How does your institution look at the professional output of its courses? How does it improve employability? Paulo Águas Rector of the University of Algarve The University of the Algarve (UAlg), and I admit the other higher education institutions, attaches great importance to the career prospects of its graduates. Right from the start, in the development of its training offer, i.e. the portfolio of courses on offer. Career paths are one of the defining features of the study cycles and are widely publicized. Since 2018, the "Life Skills Course" has been offered, promoting skills for personal development, academic success and better preparation for professional life. A series of initiatives are usually promoted in October to develop transversal skills that can help prepare students to achieve their academic and professional goals. The tendency is for students to have more interaction with the job market throughout their course. UAlg students and alumni have an employment portal with exclusive job and internship opportunities. The portal also allows them to obtain useful information on the job market and employability, consult company profiles, find out about events promoted by companies or UAlg and learn about experiences shared by other colleagues or share their own. The aim of the alumni mentoring program is to give students access to new opportunities to get to know the job market and to start networking. The Alumni and Professional Opportunities Office has been running an annual job fair since 2016. Since then, a survey has been carried out to assess the integration of recent graduates into the job market, which collects information on the degree of suitability of the training obtained. Ferrão Filipe Vice-Rector of Universidade Portucalense (UPT) We are witnessing an increasingly complex evolution of society, labor relations, companies, professions and the technical, personal and social skills involved in them, resulting in a spiraling dynamic that requires adequate and continuous preparation to face current and future challenges. We are facing a scenario that requires the creation of a culture of lifelong learning and this is the path that Universidade Portucalense is taking. The curriculum of the courses is continually being updated, taking into account the integration of different methodologies that promote knowledge, but above all knowledge/doing and knowledge/being, in a context of continuous and experiential learning, preparing students for their insertion and/or progression in the job market and in life. But UPT's concern is more extensive, encompassing professionals already in the job market. To this end, we have just formalized the creation of the so-called Microcredentials. These are different, flexible and modular forms of personalized learning, independent of previous qualifications, shorter and more intense than traditional training, focusing on diversity and creativity. Manuel Matos Vice-President of the Polytechnic of Lisbon Employability is an unavoidable issue for higher education institutions, which are scrutinized by the students who come to them, by external entities, by employers and by official bodies. Given the importance of this area, the Polytechnic of Lisbon has been investing in different ways in the area of employability. The placement of our graduates (bachelors and masters) in the job market is supported by a specific platform which includes more than 400 potential recruiting companies. Our graduates are then monitored by a working group dedicated to their Academic Career and Employability. This monitoring allows us to collect our alumni's contributions to improving our courses once they have entered the job market. The Polytechnic of Lisbon offers bachelor's and master's degrees in the arts, business sciences, communication, education, engineering and health. The courses have average employability rates of over 95%, but many of the courses have an employability rate of 100% (official data from DGEEC). Paula Castro Director of the School School of Biotechnology As director of the School of Biotechnology, I see a university degree as a "passport" to life and I understand that a strict focus on classic career paths no longer meets the demands of the job market. This "passport" ends up being stamped by discoveries and experiences that lead each student on a unique path, adding value and competitiveness. For someone to prepare for the tsunami that artificial intelligence is inducing in jobs, they must, more than thinking about professions, get to know themselves and respect their inner motivation. We want our students to reach the end of their course confident in their abilities. Those are the ones who will win the future! Our science and technology offer has also been evolving to cope with the turbulence of the times. In addition to knowledge as a matrix, it includes skills that prepare for professional activities that, to a large extent, don't even exist yet. That's why we've created space for interdisciplinarity, the intersection with the humanities, project-based learning and research and, above all, the ability to think, feel the world, evolve and generate one's own knowledge. I don't think computers will ever be able to replace us in this. Helena Faria Director of Careers Services at ISEG At ISEG - Lisbon School of Economics & Management, the employability rate is over 98% for both undergraduate and master's students. Our students work in a very competitive market, but at the same time there is a lot of demand, with the number of job offers far outstripping the resources available. Why our success? Solid academic training coupled with a strong quantitative component, which develops high logical reasoning, structured and conceptual thinking, with the ability to