Training Courses
Developing employability and work experience
The
emphasis placed by higher education institutions on the
employability skills of students and graduates is becoming an
increasingly important factor in the decision-making process of
students when choosing a higher education institution. Including
transnational internships in career path planning is a vital tool to
prepare students for the global work place of the future. This
course will review different careers service models and look at the
strategic requirements for a careers service. It will also focus on
models of funding and development which can be adapted to meet the
needs of different institutions, and will explore the teaching of
employability skills which can make a significant impact on student
success in the labor market. Special focus will be given to building
sustainable company relations, mentoring processes and the
involvement of alumni associations. After attending the course,
participants will have insight into all aspects of employability,
career planning, internship management and company relations
transnationally.
Topics
Employability skills
Careers services development
Work
placements, internships and career path planning
Monitoring
Company relations
Process and project management
Focus
The
course will focus on careers service models and best practice
examples in service provision to a range of stakeholders. It will
also focus on developing employability skills by using transnational
internship and work placement schemes to prepare the student for
their career planning and employability in the global work force.
Participants will be provided with the tools to assess which
specific services could work at their institutions. They will also
be introduced to the financial and organizational aspects of a
careers service. The course materials are designed to allow all
participants to develop a relevant action plan to take back to their
institution.
Learning outcomes
At the
end of the training course, participants will have the skills to:
¡P
prepare students and graduates to enter the global work force
by improving their employability skills
¡P
improve and develop their HEI’s career services to attract
students design work placements and internships for sustained
company relations
Managing alumni programmes effectively
This
new training course was prepared upon request of the participants of
the very popular ‘Alumni A to Z’ course. Most of the sessions will
cater to the needs of middle to senior level managers dealing with
alumni relations. Experienced professionals will cover the key areas
of alumni relations and will focus on how to plan and implement the
key alumni projects that suit participants’ institutional needs. The
main topics will include strategic planning, alumni associations and
non-traditional alumni groups, records management, institutional
assessment and surveying alumni, alumni communications and online
communities, special events and reunions and fundraising. The course
will review trends, resources, and tips on how to get participants’
existing alumni programmes to the next level.
Topics
Strategic planning
Alumni
associations and non-traditional alumni groups
Records management and database
Institutional assessment and surveying alumni
Alumni
communications and on-line communities
Special events and reunions
Alumni
career and student recruitment programmes
Alumni
fundraising
Focus
This
course will focus on an overall understanding of alumni relations.
It will provide a set of tools for strategic planning and assessment
framework; case studies showing cultural and institutional
peculiarities of alumni involvement; invaluable experience in
role-playing and modeling situations that will help participants to
effectively manage alumni programmes.
Learning outcomes
Participants will acquire skills that will allow them to effectively
manage an alumni relations programme or an alumni component within
their respective within the budget realities of their own
institutions. Participants will take home ideas for programmes and
projects that have proven successful for other institutions. In
addition to the many new ideas they will bring back, they will
receive course materials filled with outlines, articles, checklists
and samples.
The art of credential evaluation: an introduction
This
training course will provide an introduction to the most important
elements of international credential evaluation. Participants will
gain insight into educational systems, criteria and methodology,
requirements regarding the evaluation file (i.e. contents,
translations, and photocopies), and the importance of accreditation
and recognition. The course will focus on the framework of academic
and professional recognition, including legal aspects, relevant
networks, instruments and trends. The problems and characteristics
of fraudulent documents will also be presented. The course will
include a session on the evaluation of credentials from a selection
of many countries. A large part of the training course will be spent
evaluating and discussing actual cases. Participants are invited to
bring cases from their own experience with them.
Topics
Educational Systems
Accreditation and recognition of institutions and programmes
Tools
of the trade in credential evaluation
Fraudulent documents
Credential Evaluation: criteria and procedures
Evaluating credentials from third countries
Academic and professional recognition: the legal framework,
networks, instruments and trends
Focus
The
focus of the course is teaching professionals relatively new to
credential evaluation the most important aspects of what is
considered to be good practice in the field.
Learning outcomes
Upon
completion of the course participants will:
¡P
be aware of key similarities and differences among
educational systems around the world, and thus be more equipped to
make an informed evaluation of a foreign credential
¡P
be aware of the importance and relevance of accreditation and
recognition in the field of credential evaluation
¡P
be familiar with the essential documents in the evaluation
file, the requirements regarding photocopies and translations, and
the information resources available
¡P
be familiar with the various types of illegitimate documents
and the measures that can be taken to fight fraud
¡P
be aware of the guidelines for good practice in credential
evaluation and be able to apply these when evaluating cases with a
limited degree of complexity
¡P
increase familiarity with the issues that arise when
evaluating documents from a selection of countries and how these can
be addressed
¡P
be aware of the environment in which the credential evaluator
works regarding national and international legislation and
information networks
Advising international students
Internationalization has become an essential element in the
strategic development of many higher education institutions. Yet the
presence of a diverse student body at universities not only
challenges the faculty to internationalize curricula, but also calls
for a new look at the guidance and services provided to
international students. Which advising competencies are needed when
dealing with culturally diverse students? What cultural issues
should advisers be aware of in working with international students?
What does it mean to be an interculturally competent advisor? What
are some best practices in advising international students? This
course addresses these issues in a comprehensive and highly
interactive manner. Topics include: advisor role and skills,
communicating successfully with international students, transition
and intercultural adaptation, intercultural competence development.
Topics
Foreign student advisor role and skills
Culture, perception, and awareness of world views
Value
differences
Communicating successfully with international students
Transition and intercultural adaptation
Intercultural competence development
Focus
The
acculturation process international students go through when
studying abroad
Knowledge, skills, and experience needed when dealing with
international students
Coping
with cultural differences between the students and
advisors/university personnel
Sensitivity of educational institutions to the needs of
international students
Enhancement of institutional development with regard to serving a
diverse student body
Learning outcomes
Upon
completion of the course participants will have:
¡P
increased their understanding of intercultural theory, the
experience of international transitions, and the application of this
knowledge to advising international students
¡P
increased their skills in advising international students
¡P
increased intercultural competency |