The Academic Curriculum in Higher Education. Transformative Competencies' Relevance for the Labour Market

The paper presents a theoretical analysis of the academic curriculum's relevance for the labour market and life, especially about the recognition of learning outcomes. The purpose of this approach is to discover if there is strong consent and a common interest both at the national and international levels related to the relevance of transformative competencies developed through the academic curriculum. Concerns about the key competencies have led to reflection on the importance of being aware of knowledge created by Higher Education (HE) institutions. The research questions related to the theoretical approach are as follows: What are the national and international trends regarding the academic curricula in higher education? What are the transformative competencies and what do they entail? What are the ways in which transformative competencies can be included in the national university curriculum? The results of our theoretical approach underline that the set of competences developed in HE institutions must constantly transform into learning outcomes by the trends and needs of the labour market. This type of academic curriculum development anticipates the future dynamics of a society. We conclude that the mission of the HE institutions has to be strongly related to the specifics of globalized economies. Also, it is to develop an academic curriculum orienting itself towards innovation and a competency-based approach. This holistic approach provides policymakers, researchers, administrators and teachers a theoretical framework for practical interventions in HE institutions.