elButlletí

A quarterly publication of AQU Catalunya

77

April 2015

The President of AQU Catalunya, Josep Joan Moreso, accompanied the Minister for the Economy and Knowledge, Andreu Mas-Colell, at the inauguration of the Education Fair (Saló de l'Ensenyament), two important themes of which were the internationalisation and employability of higher education and university study programmes in Catalonia. The Minister emphasised that the internationalisation of university degrees is a strategy within the sphere of higher education and as such a commitment to the future.

The Minister also explained that the range of undergraduate and Master's degree programmes now being offered "very much takes into account current career opportunities and is very clearly aimed at employability". With the slogan Choose well, education means your future, the aim of government and the universities is to transmit the importance of higher education when looking for job opportunities. According to the latest survey by AQU Catalunya, the employment rate of university graduates is 15% higher than that of the general population aged between 25 and 54.

Students and the situation in the labour market at the time of graduating (% employed)
Catalan population (aged 25-54)	74.40%
Undergraduate students and pre-Bologna degree students	84.78%
Master's students	85.85%
PhD students/theses defended	93.13%

In addition to employability, the other main theme as regards new courses for the 2015-2016 academic year is internationalisation, in particular progress in attracting students from abroad and the promotion of mobility programmes. According to the Minister, "there has been an increase in the number of undergraduate and Master's programmes taught in English to attract both students from the European Union and students from outside the EU".

Source: Secretariat for Universities and Research