Employer Feedback Within University Education

A Tool for Quality Development for Universities – or Even Funding Criterion?

This article describes the objectives, steps and results of the TYÖPALA project in developing employer feedback in higher education. The project examines how employer feedback could be used as a tool for the quality development of university education and offers input to ongoing debates on the funding model for universities. It uses various feedback tools. The article concludes with recommendations for future work, perhaps to be carried out in a European cooperation? There is apparent willingness at least among Finnish universities to enhance the dialogue with employers. The desire of universities to develop the dialogue, as well as their commitment and input in the pilot project, were considerable. Cooperation and dialogue can systematically serve the development of skills and competence in universities and help identify and anticipate skills needed in the future.