Abstract
This chapter investigates the consequences of the Bologna reforms on the employability of first-cycle graduates. National statistics reveal that the first degree is losing ground in favour of the master degree. Unemployment rates, including long-term unemployment, are higher for first-degree holders than for master degree holders, indicating that the labour market assigns more value to the latter. Scepticism prevails among academics, students and employers alike about the first cycle’s employability. Institutions and academics appear insufficiently dedicated to the employability agenda, although they have taken measures in this respect. Cooperation with employers is weak and they have insufficient knowledge about the post-Bologna degrees. Students, in great numbers, intend to continue studying after the first cycle. We conclude that Bologna’s employability objective—labour market relevance for all degree levels—is yet to be achieved in Portugal. But how far are higher education institutions, and the socioeconomic context, to blame?
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Sin, C., Veiga, A., Amaral, A. (2016). Employability. In: European Policy Implementation and Higher Education. Issues in Higher Education. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-50462-3_7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-50462-3_7
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