On Thursday 1203.the European Union (EU) higher education policy-makers will come together in Riga for two days to discuss the programme for modernisation of Europe's higher education system, its contribution to the economy, compliance with the requirements of the economy and quality assurance.
The theme of the Meeting “Higher Education and Employability” has been chosen taking into account the task of higher education to prepare the highest-level innovation-focused employees and employers for the development of the country and society.
“The higher education is not only about preparing innovative employees. Its task is to develop entrepreneurial spirit and thinking, become the starting point for creating new, innovative jobs and intellectual base of entrepreneurship,” Ms Agrita Kiopa, the Director of the Higher Education Department of the Latvian Ministry of Education and Science expresses the views of the event's organisers.
On 2-3 February this year at the Workshop for the Higher Education Leaders held by the EU in Brussels the comparison was made between the contribution of the higher education systems in the EU Member States to development of the country at system and institutional level. The Workshop concluded that the Member States in addressing the set tasks place different emphasis on various aspects of employability policy and system building.
At the Meeting in Riga, the policy-makers will discuss the most appropriate approach for each country, as well as the impact of policy on addressing the issues. The Peer Review will provide the opportunity to compare progress of the Member States in implementing the Country Specific Recommendations of the Council of the European Union. The Peer Review, first introduced in 2012, has been carried out so far in the working groups of vocational and general education policy-makers. Its aim is to collect examples of the best practice of policy-making. The review of the higher education will be carried out by analysing the predictability of capacities and skills necessary for economy, widening the choice of vocationally oriented education and cooperation at institutional level.
The Meeting will be chaired by Ms Agrita Kiopa. Participants will include the Director General of the Directorate-General for Education and Culture Mr. Xavier Prats Monné and the Head of Higher Education, Modernisation Agenda and Erasmus Mr. Adam Tyson. Updating the role of the higher education in preparing innovation-oriented new specialists Mr. Stephan Vincent-Lancrin, the senior analyst at the OECD Centre for Educational Research and Innovation (CERI),will give a speech.
For possibilities of arranging expert interviews please look at the media programme: https://eu2015.lv/images/notikumi/12032015_DGHE_Media_programme_0503.pdf
The meeting is co-financed by the Erasmus+ programme for education, training, youth and sports.