Beyond Compliance: Societal External Review as a Driver of Curriculum Renewal for the Twin Transition

The article argues that prevailing quality arrangements in European higher education are increasingly inadequate for addressing the demands generated by the twin digital-green transition. Building on evidence about evolving skill needs and on the EQAVET peer-review model in vocational education and training, it introduces the concept of societal external review: a cyclical, evidence-informed process in which institutional self-evaluations are scrutinised by panels composed primarily of labour-market and societal actors, supported by quality and curriculum experts. This model shifts external quality assurance from compliance checking to a structured interrogation of how programmes interpret and implement twin-transition priorities. The article also identifies the internal functions and competences required to prepare, host and follow up such reviews, positioning societal external review as a lever for organisational learning and for strengthening universities' anticipatory capacities in reshaping curricula for green and digital futures.