EDU-LAB partners, with extensive cooperation of stakeholders representing higher education, industry and policy makers, developed the New Danubian Governance Model in Labour Market relevance of Higher Education. The document addresses the question of how to link education to employment in a sustainable way and it includes a practical policy guide on how to start implementing the model by describing concrete steps towards enhancing cooperation between business, higher education, and policymakers. The document promotes the mindset of encouraging more professionally oriented study programmes in order to achieve a better synergy between the education systems and labour market demands and to improve the opportunities of young people in the Danube region.

The New Danubian Governance Model suggests that:

• A combination of theory and practice is incorporated in tertiary education.
• A life-long learning system is developed in a systematic and sustainable way.
• Cooperation between universities and companies in the field of teaching and research is enabled by law and stimulated by financial incentives.
• The cooperation is a major stimulus for university research and practice-oriented study programmes.
• In order to combine theory and practice, companies take over a binding and long-lasting commitment and responsibility in the learning partnership with universities.
• The educational system is flexible and sustainable enough to follow the economic and social challenges and continuous technical development.

The New Danubian Governance Model can be downloaded from our project library. Feel free to use it and distribute it among your stakeholders.