Recent studies (McKinsey 2013; Trendence Institute, 2013) highlight that in Europe, 74% of education providers were confident that their graduates were prepared for work, but only 38% of youth and 35% of employers agreed: the 27% of employers reported that they have left a vacancy open in the past year because they couldn’t find anyone with the right skills. This means, that even when the jobs are available, young people often is not suitable for these positions. The link between Education and the labour market should be addressed, and career services in higher education can play a major role in improving the transition between education and labour market. In facts, high quality career guidance is a key component in the effort to help individuals into learning and work and to assist them to sustain employment and reach their full potential. However, this will require a re-thinking of the career service as it is in the majority of higher education institutions in Europe, that should include- An improved general provision of guidance for career, that cannot be left at the very end of the study path of the students;- A stronger relation with the labour market, as stressed within the Modernisation of higher education agenda;- Reference standards for quality assurance that include all mentioned aspects and are integrated to the overall QA system of the institutions in Europe.This should lead to- Improved placement results;- Increased retention rates, following the improved relationships with employers and the community, therefore providing qualified graduates in specific programs and fields that will increase job opportunities for students;- Stronger recruitment and enrolment, as universities able to ensure enhanced employability of their students are able to attract more students.The perceived need is therefore the establishment of quality assurance standards for career services, that encompass all aspects here above mentioned, therefore quality standards, organisational implications, university relations to the labour market, and implies an improved dialogue and understanding between concerned players.The members of the consortium, which include universities, experts in guidance in higher education, networks of students, will work in QAREER to collect different points of view of the main players in the field (guidance professionals and QA reference persons at HEI, students, employers), to define quality standards for career services at HEI, to draft the guidelines for their integration into HEI, to test them in real settings in the countries of the consortium, consult and involve further universities of Europe within the process, to establish a community of experts able to support these processes, and deliver the Guidelines for QA of career service in Higher Education in Europe (QACS).

European Quality Assurance (QA) in Higher Education has been at the core of the project. Learning outcomes (LO) have been described as a fundamental building block of the Bologna process reforms, and LO now feature in the quality assessment and accreditation procedures for HE programmes in several countries. Nonetheless, the degree of implementation and embedding of LO varies widely among and within countries.Building on evidence from a selection of HE programmes, the MEHR project has intended to investigate the formalisation and assessment of LO on human rights (HR). The aim was to enable quality assurance agencies (QAAs) to undertake a self-assessment of their performance regarding the assessment of LO on HR in their accreditation practices, and to obtain a more faithful estimation of their activities in relation to LO assessment, in a comparative European perspective. The project consortium gathered three QAAs and three HEIs from three European countries (Sweden, Portugal, Croatia) of different size, educational traditions and structures of higher education systems as well as different levels of development on LO assessment tools and procedures, and one international student organisation located in Belgium (ESU, former ESIB). This variety allowed gaining new knowledge from comparative analysis. The core of the partnership consisted of a selection of accreditation and quality assurance agencies, with the Swedish Higher Education Authority (Universitetskanslersämbetet, UKÄ) acting as project coordinator. The partnership joins different kinds of institutions and stakeholders with a common feature: all of them have former experiences in the topic – LO assessment – and have been involved in the development of theoretical research or/and implementation tools, as users or target groups. Previous projects focused on, and were targeted to, higher education institutions exclusively. In contrast, the MEHR project adds value and innovation by targeting both QAAs, and Higher Education Institutions (HEIs); particularly through the insight the project has given into how these employ LO in their everyday practices.Through its focus on LO assessment on HR within specific areas of education leading to a profession (medicine, health sciences, social services, teacher education, geography and law) the project is relevant both from a broader employability perspective strengthening recognition and stimulating mobility, and from the perspective of singular HEIs who might use the project results to benchmark and further develop their educational activities on HR.From 2016 to 2019, the MEHR partnership carried out country specific surveys related to LO assessment of human rights in the above higher educational areas, resulting in three country reports. Each report was produced as a joint venture involving a quality assurance agency, a higher education institution, and the European Students’ Union. Questionnaires were sent to all higher education institutions in a country with the right to award degrees for the selected programmes. In addition, a number of programmes were self-selected as examples of good practice and focus interviews were carried out. In relation to the publication of each report, a workshop and a conference were held, where the results were disseminated and discussed with representatives of higher education institutions, students, and other stakeholders. Finally, the project results, together with a final comparative report and a selection of student vox pop videos, were presented at a dissemination conference in Brussels.The MEHR project has strengthened the skills of the participating organisations in the field of LO assessment on HR. Thus, for the research and teaching institutions, the project has contributed to an advance in the state of the art in the field of LO; for the QAAs the insights gained and made available for member agencies and others represent a significant step forward in the development of their mission. The project has also promoted the dialogue between national agencies and HEIs, enabling the exchange of best practices across cultural contexts, as well as developing suitable methods for comparing practices of LO assessment across Europe, building a better understanding of how QAAs and HEIs can improve LO assessment methodologies. The project results have also reached a wider audience through presentations at external conferences and events. Through mutual learning between different educational programmes, between HEIs, QAAs and student organisations, and between the different countries in the consortium, the MEHR project has thus had the benefit of spreading knowledge and strengthening HR across Europe.

