Abstract:

Among BFUG’s 10 priorities till 2020, the Bologna streamlines include employability, which emphasizes the need for acknowledgement and appreciation of graduates’ and higher schools’ efforts by employers. Higher education today undergoes great changes, which are influenced by all stakeholders, as well as by the environment and market economics. The changing environment includes academic, information, and technological environment. And solos both in environment and market economics are played by employers.

Recently, Europe has faced several challenges where the rising unemployment is among the most painful ones. In our opinions, policy responses do not only include those of the government but also responses based on policies of higher schools and commercial companies.

Actually, many Bologna streamlines depend on higher schools–employers’ cooperation. For instance, the implementation of lifelong learning policies requires strong partnerships between public authorities, higher education institutions, students, employers and employees.

Academic mobility is also much dependent on close cooperation of academics with student and employer representatives, as it is this triple union only that is able to raise the teaching quality of study programmes at all levels – a priority in the further implementation of the European Standards and Guidelines for quality assurance. Mobility is important for personal development and employability; it fosters respect for diversity and a capacity to deal with other cultures. And it raises the issue of recognition by employers from different countries

As it is stated in the Communiqué of the Conference of European Ministers Responsible for Higher Education designed in Leuven and Louvain-la-Neuve on 28-29 April 2009, employability empowers the individual to fully seize the opportunities in changing labour markets. It is aimed at raising initial qualifications as well as maintaining and renewing a skilled workforce through close cooperation between governments, higher education institutions, social partners and students. This will allow institutions to be more responsive to employers needs and employers to better understand the educational perspective. Higher education institutions, together with governments, government agencies and employers, shall improve the provision, accessibility and quality of their careers and employment related guidance services to students and alumni.

Multilevel cooperation between higher schools and employers is based on their mutual interest and joint strive for (1) stability; (2) profit; (3) self-improvement and, certainly on holistic approach.

Multilevel higher schools–employers cooperation includes –
- joint work on curricula and programmes;
- joint researches;
- joint education process including students’ practice at employers’;
- information exchange, etc.

The authors are going to cover the topic of actual and potential innovations in multilevel higher schools–employers cooperation with examples from tourism industry and that of Moscow State Institute for Tourism Industry named after Yu.A. Senkevich, Moscow, Russia.

Keywords:

University-industry cooperation, innovations, the Bologna process.