think and find solutions to challenges, are essential requirements sought by companies, along with an adequate personal profile based on key skills and characteristics. Today, organizations tend to recruit on the basis of these requirements: high cognitive potential combined with solid personal skills, regardless of the academic areas they come from. This means that ISEG students are in high demand, resulting in rapid integration into the market. Nevertheless, the School must continue to invest in the development of soft skills: some of them can be worked on in the classroom and others through extracurricular activities, which we encourage so much. Personal life experiences are equally important in this equation. At the top of the list of skills to be developed are resilience (so important and valued by companies), leadership and communication skills. Our aim is to inspire students to think critically, act ethically and have a positive impact on society in order to become the leaders of tomorrow, through a commitment to academic excellence, innovative pedagogy and growth in the field of economics and management. Above all, we believe that education is a privilege and that we should use our resources, our knowledge and our passion to have a positive impact on the lives of our students, our community and the world at large. We are ISEG and we are committed to shaping the future through education. Mariana de Sousa Career Office Coordinator at ISAG - European Business School At ISAG - European Business School (ISAG-EBS) we are aware of what the market wants, demands and favors. Our close links with companies and constant "monitoring" of business and economic developments is the best guarantee that our courses are adapted to needs and provide appropriate career opportunities. This link to the business world is also strengthened through the internships we offer our students during their training. There are more than 950 active partnerships around the world, which is an added incentive for our students. We train professionals who leave their mark on the organizations they join and who are our best calling card, which translates into an employability rate of 98%, which we proudly record. We work hard with our students to achieve this result. More than guaranteeing employability, we have services to support student development, which aim to meet their needs and contribute to their academic, personal and professional success. For us, the relationship with our students should not end with their studies and continues even after they have finished their course, which is why the Alumni Network is crucial for us. Alumni are important stakeholders because of their continued investment in the success of ISAG-EBS, and we hope that the value of their training will be maintained and continually updated. The Alumni Network provides access to a network of contacts that offers business opportunities and the possibility of professional expansion and progression, the development of talent and new professional opportunities. This is the purpose that unites ISAG-EBS and its students. Carlos Mata Vice-President of IPS for Employability For several years now, the Polytechnic Institute of Setúbal (IPS) has been at the top of the employability rankings in Polytechnic Higher Education, with a rate of 96.6%. This result is the result of a clear commitment to the professional integration of its students/graduates, which is reflected in various measures, starting with the way the courses are designed, most of which include a curricular internship, and the work-based training, in close coordination with employers. Outside the classroom, the IPS has created various initiatives to bring students closer to the workplace and complement technical knowledge with transversal skills that are highly valued today. Special mention should be made of Employability Week, an annual event whose main attraction is the various opportunities for direct interaction between students and potential employers, namely through the Job Fair, which usually mobilizes more than 120 companies and organizations. Our Mentoring Program has confirmed the strategic importance of bringing together graduates (mentors) and students from the institution (mentees), in a follow-up/advising process. This is another way of making those studying aware of the real challenges of the market, in a partnership that allows for the exchange of knowledge, experiences and points of view, as well as reflection on life and career projects. With the Employment Passport we have created a tool that allows you to enrich your academic career by attending various activities - seminars, workshops, conferences - which are then recorded in your Diploma Supplement as further training. And with our business ideas incubator - IPStartUp - we promote entrepreneurship, another way of strengthening, and also diversifying, employability. Filomena Soares Vice-Rector for Education and Academic Mobility at the University of Minho Guilherme Pereira Pro-Rector for Institutional Assessment and Special Projects at the University of Minho In the region and in the country, the University of Minho has a responsibility to empower people by providing quality education, both in basic training and in advanced and lifelong training. In designing its educational programmes, UMinho is attentive to new emerging areas, the needs of organizations and the career paths of its students. UMinho has been committed to promoting complex educational paths, valuing the quality of specialized training, the articulation of curricula with work contexts and the development of transversal skills. The strong industrial presence in the Minho region allows for close collaboration with companies in educational, research and extension projects. The