International work-related travel is not just about hopping on a plane and “seeing what happens.” Oh no—it's a delicate dance of meetings, delegation dynamics, unexpected surprises, and perhaps a suitcase full of goodwill (and hopefully, snacks). Here are some “theses” for surviving, thriving, and occasionally laughing your way through international travel.
During our trip to Namibia as a part of the Circular Economy Models in Namibia: Capacity building project we had an opportunity to visit a local training centre in Swakopmund. In our visit we discovered a circular economy ecosystem which appears as a good example of strong sustainability covering environmental, economic and social elements. We also learned a punch of good practices on how to create value for local actors and communities from circular economy.
There has been a unique cooperation between TAMK and North Carolina State University (NCSU) for over 15 years. The cooperation has included, among other things, a double degree agreement already in the very early days of the cooperation. This co-operation has since then turned into active student and staff exchanges, both as guest lectures and project-related visits. In the future, the intention is to focus on cooperation in research as well.
Ulla Häggblom and Piia Kanto were invited to present the concept of the working life-oriented concept “Talent Factory” in July 2024 in the BioTech Tunisia Project Closing event in Tunisia. The presentation got excellent feedback because of the interesting topic and the captivating way of presenting.
On November 11th and 12th, 2024, the EU Interreg Central Baltic project Succeed in Business started with a dynamic two-day event in Riga, Latvia. The Succeed in Business project aims to encourage young people to become entrepreneurs by providing them with practical skills, international networks, and continuous mentorship. This project offers a platform for students to turn their business ideas into reality, supported by coaches, mentors, and an engaged network of peers from across the Baltic region.
The first implementation of the AntofaEDUCA program has come to a successful conclusion, marking a key achievement in advancing education in the Antofagasta region. This ambitious initiative, the result of shared efforts and international collaboration between TAMK, Fundación Entrepreneur in Chile, the Regional Government of Antofagasta, and other partners, is designed to drive a transformative educational reform across all public schools in the region, including primary, secondary, and vocational education. By fostering innovation and collaboration among teachers, educational leaders, and students, the program aims to create lasting improvements in teaching practices, leadership, and school environments.
The collaboration between Tampere University of Applied Sciences (TAMK), Finn Church Aid (FCA), and Kenyan Technical and Vocational education and training (TVET) institutions is creating new opportunities for youth employment and education in Kenya. This partnership aims to improve vocational education and address youth unemployment by combining Finnish expertise in education with local Kenyan needs where the emphasis on collaboration with workplaces is expressed in the notion of “Dual TVET”. Project called Youth Employment and TVET in Kenya is funded by the German development cooperation organization Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH.
Our staff exchange with the University of West Bohemia was an inspiring and fruitful experience. The main goal of our exchange was to find a new partner for nursing and midwifery education, and project collaboration, as well as to establish the framework for future student and staff exchanges between our institutions. The trip also supported our goal of becoming the most international university and aligned with the social and healthcare strategy to function as a versatile and internationally active unit.
The May 16th to 17th 2024 Learning, Teaching & Training (LTT) activities of DigiSTEM project took place in Bratislava. Over the course of two days the attendees learned much about the use of technology in math teaching, and got a special treat, too!
This summer for a third time we had a pleasure to welcome German students from Munich University of Applied Sciences (Hochschule München) Master Programme to participate in enriching summer school from “Nordic Star” intensive training organised by Tampere University of Applied Sciences (TAMK) in Finland. For the very first time the Nordic Star programme was organised for bachelor level students as well. The pilot was successful, and we are looking forward to the next edition in 2025!
Tampere University of Applied Sciences' Succeed in Business project aimed at young people aged 18–25 in the Pirkanmaa Region interested in entrepreneurship to participate in international training that strengthens networking and competence. The Awareness Rising Conference organised at TAMK was attended by 22 participants. I was particularly pleased with the young people's sociability and openness to talk to each other and share experiences and questions about entrepreneurship right from the start.
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.
