Mr. Gerry O'Sullivan:

We have begun to increase our conversations with all of our European partners in this area.

There has to be a very strong message from our institutions that mobility leads to valuable learning and, from our employers, that the type of experience and learning that students gather while studying in another university on the European mainland or working in European industry leads to employability in this country.

We need to improve our language competence. While English will get us to many parts of Europe, our inability to speak other languages is a bit of a barrier. These are good economic times for graduates. They have been finding employment in increasing numbers since the recession. We need to underpin the value of international learning, which brings a type of experience that will be increasingly important because this country needs to engage on a global level with so many different parts.

Mr. Tim Conlon, head of policy and strategy planning, may wish to contribute as he has been very active in dealing with some of the other challenges that face the sector, including Covid and other matters.