Experience Exchange between the FH Kufstein Tirol and Helsinki
This year, the Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences in Helsinki, Finland, hosted its International Staff Week from May 08 to 11, 2023. Forty-six participants from Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Estonia, France, Germany, Hungary, Lithuania, Mexico, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, and the UK heeded the university's invitation.
Focus on Service Design
The theme of the International Staff Week was Service Design. Service Design helps businesses develop and deliver services that can break established patterns of thinking and action. It is an analytical tool that develops concepts for services and service-related products using various methods, both inventing new ones and optimizing existing ones. Apart from an engaging international workshop on this methodological concept and initial application examples, the program also included modules on specific topics in university administration (Study Services, Alumni & Career Services, International Relations, etc.), which offered multifaceted contents and perspectives. MMag. Dr. Elisabeth Wolfgruber, who represented FH Kufstein Tirol at this International Staff Week, commented, "It's a fantastic experience to see colleagues from other partner countries in a shared module and to immerse oneself in their professional world for a short time. I left with many takeaways from the open discussions that can be applied to our university."
Focus on Finland & education in Finland
Beyond individual workshops, the International Staff Week organizing team took the opportunity to inform partner universities' representatives about Finland's uniqueness and point out new trends in Finnish education policy. "I found the approach intriguing that Finland, in the coming years, wants to intensify its efforts towards the internationalization of students. Finland aims to triple the number of international students and is actively considering how to retain a significant portion of these graduates in the country. The 'Study – Work – Live in Finland' approach seems to be vigorously pursued," says Elisabeth Wolfgruber, Head of Study Management at FH Kufstein Tirol.
Focus on campus life & more
The International Week also provided participants opportunities to visit several campus locations (Pasila Campus, Porvoo Campus, Haaga Campus). Apart from guided tours of each campus, the hosts offered an engaging ancillary program. Participants enjoyed a guided tour of Helsinki, a city tour of Porvoo's old town, a communal dinner at Haaga Campus prepared by students specializing in Hospitality, Tourism & Gastronomy, and an optional visit to a Finnish sauna.
Returning with many new impressions and ideas, the participants exchanged contacts to deepen their discussions beyond the initial impulse further. "I will remember not just the sunny and pleasant weather during an otherwise cold and wet spring week. I also realized that despite differences at their respective institutions, many of the intriguing staff members I had the pleasure to network with work on similar topics and often face similar challenges. Moreover, I appreciated the guided exchange of experiences in workshops and modules that showed, among other things, new tools for optimizations in the service area," says Elisabeth Wolfgruber.
About staff mobility
The Erasmus+ Staff Mobility supports short stays at partner universities in the Erasmus+ program countries and worldwide. The program enables service staff to introduce fresh ideas into their roles and promotes the expansion of administrative networks.
