The advantages of higher education have received significant attention over time. However, recent research seems to challenge this assumption. It highlights that returns to education may be subject to inflation, may vary in relation to skills, and may not be equally distributed, thus posing new questions about the role of formal education. Against…

This briefing reports on recent developments affecting Europe's recognition regimes -- both professional and academic. At the start of 2023, the European Year of Skills, the author looks at the context facing higher education stakeholders across four areas: the European labour market, Ukraine, developments in the higher education sector and the…

This book unravels the 'new reality' of national educational reforms, exploring optimal strategic directions for education and training. Offering a particular emphasis on EU-wide political guidelines, it encompasses lifelong learning across all levels, and it showcases the pivotal role of modern skills in education for reducing poverty, promoting…

This briefing reports on recent developments affecting Europe's recognition regimes -- both professional and academic. Currently, the principal change factor is the drive to digitalise, accelerated by the new circumstances created by the pandemic. The crisis in Ukraine, too, has prompted a range of initiatives. Meanwhile, uncertainty still…

The world is experiencing significant changes, including exponential growth of the global population, global warming and climate change, biodiversity loss, international migration, digitalization, smart agriculture/farming, synthetic biology, and most recently a global human health pandemic. These trends pose a set of relevant challenges for the…

The article deals with analysis of challenges and objectives for higher education in the context of globalization: the forming of international labour market proves the fact that the process of international integration is affecting economy and technology as well as social and labour relations that are becoming more and more global. The…

The link between higher education and employment is central to the understanding of social stratification and social mobility. We use three theories to analyse the importance of education and credentials in recruitment decisions in European graduate labour markets: human capital (HC), network capital (NC) and reputational capital (RC) theory.…

This article explores how elitist elements are preserved within an expanding higher education. It analyzes whether the choice of field of study may be one of these elements and focuses on the case of Roma students in Eastern and Southeastern Europe. The analysis reveals that Roma in the region are not only underrepresented in higher education in…

This synthesis report summarises the findings of the Cedefop project "The changing nature and role of vocational education and training (VET) in Europe (2016-18)." Research aimed at taking a step back and painting a comprehensive picture of VET developments in Europe, identifying challenges and opportunities. The summary shows that…

This publication is the sixth in a series produced as part of the Cedefop project The changing nature and role of VET (2016-18). Based on analysis of developments over the past two decades (1995-2015), the report provides important insights into developments and change processes related to vocationally oriented education and training at higher…

ERASMUS is a mobility program that provides its participants with experiences in their fields of study and work by presenting them global trends. It promotes the academic, professional and individual development of the participants while contributing to the extension of the worldwide work market. This study aims to explore the impact of the…

The expansion process of Latin American higher education systems experienced in recent decades has drawn the attention of many scholars. Its impact has been assessed in relation to the broadening of access to education for the low-income sectors and the reduction of social inequality; likewise, the market's capacity to absorb a greater number of…

The proposed paper seeks to add a different dimension to the educational borrowing, lending, and transfer literature by examining the consequences of educational reforms that are implemented under dictatorships and their lasting impacts. In using Tunisia as an example, we assess the effects of the 2008 Licence-Maitrise-Doctorat ([LMD]…

The article examines how far the key Bologna objective of student mobility has been achieved in Portuguese higher education institutions and the main factors shaping it. It analyzes credit mobility, outgoing and incoming, between Portugal and Europe. Although mobility overall has risen, incoming mobility has grown faster, making Portugal an…

Science and Technology Advisory Council (STAC) outlines that 49% of EU citizens identified "job creation" and 33% identified "education and skills" as the top priorities for science and technology innovation over the next fifteen years. Both documents justify the needs in Europe for the ICT field especially for the NEET (not in…