Study trip to the partner university in Heerlen

Innovative ideas for future working environments was the motto of the International Week in Heerlen. How will we work in the future, in offices and from home? How can we make our working environments attractive to employees, so that they can work both independently and collaboratively? How can new digital services and offerings support collaboration? What does this mean for office buildings today? These questions were answered by 140 international students during a project week at our partner university Zuyd University in Heerlen.

FRUSTRATION VERSUS PROGRESS AS A CHALLENGE

In their research groups, the students took on the challenging task of finding possible new aspects of future working environments. The ideas focused on current frustrations as well as the future needs of office workers.

Health, opportunities for being active, sustainability, the reconciliation of family, career and leisure, as well as the optimization of travel times to work were important aspects for the students in their projects. In small groups, they analyzed, discussed and developed solutions, which were then presented in a poster session and short videos.

NEW PERSPECTIVES FOR THE STUDENTS, TOO

For the students, this meant getting to know new methods and techniques, such as how creative ideas can be developed in a group. But getting to know the very different international approaches to facility management (FM) was also an important experience. While in German-speaking countries, FM is primarily associated with technical skills, in the Netherlands and in northern European regions, the focus is on services, processes and people as the center of the services.

“To give our students an insight into both perspectives, I take my students to the International Week every year,” says Director of Studies Asc. Prof. (FH) Dipl.-Ing. Christian Huber. ”In addition, I believe that it is particularly important in this day and age to work together across national borders and to develop friendships in the process.”

Learning from others and sharing knowledge, project development in international teams and the joint excursion characterize this intensive week.

PRESENTATION OF RESULTS TO THE DUTCH TAX AUTHORITIES 

The highlight at the end was the presentation of the results at the Dutch tax office in Eindhoven. The tax office's newest building is located here, which also includes many innovative workspaces. The students were shown desk sharing and high-quality quiet or collaborative workplaces with daylight and smart as well as energy-efficient building technology. Healthy eating and ergonomics are integrated there, as are transparency, good orientation and acoustics that support work. “The FM colleagues from the tax office are supporting us students during the project week and some of our concepts are even to be implemented,” report the enthusiastic students from Kufstein.

LONG-STANDING PARTNERSHIP WITH THE ZUYD UNIVERSITY OF APPLIED SCIENCES

For over ten years, the FH Kufstein Tirol has been a permanent partner of the International Week of Zuyd Hogeschool – University of Applied Sciences in Heerlen, Netherlands. The students from Kufstein spend a week in Heerlen and the students from the Netherlands come to Kufstein for the WinterSchool project week in February. “As Director of Studies and lecturer, I coach the students in the project. At the same time, this week is also an important exchange for me with my international colleagues,” is how Christian Huber describes his motivation for this week. The exchange is funded by ERASMUS+. This year, the International Week was also a EuroFM event. EuroFM is the European Facility Management platform, the network for higher education institutions, researchers and companies in Europe and beyond.

Links:

• Bachelor's degree program in Facility Management & Real Estate Management (part-time)
• Bachelor's degree program in Facility Management & Real Estate (full-time)
• Master's program in Facility and Real Estate Management (part-time)
• Overview of all partner universities