International students’
perspectives on
employability in Europe
Presenter:
Sabic Norbert
EMA member
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Outline
The Erasmus Mundus Programme and the Erasmus
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Mundus Students and Alumni Association (EMA)
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Employability survey (methodology, target group)
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Results of the study
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The Erasmus Mundus
Programme
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What is Erasmus Mundus
The Programme
„Erasmus Mundus is a co-operation and mobility programme in the field
of higher education intended to promote the European Union as a
centre of excellence in learning around the world.”
(Interim Evaluation, 2007)
Objectives:
- To develop top-quality European masters courses.
- To enhance the visibility and attractiveness of European higher
education in third countries.
EM masters courses cover all academic disciplines, although there is a
majority of engineering and natural science courses.
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What is Erasmus Mundus
2004-2008
2009-2013
Action 1: Masters courses
Action 1: Programmes +
scholarships
Action 2: Scholarships
Action 2: Partnerships
Action 3: Partnerships
Action 3: Attractiveness projects
Action 4: Attractiveness projects
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What is Erasmus Mundus
2004-2008 *
(230 million EUR + 56,3 + 8,8)
2009-2013 **
(940 million EUR)
Action 1: 80 EM master
courses
Action 1:
- 138 EM master
courses
- 43 EM joint doctorates
- 5.981 scholarships
Action 2: 7.976 scholarships
Action 2: 53 partnerships
Action 3: 19 partnerships
Action 3: 24 attractiveness
projects
Action 4: 23 attractiveness
projects
*
Interim Evaluation of Erasmus Mundus - Executive Summary (2007)
**
2012 Selection results obtained from the website:
http://eacea.ec.europa.eu/erasmus_mundus/funding/2012/selection/selection_call_42_11_en.php
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EM scholarships by nationality *
(2004 – 2012)
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*
Statistics (last updated on June 2012) obtained from:
http://eacea.ec.europa.eu/erasmus_mundus/results_compendia/statistics_en.php
The Erasmus Mundus
Students and Alumni
Association (EMA)
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Erasmus Mundus Association (EMA)
History
• Founded: June 2006 by an initiative of the Directorate General for
Culture and Education of the European Commission
• Volunteer organisation
•Over 7,500 EMA students & alumni
as members
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EMA - Activities
Erasmus Mundus Graduate Impact Survey
• Longitudinal study
• Assessing the impact of Erasmus Mundus on career, attitude towards
Europe and the EU, personality and social life
• Results available under www.em-a.eu
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Clusters within the
Erasmus Mundus
programme
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Clusters
Call for Tender EACEA/2009/05
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5 clusters were set up in 2009
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Sustainability
Recognition of Degrees
Employability
Regional Cluster on Asia
Thematic Cluster on climate change
Clusters bring together beneficiaries, coordinators, students, alumni
and other relevant stakeholders.
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What is the added value
of the Erasmus Mundus
diploma in the labour
market?
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Employability
Employability is understood as the combination of factors permitting
access to work, to maintain it, and to progress in one’s career.
HE
institution
Student
Employer
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Methodology
Two different methodological approaches
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Online survey among Erasmus Mundus students and graduates
(student perspective)
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Qualitative interviews with responsible coordinators of the
Erasmus Mundus Masters Courses (institutional perspective)
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Methodology
Categories
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Professional orientation
Networks (student/alumni)
Competences
Occupation of graduates
Mobility
Impact of EM on job search
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The online survey
(data owned by EACEA/EAC)
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The online survey
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The survey was carried out early 2011
• 107 questions
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The estimated target group which was reached with the surveys is
18.766 students. Until March 2011 3.660 students
responded to the surveys, and out of the total number 2.820
were considered as correctly filled out.
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Current students / graduates ratio: 55% of the respondents
graduated and 45% are still students
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The online survey
Graduate respondents
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The biggest category were graduates who finished their studies in
2010. They made up 41% of our total graduate population. This
fact is crucial, as it means that the largest group in the sample has
been in the labour market for less
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than one year.
