Building Ireland’s Smart Graduate

1. Building Ireland’s Smart Graduate Oliver Mooney, Policy & Planning Unit, Higher Education Authority (HEA) omooney@hea.ie

2. Seeking Employment Rates: National vs. Graduates

3. Existing Workforce Skills Shortages • Generic skills shortages reported • Management/Supervisory (13%) • Technical/Practical (11%) • Communications (9%) • General IT (9%) Source: Employee Skills, Training and Jobs Vacancies Survey 2006, CSO, Feb 2009

4. Multi-National Employers’ perceptions of Irish Graduates • Irish graduates hold their own internationally • Some strength in generic skills: good communication skills, good team players • Quality would be improved through more work placements and project-based continuous assessment Source: Survey of Selected Multi-National Employers’ Perceptions of Certain Graduates from Irish Higher Education, HEA/Forfás, 2007

6. Changes in US Skills Use 1960 - 1998

7. Mission of Higher Education • Overlap between economic & wider benefits of higher education. Elements of vocational/generic skills vital, but situated in a broader, holistic higher education ‘experience’ • ‘Deeper’ skills such as critical modes of thinking should be intrinsic to all higher education qualifications • These skills equip graduates for life; they are applicable across multiple career choices. Generic skills also support this goal • Over-specialisation of qualifications at undergraduate level not always in graduates’ interests. Number of courses offered through CAO has doubled in ten years! • Look to autonomous higher education providers to advocate higher education beyond economic reward & potential career • Populations with higher levels of higher education qualifications are healthier, more tolerant, and happier, and more engaged with life-long learning

8. Bologna Communiqué "With labour markets increasingly relying on higher skill levels and transversal competences, higher education should equip students with the advanced knowledge, skills and competences they need throughout their professional lives. Employability empowers the individual to fully seize the opportunities in changing labour markets. We aim 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. We encourage work placements embedded in study programmes as well as on-the-job learning."

9. National Strategy • National Strategy for Higher Education will determine future direction of sector for the next ten years • Have requested submissions on the three most important changes that should be made (deadline of June 19th) • Ideal forum to effect reform of curricula & provision – please send submissions!