Employability and Finnish university graduates

Abstract

In this article the authors concentrate on the change in the concept of employability during the Bologna process. They show that employability has gradually moved from a peripheral to a core presence in the most recent Bologna process documents. Using a Finnish university merger (University of Eastern Finland) as an example, the authors demonstrate that implementation of the Bologna process has reached the most remote eastern border of the European Union. The Bologna process is shaping the Finnish universities, and employability discussion is embedded in university reforms. The authors argue that the reason why employability has been raised as one of the core concepts of the Bologna process is labour market needs. Moreover, students want university education to help their transition to the world of work. On the other hand, employers want graduates who are well prepared for the world of work. In this way, the raison d'être for universities is to fulfil the needs of national economies and the labour market.