Business Europe

The European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS) is a tool of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) for making studies and courses more transparent and thus helping to enhance the quality of higher education. As a learner-centred system for credit accumulation and transfer, it is based on the principle of transparency of the learning, teaching and assessment processes. Its objective is to facilitate the planning, delivery and evaluation of study programmes and student mobility by recognising learning achievements and qualifications and periods of learning.

ECTS helps in the design, description and delivery of programmes, makes it possible to integrate different types of learning in a lifelong learning perspective, and facilitates the mobility of students by easing the process of recognising qualifications and periods of study. ECTS can be applied to all programmes, whatever the mode of delivery (classroom-based, work-based, distance learning) or the status of students (full-time, part-time), and to all kinds of learning contexts (formal, non-formal and informal).

The ECTS Users’ Guide offers guidelines for implementing ECTS and links to useful supporting documents. The Guide is addressed to students and other learners, academics and administrative staff in higher education institutions, as well as to employers, education providers and all other interested stakeholders.

Employability of graduates

Raising the employability of graduates is a key issue for improving the functioning of European labour markets.

Increasing cooperation between the world of work and higher education, and acknowledging the shared responsibility of all actors, are necessary steps to ensure that individuals can continually refresh their knowledge and skills in a lifelong learning perspective, to improve both their personal and professional competences.

BUSINESSEUROPE position on the employability of graduates - May 2007