Another 45% of the graduate population finished studies in 2009 or
2008, i.e. they have spent at least one (or two) full years in the labour
market.
• 14% have spent more than three years in the labour market.
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Professional orientation
Summary
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In all categories, at least 40% of the respondents rate the
performance of the EMMC higher than a normal masters
programme. The impact on personality development (71.5%) and the
programme’s international reputation (61%) received the highest
marks among the five categories.
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About 60% plan to work directly after graduation, while about
30% want to continue with (PhD) studies. A good 10% are still
undecided.
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Almost 50% of the respondents had a permanent job before
starting their EMMC.
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Professional networks
Summary
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Students from Social Sciences, Business and Law
seem best equipped with relevant professional contacts (47%), the
fields Engineering, Manufacturing and Construction (35%) and
Agriculture and Veterinary (32%) show the lowest affirmation rates
with regard to accessibility to professional networks.
• 20% of the students enrolled in an EMMC gain professional
contacts that they consider relevant for their future career during their
EM studies.
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Competences
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Professional expertise (mastery of own field or discipline, interdisciplinary
know-how, analytical thinking, ability to acquire new knowledge)
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Functional flexibility (ability to negotiate effectively, ability to perform well
under pressure, ability to coordinate activities, ability to use time efficiently)
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Mobilisation of human resources (ability to work productively with others,
ability to mobilize the capacities of others, ability to clearly express your opinion,
ability to assert your authority)
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Innovation and knowledge management (ability to come up with new
ideas and solutions, willingness to question your own and others' ideas, ability to
present products, ideas or reports to an audience, ability to write reports, memos or
documents)
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International orientation (ability to write and speak in a foreign language,
professional knowledge of other countries, knowledge/understanding of international
differences in culture and society)
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Competences
Summary
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Concerning employment in an international environment,
Erasmus Mundus graduates are best prepared.
– ability to write and speak in a foreign language
– professional knowledge of other countries
– knowledge/understanding of international differences in culture
and society.
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In terms of deficits, the
mobilization of human
resources, like mobilising others’ capacities, asserting one’s
authority and negotiating effectively show lower rates.
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Occupation
Summary
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About 50% of 2006 graduates have a permanent job after five years;
only 3% are unemployed.
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The highest percentage of employment (in the permanent term) can
be found for Social
Science, Business and Law (35%),
while it is lowest in Agriculture and Veterinary (23%).
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The level of job satisfaction is rated as high by 72% of all employed
graduates; graduates of Health
and Humanities
and Welfare rate the highest
and Arts graduates rate the lowest.
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Mobility
Summary
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We find an equilibrium between a tendency to return to (or stay in)
the home region (52%) and the tendency to remain in (or go to)
another region (48%), the latter being overwhelmingly in the EU.
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There is a notable mobility trend towards
the European
Union.
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The main reasons for mobility among students/graduates are
better job opportunities (career perspectives), while home
and family issues act as the most important pull factor for the
home countries.
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Mobility
For graduates from the European Union, Germany is the most preferred
country to work in. With its first place ranking by 15% of graduates and top
three ranking by almost 36% of graduates.
Graduates from non-EU countries prefer to work in Germany, with 34%
naming it among their top three and 13% as their first choice.
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Mobility
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Mobility
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Conclusion
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Conclusion #1
Health and Welfare discipline
have the best expectations of
finding high quality employment within our sample. On the contrary,
graduates from
expectations.
Humanities and Arts
have the worst
Women have a lower score across all the categories of our index –
particularly in permanent contracts and salary – except for job
satisfaction, where they lie clearly ahead.
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Conclusion #2
Youth from lower social backgrounds still have lower
chances to access jobs and to attain higher positions in the labour
market.
Graduates from South-East Asia and from Africa achieve the
highest scores who have successfully entered the labour market and,
most notably, have attained higher positions.
A degree in an Erasmus Mundus Masters Course is
rewarded in the European labour market
less
compared to
developing countries.
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Thank you for your
attention!
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