In the context of a globalized economy, there is consensus on the fact that only high value-added business strategies based on high value-added products, services and solutions are sustainable for European industry. Against this background, the importance of the education sector and the Higher Education (HE) sector in particular for a robust, sustainable industry must not be underestimated.

There is no simple definition of HE. In Ceemet’s view, it includes all types of education beyond the secondary level provided by a variety of institutions including general and vocational HE institutions. They all need to be able to support European economies and societies facing current and future challenges. We consider that this requires

• improved cooperation between HE institutions and industry allowing continuous adaptation to changing requirements, resulting in new kinds of learning solutions;
• increased permeability between Vocational Education & Training (VET) education and HE;
• a more evidence-based approach in ascertaining quality.