Developing Students’ Competences for the Future – Key Priority in the Economics of Universities

In an interdependent world, marked by deep transformations, higher education institutions must act responsibly: to foresee, anticipate changes in all sectors of society, be ready and able to adjust in accordance with them. The education system in general, higher education in particular, needs to prepare younger generations for these rapid changes and continue challenges. Higher education plays a key role in opening up new horizons through important contributions to a sustained and equitable development and in creating a culture of peace. Higher education institutions must act critically and objectively on the basis of competence and merit, actively promoting intellectual and moral solidarity, serving the intellectual needs. In this complex context, the education system must have a proactive attitude preparing young people to perform in a global context and to adapt continuously through lifelong learning. The higher education system must develop, on one hand, basic skills enabling lifelong learning and on the other hand transferable skills that enable mobility. This paper aims to identify current challenges for the higher education system and to provide an overview on what competencies universities should develop in order to respond to these challenges. An important focus will be on the “Lucian Blaga” University of Sibiu (LBUS) best practice in this respect.