussed between EU Council, EU Parliament and

EU Commission• A suggestion for the new programme in December 2011

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Conclusion : Widening acess to higher education

Concluding remarks

• Widening access for underrepresented groups• Second chancers• Upgrade workforce• Personal growth• Active citizenship• New carrier pathways• Good transitions between the education levels• EU policy and programme to support

More balanced student body

Thank you for your attention!

http://ec.europa.eu/education/higher-education/doc/com0911_en.pdf