complexity of problems often requires the adoption of multidisciplinary approaches. UMinho has a particularly rich history in this regard, which encourages the collaboration of different schools, different areas of knowledge, in the design of each cycle of studies. UMinho has been developing a series of initiatives aimed at monitoring the professional career of its graduates, in order to promote mechanisms to bring them closer to the realities of the job market, through the development of technical and transversal skills. Also noteworthy is the Postgraduate Alliance, created in close interaction with society and organizations, in a bid to improve the qualifications of graduates. Helena Correia Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education at Católica Porto Business School At Católica Porto Business School we look proactively and anticipate trends. There are several relevant axes of differentiation. These differences stem from our conception of training as a holistic learning and life experience, which develops, in addition to technical skills (hardskills), transversal and behavioral skills (softskills) that are fundamental in today's business environment. CPBS has a very strong link with the economic and business reality, giving students access to a structured network of potential employers. And this close connection also allows us to anticipate and adapt the training offer to the needs of organizations, resulting in constant innovation of programmes and methodologies. Some examples are the growing investment in innovative teaching practices, through the application of methodologies such as project-based learning and service-learning in various disciplines, seeking to ensure that the student experience always has a strong applied aspect. Also the reinforcement of themes linked to digitalization and information technologies across the board. Or the inclusion of an optional semester in the degree courses, giving students the opportunity to deepen their knowledge in a specific area of interest (Practice) or to have an international internship experience approved by CPBS (Global). For over 30 years, CPBS has been preparing professionals for careers in Portugal and/or abroad. The training experience at the School is also characterized by a significant international component, whether through courses abroad in mobility programs, international missions, working with students from other countries, or even courses taught in English. The excellence of our value proposition is confirmed not only by the high employability rate of our students, but also by the continuous renewal of our national and international accreditations. With a teaching model that gives priority to getting closer to the job market, through strong university-company cooperation, which puts our students at an advantage at the start of their professional lives. CPBS therefore aligns its training activities with its mission: to prepare professionals for global business with a strong focus on entrepreneurship, sustainability and respect for people, anticipating the future needs of organizations and promoting scientific development and applied knowledge. Maria José Fernandes President of IPCA and CCISP The IPCA - Polytechnic Institute of Cávado and Ave - seeks to align all courses with the strategies established by companies, avoiding duplication in the offer already existing in other institutions. In addition to bachelor's degrees, we offer master's degrees and short-term professional master's degrees, with the aim of recognizing the skills that candidates already have in the specific area where they work. Professional higher technical courses are also offered, in partnership with companies, aimed at practical and technical training. Companies are listened to in the design of the curricula, and most of the courses are built in partnership and many of these companies fund scholarships for students who cover the tuition fees. Part of the courses are taught in a business and industrial context with immediate employability. The duration of the CTeSPs is two years, with a year and a half in the classroom and half a year of work experience. After the internship, the student obtains a technical diploma and can go on to a degree if desired. As IPCA offers after-school programs, many of these students (who are already in the market after their internship) choose to continue their studies in this way. This offer has been a very positive response for companies in the region. IPCA is proud to be a national benchmark in areas such as Accounting and Taxation, Design and Technology. It is also growing in the field of Hospitality and Tourism. We invest in our relationship with the market and offer training at different levels in partnership with companies in the region, according to their real needs. This generates training, employability and development. Pedro Pinheiro President of ISCAL Higher education institutions should view employability as a strategic development variable and as such monitor it appropriately. Analyzing the level and quality of employability, two concepts of a different nature that are often used interchangeably, makes it possible to obtain a set of indicators to measure the adequacy of the training process, taking into account the needs of the market and its agents. Thus, it is important to point out that employability is largely a result of the way in which HEIs define and update their training offer. (...) On the other hand, in addition to the development of high quality technical and scientific skills, the development and acceleration of non-formal skills can also play a fundamental role in this process, as it allows students to be better prepared for the challenges of integrating into the job market. Editorial