Research Papers

Graduate skills and employability are increasingly viewed as important issues in curriculum design, teaching and assessment strategies, while at the same time often perceived as potentially detrimental to university academic standards. This article offers a comparative and critical analysis of the current student employability agenda as defined by the EU, British and Dutch governments. Are skills and employability just catchy words for elements that have also been considered for course and curriculum design in earlier years, or did the academic debate about the role of universities in providing their students with the necessary (vocational) skills change fundamentally? What kind of skills are students expected to acquire during their studies? Additionally, this paper critically reflects on the challenges of integrating such an agenda into an EU studies curriculum without alienating students or damaging academic rigour. Finally, it draws on practical examples from the universities of Maastricht and Newcastle on how these aims might be achieved.