Higher Education and Graduate Employment in Spain

Abstract

The current structure of higher education in Spain was established in 1983 by the University Reform Act. This brought great change in the legal framework of Spanish universities, which, until then, had been regulated by the central authorities of the Ministry of Education, transforming them into autonomous bodies with a wide scope for self-government. The direct responsibility over universities was transferred from the central authorities to those of the autonomous regions. This process of devolution was only completed in 1997.Higher education in Spain consists almost exclusively of universities. In addition, an incipient vocational post-secondary education is being developed and there are also some Languages, Music and Military Schools outside the university system. There are 46 public universities and 16 private ones. Two are Open Universities, one is public (the UNED) and the other (Oberta de Catalunya) is formally private but is promoted by the regional Government of Catalonia. Six of the private universities are linked to the Catholic Church.Three universities focus on engineering (Polite Âcnicas of Madrid, Catalonia and Valencia), but most have a broad range of programmes ranging from engineering to humanities. There is not a strong differentiation, although some younger universities, many of which were created by the segregation of campuses of older ones and are located in smaller cities, focus on short-cycle programmes.There are three basic types of university programmes: short-cycle programmes, which are more vocationally oriented and last for three years (although some engineering programmes last for four years); long-cycle programmes, which last for four, five or six years, five being the most standard; and doctoral programmes, which add two years of course work and require the preparation of a research-oriented thesis following upon a long-cycle degree.After completing academic secondary education, students must pass an entrance exam if they wish to enter long-cycle university programmes and the short-cycle programmes in greatest demand. The main aim of this exam is to monitor standards of educational achievement in the secondary schools, both public and private, and give universities a criterion for allocating students to the different programmes according to the demand and the results of that exam (Mora, 1996). Yet access to higher education is quite open in Spain and there are no strict limits for staying enrolled in the programmes.

University Choice, Research Quality and Graduates' Employability: Evidence from Italian National Survey Data

“…been accompanied by decreasing graduate employment (Schomburg, 2000;Plümper & Schneider, 2007), especially permanent employment (Woodley & Brennan, 2000); findings confirmed also in the case of Spain (Mora et al, 2000). According to Núñez and Livanos (2010), academic degrees are more effective on reducing the likelihood of short-term than long-term unemployment across Europe as degrees may be of special value in the early-stage of the professional career.…”

What do graduates think? An analysis of intention to repeat the same studies and university

“…It can also lead to greater use of support services such as the library or refectory, to an increased likelihood of recommendation of the institution to family or friends, and to a positive word-of-mouth reputation (Cuthbert, 1996). Conversely, poor quality can have a counter-productive effect on the university's future strategies (Chadwick & Ward, 1987;Mora, García-Montalvo, & García-Aracil, 2000).…”

The transition from higher education to employment in Europe: the analysis of the time to obtain the first job

“…The educational growth in Spain -the number of students at universities -has been notable in the 1980s and 1990s; however, during this period, the Spanish economy was unable to create the necessary number of jobs to employ the whole production of new graduates (Mora et al 2000). 31.…”