Competent Student - Experienced Graduate

The kick-off meeting of ‘Competent student - experienced graduate’ project, combined with signing a cooperation agreement with the Haxhi Zeka University in Peja, Kosovo (other partners already work with the UO) took place on 9 January 2020 at the University of Opole. It was attended by representatives of all partner institutions: University of Malta, University of Leuven, Belgium, Haxhi Zeka University in Kosovo, Tomas Bata University in Zlin, Czech Republic and the University of Economics in Wrocław.

The International Academic Partnership project is financed by the Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange (NAWA) and coordinated by the University of Opole.

Aims of the project

The project is a response to contemporary challenges of the international labour market and the need to develop a new formula for building students’ competence and to test it in practical conditions. The aim of the project is to develop labour market key competences by students’ participation in international workshops and study visits to international companies, as well as performance of practical tasks in multicultural groups.

45 undergraduate students of economics from 5 countries will participate in the programme of development of competences during their last 3 semesters, just before entering the labour market. Building awareness and competence of students will be conducted in the framework of jointly implemented teaching projects, each of them will give students an opportunity to meet with a different business culture of the host country (4 trips abroad connected with participation in lectures, seminars, workshops, and study visits to local employers).

During the project, students will also co-organize events for other partners in their own country, which will allow them to develop organizational competencies in the context of international cooperation.

Students will work with coaches in three international groups of 15 people. Between workshops they will also work on the e-learning platform. They will also participate in a certified training in the specialist English language.

Recruitment starts on January 20, 2020.

Recruitment of students for the project will begin on 20 January. Students are required to be able to communicate in English at B1 level. They will acquire knowledge and develop skills and social competencies in a group linguistically and culturally diverse, and therefore supplying various social capital, with the support of a moderator and a trainer.

The project creates conditions for multilateral cooperation between partners and opens up possibilities for its intensification in the area of research (joint publications, conferences, research programmes) and academic teaching (e.g. workshops in the form of variable e-courses conducted with partners).

Guests of the kick-off meeting:

University of Malta

Frank Bezzina, Dean of the Faculty of Economics

Emanuel Said, Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Economics

Vincent Cassar, Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Economics

University of Leuven, Belgium

Martin Euwema, Head of the Department of Psychology of Work

Ana Garcia, Department of Psychology of Work

Haxhi Zeka, University, Kosovo

Fadil Millaku, Rector

Ibish Mazreku, Vice-Rector

Tomas Bata University, Zlin, Czech Republic