Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Notes on Contributors
- Foreword by His Excellency
- Foreword
- Preface
- Part I: Teaching and Training Partnerships
- 1 Why is the United Kingdom Important to Sciences Po?
- 2 Franco-Welsh Academic Partnerships: A Case Study Involving Transnational and Cross-sector Mobility
- 3 Double Diplomas: A Franco-British Training Route of Excellence for Teachers of French Worldwide?
- 4 The Entente Cordiale: A Grande École Engineering School Perspective
- 5 Links Between British Universities and French Instituts Universitaires de Technologie: New Forms of Collaboration
- 6 One Model: The Franco-German University
- 7 Raising Students’ International Profile: How Do Universities Address This Issue in Europe?
- 8 Franco-British Academic Partnerships at the University of Provence
- 9 University College London and France: Teaching and Research Collaborations
- 10 Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne: An Overview of More Than 30 Years of Franco-British Partnerships
- 11 Towards a Vision for a Networked European Business School
- Part II: Research Partnerships
- Part III: Broader Perspectives
- Appendices: Addresses and Speeches at the Franco-British Academic Partnerships Seminar, French Institute, London, 5 February 2010
7 - Raising Students’ International Profile: How Do Universities Address This Issue in Europe?
from Part I: Teaching and Training Partnerships
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Notes on Contributors
- Foreword by His Excellency
- Foreword
- Preface
- Part I: Teaching and Training Partnerships
- 1 Why is the United Kingdom Important to Sciences Po?
- 2 Franco-Welsh Academic Partnerships: A Case Study Involving Transnational and Cross-sector Mobility
- 3 Double Diplomas: A Franco-British Training Route of Excellence for Teachers of French Worldwide?
- 4 The Entente Cordiale: A Grande École Engineering School Perspective
- 5 Links Between British Universities and French Instituts Universitaires de Technologie: New Forms of Collaboration
- 6 One Model: The Franco-German University
- 7 Raising Students’ International Profile: How Do Universities Address This Issue in Europe?
- 8 Franco-British Academic Partnerships at the University of Provence
- 9 University College London and France: Teaching and Research Collaborations
- 10 Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne: An Overview of More Than 30 Years of Franco-British Partnerships
- 11 Towards a Vision for a Networked European Business School
- Part II: Research Partnerships
- Part III: Broader Perspectives
- Appendices: Addresses and Speeches at the Franco-British Academic Partnerships Seminar, French Institute, London, 5 February 2010
Summary
Companies are now looking for graduates with an international profile. Because of economic globalisation and the inherent population moves, cultural diversity within companies has dramatically increased over recent years. Managers are now expected to be able to coordinate international teams and to deal with cross-cultural issues on a day-to-day basis. Moreover, managers are often requested to relocate to other countries. This is an extremely stressful situation that can have a strong impact on managers’ performance and on their personal life.
The best way to prepare for this type of situation is to go through the process of relocating in a foreign country during university studies. What we call ‘student mobility’, or the possibility to study at a partner institution for a period of time during a degree programme, allows students to learn these skills. Experiencing the lack of familiarity with everyday customs and procedures, language barriers and that people do things differently in other countries will benefit graduates’ development. The skills learnt will help graduates to face the challenges of relocating to a foreign country and will make them more valuable to future employers.
Universities are adjusting to this new reality by offering double degrees or the opportunity to study at partner institutions. At a European level, huge steps have been made with first the Erasmus project at the end of the 1980s and then with the Bologna Process. However, the specificities of a national education system sometimes make this process more difficult: for example, the French Grande École system is not always clearly understood outside France. Also, degree recognition is still not always possible.
International Partnerships
Student mobility is possible through three main processes: the Erasmus programme, double degrees and visiting students.
The Erasmus programme
Erasmus (European Region Action Scheme for the Mobility of University Students) is a European Union student exchange programme established in 1987. There are currently more than 4000 higher education institutions participating in the Erasmus programme across 31 countries and over 2.2 million students have already taken part.
To participate in the Erasmus programme, students must be studying for a degree in a higher education institution and must have completed their first year. Students who join the programme study or undertake an internship for a period of between three months to an academic year in another European country.
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- Information
- Franco-British Academic PartnershipsThe Next Chapter, pp. 63 - 68Publisher: Liverpool University PressPrint publication year: 2011