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Relationships between Higher Education and the Labour Market

Relationships between Higher Education and the Labour Market – A Review of Trends, Policies and Good Practices is a wide ranging study with recommendations. To meet the UN 2030 Agenda, it identifies the characteristics required to build a sustainable knowledge-research-innovation eco-system leveraging the relationship between higher education and the labour market. This includes the following:

  • Continued massification and successful participation in higher education is critical to the sustainability of knowledge intensive societies. Talent is a country’s most important resource;

  • Government shares responsibility for how well higher education responds to the labour market in terms of appropriate governance and accountability measures, funding and resources, faculty and leadership training and professional development, and support for learners. Government initiatives should be coordinated across all-of-government to ensure coherence and consistency;

  • Clarifying the social, cultural and economic objectives of higher education in/for each country is an essential first step. This should recognise the value of having a diverse set of institutions (academic, technical and vocational) with different modes of provision and delivery, and working collaboratively;

    A skills and talent development strategy should be situated within a broader policy matrix. Sustainable social and economic development policies rely on higher education and training as well as employers and government rather than narrowly focusing on skill supply;

  • Strengthening skills should be matched by understanding that learners as citizens require a wide range of competences across education and research. Technical skills alone will not be sufficient in this rapidly changing world. The concept STEAM recognises that all disciplines have an important contribution to make.

  • Competitive knowledge-research-innovation eco-systems bring together diverse educational institutions, enterprise, local/regional authorities and civil society working together in a cooperative and mutually beneficial relationship to develop a shared set of strategies, structures and approaches, activities and framework conditions which can be implemented;

  • There are many opportunities for collaboration between higher education and industry/business and civil society, including: curriculum development and delivery, research development and innovation (RDI), lifelong learning, entrepreneurship and work-integrated learning opportunities. including apprenticeship, recruitment and professional development, etc.

  • · Diverse educational pathways (academic, technical and vocational) and credit systems are important mechanisms for widening participation for learners of all abilities and introducing innovations in provision and delivery. Teaching and learning should be more active and collaborative, and include work-integrated learning.

  • Life-long-learning is no longer an option but is essential for economic, social and personal development;

  • The quality of the education system depends upon having a pipeline of talented faculty and researchers, and capable governance, leadership and management, committed to values, vision and mission of the system and the institutions.

A copy of the report can be viewed here.

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