The Pan-European Bologna Reform: An Analysis Based on Employer Perceptions in a Belgian Context

The Bologna reform aimed at creating a more transparent system of comparable degrees. Taking a demand-side viewpoint, we discuss two types of employer perception, namely, whether Belgian employers perceive Bologna as successful in facilitating the comparison of degrees and whether they are satisfied with the knowledge and skills of those of their employees who have acquired the new degrees. The main conclusions are that Belgian employers do not perceive the comparability of degrees as having become more easy, employability of “academic” (research-grounded) bachelors remains problematic, and employers caution against the loss of practical skills. Finally, we elaborate three policy recommendations.