Gabriele Abermann Split, 24 October 2018 Quality Framework for Traineeships abroad – How to meet the needs of students as well as the world of work Gabriele Abermann Split, 24 October 2018

Quality in Context of Traineeships 1 What does quality mean for you? How do you recognize that you have achieved quality?

Quality in Context of Traineeships 2 ECA definition „fitness for purpose“ The institution's internationalisation plans ensure the achievement of its internationalisation goals …they are designed in such a way that achieving the intended internationalisation seems realistic. Aerden, A (2017). The Guide to Quality in Internationalization. 2nd Edition. ECA, p. 30. WHY – motivation of Higher Education Institution (HEI) / study programme for organizing transnational traineeships WHAT – intended and achieved outcomes HOW – support and verification of achievement WHO - stakeholder involvement and roles and responsibilities

WHY - Trends for Future Workplace Environments Agility, adaptability and collaboration to address uncertainty and disruption Culture of safety, abundance, importance of risk-taking and innovation New leadership mind-set that rewards innovation, experimentation and customer- centric design thinking Required skills: negotiation, resilience, systems thinking Bersin, J. et al. (2017) The organization of the future: Arriving now 2017 Global Human Capital Trends. https://dupress.deloitte.com/dup-us-en/focus/human-capital-trends/2017/organization-of-the-future.html Image source: http://reports.weforum.org/future-of-jobs-2016/shareable-infographics/

WHY - Skills Developed through International Experience CIMO (2014). Faktaa. Facts and Figures. Hidden Competences. Helsinki: Centre for International Mobility., p.21,26

WHY – Impact of Transnational Traineeships on Graduates‘ Career Prospects 9 % of mobile students who did a work placement realised a start-up 30 % planned to do so 48% could envisage that

WHY – Motivation for HEIs An additional role of the higher education organization providing the intern-ship is to supplement the work experience with an academic component in which the student is guided through the concrete experience and reflective observation stages of learning in order to make these connections and formulate thoughtful applications for their experiences in the “real world”. Malerich, J- (2009). The Value of International Internships in Global Workforce Development ,Arizona State University, p .8. http://www.aieaworld.org/assets/docs/Issue_Briefs/ hevalueofinternationalinternshipsinglobalworkforcedevelopment_malerich.pdf

WHY – Motivation for HEIs By understanding study exchanges as an instrument to develop entrepreneurial cognition, universities can improve the effectiveness of their entrepreneurship strategy, e.g. by offering entrepreneurship and business development classes before or after the exchange experience. Similar implications can be drawn for entrepreneurs and organizations that seek to improve the entrepreneurial capabilities of their staff. P. Vandor & N. Franke, See Paris and… found a business? The impact of cross-cultural experience on opportunity recognition capabilities, Journal of Business Venturing, 31:4 (July 2016), p. 401

WHY – Impact of Cultural Diversity on companies

WHAT – Intended and Achieved Outcomes What do the students now know and understand better? What can they now do better? Integrated and connected to overall curriculum outcomes how does it contribute towards the qualification profile Related to discipline and contextualized subject-specific and generic skills placement environment Realistic and verifiable what can be achieved in 2 / 3 / 6 months? > how do we know that they have actually achieved this?

HOW – Quality Instruments Support structure as defined in European Policy statement (EPS) as the basis of the ECHE Compliance with ECTS principles Erasmus + Learning agreement for traineeships Certificate for traineeships

Skills Gap in International Experience 80 % of Erasmus students thought they had improved their transversal skills 52 % of Erasmus students actually showed a skills gain Difference of 28% between subjective perception and objective assessment Image source: Pixabay creative commons licence Brandenburg, U. (2014). The Erasmus impact study. Effect of mobility on the skills and employability and the internationalization of higher education institutions. Brussels: European Commission.

HOW – Support Structures Information Preparation Administrative AND Academic Experience and reflection Activities Guidance / mentoring Connection to study and future career prospects Reintegration support Articulation of competence to future employers Monitoring and improvement Image source: pixabay commons licence

WHO – Stakeholder Commitment and Involvement National (agency) level Institutional level Administrative level Study programme level Traineeship providers’ level Image source: Beelen, J. (2017). Presentation at DAAD Workshop on Internationalization of Curriculum, Berlin. ..

WHO – Roles and Responsibilities 1 National agencies: information on programme dissemination of benefits Training opportunities HEI management: overall internationalization strategy including action plans / qualified staff / sufficient resources Ensuring monitoring of effectiveness and impact Traineeship providers Integration into organization Cooperation with HEIs on learning outcomes Foto: Gabriele Abermann

WHO – Roles and Responsibilities 2 IO / career offices / related services: support for administration and organization Academics: Integration of transnational traineeships into curriculum development Defining contribution to qualification profile and credit recognition Defining learning outcomes and securing their achievement in cooperation with services / traineeship providers / strategic partners … Foto: Gabriele Abermann

So what is your role? And how (much) do you contribute to the quality of transnational traineeships?

Foto: Gabriele Abermann

Let‘s put the quality of our graduates into focus and actively support their skills gain Thank you