Collaboration with employers through employer panels and forums

At Arts, we are constantly focusing on assuring the quality of the content of degree programmes as well as students' skills and competences, so that they are relevant for employers and society as a whole.

Systematic dialogue between schools and employers of graduates takes place in employer panels, where employers meet with the degree programme management. Engaging in systematic dialogue with the employers is intended to ensure that the content of the degree programmes matches the skills and competences that are in demand on the labour market now and in the future so that graduates from Arts are attractive employees.

Employer panels act as sparring partners and advisers to the school management team and boards of studies on the development of relevant degree programmes. The recommendations of the employer panels are included in the strategic degree programme planning, e.g. when determining visions, competence descriptions, academic profiles and teaching principles for the degree programmes as well as when planning student and career counselling.

Collaborating with employers in teaching and career development activities

At the Faculty of Arts, we have regular contact with employers. This enables students, teaching staff and career consultants to better understand the reality, needs and language of employers. Through ongoing contact with employers, students learn to describe their own competences and what they can contribute to an employer and to society in general. By establishing regular contact with employers, lecturers and Arts Karriere can support students in creating links between theory, practice and the reality of employers.

During their studies, students have a number of opportunities to contact employers, both within the framework of the degree programme itself and within the range of options facilitated Arts Karriere. The aim is to ensure that students receive as much (career) learning as possible, and that employers realise the value of employing a graduate from Arts.

Ongoing contact with employers can be with business and industry, organisations, institutions and associations, and it can take many different forms and purposes: presentations by alums, knowledge about the labour market and students, collaboration on project placements, student jobs, specific projects, thesis collaboration, inclusion of employers' issues in teaching, etc.

Through these various opportunities for collaboration, students become aware of the diversity of opportunities provided by employers. We know from experience that it is important for students to broaden their horizons when thinking about their future, so that they discover other opportunities than those historically associated with a given degree programme.

At Arts, we listen to employers' perspectives with regard to the content and structure of our degree programmes, and we seek to include the reality of employers in the formative educational framework we create for students at Arts.

Employers in ongoing quality assurance

Employers are invited to provide feedback on the development of entire degree programmes. This is in a consultation, where employers receive a thoroughly prepared draft of a new set of academic regulations. The employers' input is included in the final part of the subject-specific work on the academic regulations.

Employers are involved in degree programme evaluations in two different ways. Selected employers are offered an opportunity to comment on the evaluation report from the academic environment prior to the evaluation day on which an employer expert participates. Criteria have been laid down for who can be invited as an employer expert, and ultimately the vice-dean for education approves the recommendation of external experts.