Pedagogy experts from TAMK, Mikko Turunen and Henri Annala, gave Chilean teachers an intensive training week on Finnish pedagogy and teaching methods. The week was arranged as part of the Play and Learn project funded by the Government of Santiago and Fundación Entrepeneur on the 27th – 31st of May, 2024.
International collaboration opens up unique experiences to expand one’s knowledge and competences. Two senior lecturers from Degree Program of Bachelor of Social Services organized one week training for the teachers at Handan Preschool Teachers College (HPTC). They were prepared to share a lot about Finnish Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) and about the pedagogy of Degree Program of Social Services, but after the training wondered if it was them who learnt the most. It was proven once again that getting familiar with different educational systems in different countries provokes questions and critical thinking. But most of all it challenges yourself to understand your own system in deeper way.
In early summer, I visited the Nonwovens Institute (NWI) and the Wilson College of Textiles in North Carolina. An important part of the visit was to learn about the characterization of nonwoven fabrics and get to know NWI's operations and the services offered to the industry.
I recently had the opportunity, as part of the SUSTAFIT research project, to conduct a research visit to Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) in Toronto, Canada. This visit was generously hosted by my esteemed colleague, Associate Professor Karen Peesker. Karen and I first met in 2014 at the Global Sales and Science Institute's Conference while both of us were concluding our PhD theses on sales leadership. Our mutual passion for understanding how to lead sales in today’s uncertain environments has continued to be a strong bond between us.
In the beginning of June 2024, a selected group of students from TAMK’s Master’s Programme in International Business Management (23YIBM) participated in a study trip to Niederrhein University of Applied Sciences in Mönchengladbach, Germany. This event marked the highlight of a blended international course focused on Digital Transformation and Artificial Intelligence (AI).
The audiovisual (AV) sector, particularly the Film and TV Industry in Finland and Sweden, faces challenges in growth due to a lack of local, regional, and national production resources. This includes staff, teams, skills, equipment, facilities, and international networks. To address these challenges, a cross-border collaboration between Finland, Sweden, Estonia, and Latvia entitled Growth for FINSWE Film and TV Companies (AV–Growth ) will run from 2024 to 2027.
Internationality is one of the key strategies of Tampere University of Applied Sciences, and it is also deeply embedded in degree education. TAMK’s degree programme in Bioproduct Engineering provides annual course of “Publication and Study Excursion” for its degree students, and in the past over 20 years, students of TAMK have visited industries all over the world, and in March 2024, the course has brought 11 TAMK students to China.
For the past two years, the Tampere University of Applied Sciences has collaborated closely with the Albanian public sector, schools and third sector within the framework of the ‘EU 4 Inclusive Teaching’ project. A joint Training-of-the-Trainer -programme, designed and delivered together with TAMK and Tampere University (Faculty of Education and Culture), has provided pedagogical support so far to almost 300 Albanian teachers.
In the picturesque setting of Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, from 6 to 10 March 2024, the Barceló Bávaro Convention Center played host to a significant gathering of minds focused on education reform in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). Among the delegates were Sanna Ruhalahti and Virpi Heinonen from Tampere University of Appled Sciences (TAMK), representing Finland alongside a delegation comprising authorities, companies, and education sector participants. Their presence marked Finland's commitment to collaborating with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and its affiliates to address pressing challenges in education across the region.
This is a short story about the transformation from teacher to team coach from TAMK Global services to our Chilean counter partner Fundación Chile. This process was delivered by Cristian Burr Raty from TAMK HUBS, a Chilean team coach and Hanna Saraketo, TAMK´s experienced senior Team Coach from Proakatemia. This story describes some of the situations and emotions during the week-long training through the eyes of Hanna and Cristian.
