Innovating the Use of Labour Market Intelligence Within European Universities

Abstract

The “Innovating the Use of Labour Market Intelligence within European Universities” (LMI-EUniv) project, set within the Erasmus+ programme’s Key Action 2, represents a pioneering effort to harness Labour Market Intelligence (LMI) for enhancing the alignment between higher education offerings and labour market demands across Europe. This initiative, led by a consortium including the West University of Timisoara, University of Milano-Bicocca, University of Tallinn, Prospektiker, and the Luxembourg Institute of Socio-Economic Research, aimed to explore the current utilisation of labour market information and intelligence by European universities in planning and delivering their educational provisions. With a focus on fostering the congruence of educational supply with labour market demand through innovative learning and teaching methodologies, the project sought to empower Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) with the skills and competencies necessary to meet these challenges. By mapping essential LMI sources at a national level, examining the use of LMI across European HEIs, and developing a comprehensive training course and an online Labour Market Intelligence Hub, this project aspired to create an indispensable reference for HEIs. This article synthesises the project’s key findings, underscoring the critical role of labour market intelligence in adapting academic curricula to meet specific labour market needs, thereby contributing to the broader discourse on the integration of LMI in higher education and its implications for curriculum development, graduate employability, and the overarching alignment between education and labour market expectations.

Keywords

• labour market intelligence
• higher education institutions
• erasmus+
• europe