The European Students Sustainability Auditing (ESSA) project is a response to the developing commitment of higher education institutions and the growing interest of students in University Social Responsibility (USR). Recent trends in the conceptualisation of USR have generated a diversification and fragmentation of aims, objectives and practices. The Benchmark Standards for USR were developed through an earlier project as a response to this fragmentation of the field and as a guide to interventions in policy and practices. The Benchmark Standards identify USR as comprising actions under the four key themes of:- Research, Teaching, Support for learning and Public engagement- Governance- Environmental and societal sustainability- Fair practicesThe ESSA project empowers students as auditors of social responsibility using the Benchmark Standards. During the Erasmus+ funded period, participating students experienced a learner-centred training programme USR auditing followed by completing cross-national student audit of a European higher education institution. Participating students received an EQF Level 6 Certificate in Social Responsibility Auditing following satisfactory completion of the training programme, the audit and the Certificate requirements through a portfolio based assessment of learning.The objectives of the ESSA project have been to: Create an innovative approach to the recognition and validation of knowledge, skills (including soft skills) and competences; Produce a significant Open Educational Resource (OER) for a ECTS 5 Credit Certificate in Social Responsibility Auditing (EQF Level 6); Contribute to the wider process of developing alternative models of curriculum development.The project consortium consisted of 8 partners from higher education institutions and students’ unions, each bringing unique expertise and perspectives to the partnership:National Union of Students of the United Kingdom (project coordinator)The National Unions of Students in EuropeUniversity of PortoUniversity of EdinburghKaunas University of TechnologyEdinburgh University Students' AssociationKaunas University of Technology Students' UnionStudent Association from the Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences of the University of PortoProject activities leading to the development of the OERs and the Certificate in Social Responsibility Auditing include:Facilitator training programme (FTP) - The FTP is designed to prepare participants for the development and delivery of the ATP with students at their institution. The training was delivered in early 2017 with 20 participants from 5 partner organisations. The pedagogical strategies focused on during the training mirror those adopted in the ATP, and include promoting group work, debate, problem resolution and individual reflection. The key output from this activity is the facilitator training manual which has been re-formulated as a self-directed course which can be adopted and replicated beyond the Erasmus+ funding.Auditor training programme (ATP) - During the Erasmus+ funding period, 73 students completed the ATP, with 60 going on to complete an audit of a university partner against the Benchmark Standards for USR. The development of the training was led by Kaunas University of Technology. The programme was delivered in blended mode ahead of each of the four audits. The training is designed as a series of units, which can be delivered according to a flexible timetable, covering the following aspects: Introduction to the project; Audits and auditing; Benchmarking criteria; Methods in auditing and audits; Audit simulation; Reporting. The resources produced as part of the OERs include a manual to support facilitators in delivering the training, alongside student-facing training resources.Audits - Key milestones for the project were the design and delivery of four audits of HEIs across Europe. Each HEI project partner has been audited by a team of students, as well as King's College London who acted as a test for the model in a non-partner organisation. University staff arranged an intensive audit week with 60 students participating from the 3 partner universities. The audit week comprised of interviews, focus groups and documentary analysis followed by a presentation to key university stakeholders. After the audit, auditors produce a report detailing findings and recommendations for the university. A suite of resources are available for student auditors and university hosts to support delivery of an audit.Assessment - The assessment process is tightly integrated into the student learning journey, and covers the auditor training and audits. It is based on an reflective experiential learning approach, with assessment realised as a structured e-portfolio. The e-portfolio has been designed to support students surface, validate and justify their claims for learning and competence.All resources are available for use by universities across the EHEA.

Science education is tremendous in shaping the present and future of modern societies. Thus, the EU needs all its talents to increase creativity and competitiveness. Especially young boys and girls have to be engaged to pursue careers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). However, statistics still show that enrolment rates in STEM-based degree programs are low and will lead to a workforce problem in industries, especially in many of the new member countries. The SciChallenge project focuses on developing novel concepts to actively integrate young boys and girls in science education using a contest-based approach to self-produced digital education materials from young people for young people. Driven by inspirational topic sheets, guides and toolkits created through this project and distributed by partner schools, teachers, and other youth-oriented institutions, contestants (individuals or groups) between the ages of 10 to 20 will generate creative digital materials (videos, slides, or infographics). The initiative will broadcast and distribute content over various social media channels and aggregated on a modern SciChallenge Web Platform (www.scichallenge.eu) to generate wide reaching awareness and promotion. Winning submissions will receive prizes funded by science-oriented industry and stakeholders. Intelligent cross-sectoral positioning of various awareness modules on the SciChallenge Open Information Hub will increase awareness on science careers and open opportunities for youngsters on internships or taster days in STEM through the strong involvement of related organisations and industries. Additionally aggregated information on science events (slams, nights, festivals etc.) is shared. With this multi-level approach, SciChallenge will boost the attractiveness of science education and careers among young girls and boys leading to more public engagement in science, economic prosperity and global competitiveness on a pan-European level.

Success of science shops is down to finding a topic that is of particular interest to a particular group of people because they need to engage throughout the science shops research process, participate in the brokering and challenge identification and take responsibility for the outcome of the process. SciShops aims at expanding and further building on the capacity of the science shops ecosystem in Europe and beyond. During the SciShops project timeframe, at least ten new university- and non-university-based science shops are being established in Europe by project partners. The non-university ones are affiliated to different types of organizations, such as SMEs, LEs, NGOs/NPOs and research institutes. The project partners have extensive networks of science shops which are included in the SciShops Expert and Advisory Board and thus they can uptake first the solutions developed within the project: the SciShops Knowledge Exchange Roadmap, the SciShops Strategy for Community-Based Participatory Research and Science Shops Further Development, SciShops Guide for Establishment and Running of a Science Shop or the SciShops Web platform with its novel twining, matchmaking and awareness features. Through the use of the platform, organizations willing to establish a science shop are able to find a research organization which can support them with research services or they can be twinned with an experienced similar science shop which will help with the establishment and development of the new one. The SciShops consortium has as a top priority to prove the benefits of starting a science shop for every type of organization, but also the advantages the civil society gains from collaborating with science shops in community-based participatory research. The participatory knowledge transfer and exchange events organized during the project timeline will raise awareness on this win-win concept.