About EU Higher Education Policy: EU leaders have agreed a target that 40% of those aged 30-34 should have a higher education or equivalent qualification by 2020. While higher education graduates are more likely to find employment than people with lower levels of qualifications, higher education curricula are often slow to respond to changing needs in the wider economy, and fail to anticipate or help shape the careers of tomorrow. Addressing Europe’s high-level skills needs requires action.

First, more people need to be attracted to the fields of study that prepare students for jobs where shortages exist or are emerging. In many EU Member States there is unmet demand for graduates in SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING, (arts) and MATHS (STE(A)M) fields, medical professions and teaching.