The Special Focus in this issue of "Industry and Higher Education" comprises three papers that address practical approaches to the critical challenge of preparing students adequately for employment and career development in the 21st century workplace. The papers, refereed, extended and revised for publication in the journal originate from presentations at the Ninth International Conference on New Horizons in Industry, Business and Education held on Skiathos Island, Greece, in August 2015. In this introductory article, the author provides a brief overview of the conference and summarizes the three papers that follow.