Michal Karpíšek is the Secretary General of EURASHE, the European Association of Institutes in Higher Education, a political representation of professional higher education in Europe. He represents EURASHE within various policy and stakeholders’ fora including the E4 group, Bologna Follow-up Group and various working and advisory groups. He is a member of the Executive Board of the EQAR, European Quality Assurance Register.
Michal’s expertise is strongly focused on the mission and integration of professional higher/tertiary education within the educational systems with focus on relevant issues of qualifications and quality assurance.
Until May 2016 Michal was engaged for more than two decades as an Executive officer of the Czech Association of Schools of Professional Higher Education (CASPHE) in the introduction and development of this sector in the Czech Republic, including policy development discussions on introduction and integration of this type of tertiary education, setting the independent quality assurance programme, promoting schools’ management, strategic and curriculum development issues. Due to his profile Michal was invited in 2007 – 2011 to contribute to the envisaged reforms of Czech tertiary education including diversification and development of the qualification frameworks. Michal served twice as an advisor to Czech ministers of education (2001-03, 2010-11) or their deputies for higher education. Michal has been engaged in governing structures of EURASHE since 1999 including ten years of serving as a vice-president with focus on strategies, employability, flexible and relevant learning.
Michal has been involved from the beginning of the professional career in various international projects relevant to the development of professional higher education in the Czech Republic or at European context, both at the system and school levels. Prior to joining EURASHE on a full-time basis Michal got more systemically involved in international consulting including EU-funded reform of VET in Turkmenistan, further development of quality assurance of higher education in Azerbaijan or mapping links of Slovak higher education with the labour market and society.
Michal is a graduate of the Czech Technical University in Prague (1989) and the Cranfield University (2004).