The CEOE Foundation and the CYD Foundation foster closer ties between universities and companies

The CEOE Foundation and the CYD (Knowledge and Development) Foundation, which promotes the contribution of universities to social and economic development, have signed an agreement to collaborate in developing actions that contribute to the development of the Spanish university system, as well as in the creation of an academic-business culture that allows for the promotion of flexible, competent and quality training to respond to the demands of today's society and contribute to Spain’s economic and social progress.

According to the CYD Report, the benchmark report on Spanish universities, in 2021, Spanish higher education graduates held the second highest unemployment rate in the EU. Both foundations share their concern about the imbalance between labour supply and demand and the growing number of higher education graduates in jobs that lack high qualification requirements (36.1%).

Through this agreement, the aim is to collaborate in different areas, such as the organisation of events, seminars or conferences of mutual interest or the undertaking of studies and projects that allow for improved cooperation between the corporate and university worlds and that favour a better match between the qualifications demanded by companies and the educational offer of the university system.     

Likewise, the aim is to collaborate in the promotion of much needed tools such as improving career guidance for students and providing greater knowledge regarding the reality of the productive fabric and its evolution.

The president of the CEOE Foundation, Fátima Báñez, stressed that “the alliance between the CEOE Foundation and the CYD Foundation is a strategic union to strengthen the knowledge and competitiveness of Spain through its universities and its companies, to enhance growth and serve its people”. “Together, we are going to work together for the modernisation of the Spanish university system, to enable it to maximize its contribution to the economic and social development of Spain and to connect the university sector to the productive fabric and the business world”, she added. In turn, the president of the Executive Committee of the CYD Foundation, Javier Monzón, pointed out that “the CYD Foundation works to strengthen the links between universities and the Spanish productive system with the aim of improving quality and contributing to improved employability of higher education graduates”. “The agreement with the CEOE Foundation seeks to intensify these ties and enhance the value of a university education as a driver of economic and social development,” he stressed.