In autumn 2021, the revision of TAMK’s organisation resulted in concentrating international affairs such as staff exchanges, partner agreements, international business operations and RDI-activities into one unit: External funding and international development. However, student exchanges, international student recruitment as well as the support for international students can be still found in the Education and Learning Services Unit.
At the same time TAMK strategy was revised and one of the spearheads raised into focus was internationalisation. Why was that? ISn’t TAMK already international with hundreds of Higher Educational Institutions partners, student and staff exchange, international Bachelor’s and Master’s programmes and education export?
What more do we need?
The first thing needed is a change in the mindset! We should not settle with the practices we have had so far.
Regular staff and student exchanges alone are not enough in the long run. On top of them, we need to develop other kind of international collaborations such as joint RDI-projects that support the educational cooperation and vice versa. Tailored education export and other services need to be expanded as well.
Now you may wonder where the resources are coming from for all this. Synergies between these actions definitely need to be utilized.
Introduction of the Continent Teams
In the beginning of 2022, Continent Teams were formed to promote and focus on TAMK’s international actions in the broad level. The focus areas of the teams are Asia, Africa, Latin America and Europe.
Multi-professional and multidisciplinary teams work together to increase our strategic partnerships, activities, education export and RDI-projects in the different regions. We already have hundreds of university partners, especially in Europe, and increasing numbers of partners on other continents.
During Autumn 2022, the Continent Teams will finish the analysis of current partnerships. By examining how many partnerships are really active, where the collaboration is reciprocal and mutually beneficial, the future can be better planned. The aim is to continue with deeper strategic and diverse cooperation but with fewer partners. This can enable new and promising partnerships to emerge.
International visibility and impact
TAMK management team has suggested that all staff exchanges and trips abroad should include the responsibility of writing a blog post or similar publication about the trip. That would be a fast and efficient way of disseminating the main points of the trip. Additionally, in some cases it would replace or complete the travel report, which otherwise needs to be written anyway.
It is important to remember, that when going on a work trip, you don’t just represent a degree programme or project, you represent the whole TAMK.
Did this raise your interest?
Please contact the team leaders.
Text by:
Eeva-Liisa Viskari, Team Leader for Team Africa
Kirsi Jokipakka, Team Leader for Team Europe
Virpi Heinonen, Team Leader for Team Latin America
Tanyu Chen, Team Leader for Team Asia
