Agile Way to Respond to the Needs of the Labour Market
In January, Humak’s representatives Rector Jukka Määttä together with Development Director Anu Moisio and Manager of International Affairs Kim Lindblad took part in a workshop meeting with representatives from eight other European universities in Riga, to finalize their common funding application for forming a new European University alliance, StudyEU Amber Road.
Humak has during several years been looking for possibilities to join a European University alliance, a European initiative, which goals is to strengthen the European universities capacities both within and outside Europe. The funding decision for new alliances will be published in summer 2024.
The objectives
On the webpage of the European Commission the goals of the European university alliances are described as follows.
By developing long-term structural and strategic and sustainable cooperation between the higher education institutions in the European Universities alliances, the initiative aims to
- improve the international competitiveness of higher education institutions in Europe
- promote European values and identity
Through these alliances students can get a degree by combining studies in several European countries. The initiative has the potential to bring greater benefits to higher education institutions than any previous cooperation projects.
Stretching from south to north
In the autumn 2023, Jukka Määttä was contacted by Humak’s longtime partner Magdeburg-Stendal University of Applied Sciences, to join a consortium of partner universities located along the historic Amber Road trade route, stretching from Italy in the south, through Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, The Czech Republic, Austria, Germany, Poland, Latvia all the way to Finland in the north. Humak will represent Finland slightly north of the original Amber Road trade route. The leading university partner of the consortium is University of Applied Sciences Burgenland in Austria.
Unique qualities and features
The unique qualities of the Amber Road consortium, is that it connects universities from south to north along a geographical stretch where east meets west in Europe. One of the objectives of the alliance is to strengthen the partner universities capacity to jointly, in an agile way respond to education as well as research, development and innovation (RDI) needs of the labour market. Another feature of the alliance is that it will use a student-driven approach, putting the focus on the student life-cycle all the way from recruitment to career-paths upon graduation.
Smooth and intensive process
Anu Moisio describes the application process as intensive and still very smooth, thanks to a wonderful coordinating team formed by Michael Roither, Vice Rector for International Affairs at UAS Burgenland and our two consultants Elisabeth Plöchl and Christoph Breinschmid. Anu says that during the whole application period they have been able to create a warm and open atmosphere providing an excellent platform for innovative thinking and fruitful discussions. They have been able to form a strong dynamic team of us representatives from all nine university partners right from the beginning. During the workshop meeting in Riga all participants showed great enthusiasm and commitment not only to submitting a successful application, but also to working together in the future.
Funding decision
The funding decision will be published in summer 2024. Until then we are living exciting times, and are full of enthusiasm and ready to jump start our European University alliance, Study Amber Road, in autumn 2024.
Text: Kim Lindblad, Manager of International Affairs, Humak University of Applied Sciences
Publication series: Humak’s harticle
Publisher: Humam University of Applied Sciences
Publishing date: 13.2.2024
