FH Kufstein Tirol again receives the Erasmus+ Charter of the European Union
The importance of an internationally oriented education has been a cornerstone of the priorities at FH Kufstein Tirol for many years now. Therefore, at least one semester abroad is required in all full-time bachelor’s degree programs. In the part-time bachelor’s and master’s degree programs, a mandatory one-week study trip is part of all programs.
STUDENTS OF FH KUFSTEIN BENEFIT FROM FUNDING FOR EUROPEAN MOBILITY
FH Kufstein again being awarded the ECHE for 2021-2027 will allow its students to enjoy the greatest possible mobility during their studies. The Erasmus+ scholarships provide an essential support system for semesters and internships abroad. Within the framework of the Erasmus+ program, the University of Applied Sciences Kufstein not only enables student, faculty, and staff mobility, but also carries out a number of international cooperation projects. “The more international experience our students gain during their studies, the more they benefit from it in their later careers. Due to the current restrictions as a result of the coronavirus, opportunities to gain experience abroad are of course severely limited. The International Relations Office team supports our students in this regard and is constantly examining responsible alternatives with our partner universities,” says the university leadership comprised of Prof. (FH) Dr. Thomas Madritsch, CEO managing director, and Prof. (FH) Dr. Mario Döller, Rector of FH Kufstein.
FOCUS
The new goals of the program period 2021-2027 are transparency, inclusion and anti-discrimination strategies to provide funding for people from disadvantaged backgrounds. FH Kufstein Tirol has been working in this area for quite some time and has strongly anchored the issues of diversity, inclusion and equality in the institution’s own culture. Only recently, a new section on issues of migration was integrated into the website of the University of Applied Sciences Kufstein. In addition, another focus of the program is digitization and sustainability. These topics, too, have been central at the university for some time. As part of this thrust, measures are being taken for digital mobility management and use of the Erasmus+ mobile app is being promoted. A further point of particular importance is support of the “Green Erasmus” initiative. To this end, the sustainability strategy of FH Kufstein Tirol now also covers student and staff mobility. This means that the international experiences enabled through Erasmus should be offered in a way that makes them environmentally conscious and efficient.
“We are proud to continue to provide our students with the essential support that allows them to be internationally mobile and to gain valuable experience abroad. In addition to our network of more than 200 partner universities and a growing number of international students, this is further proof of the international outlook of FH Kufstein Tirol,” says Mag. Noureddine Rafili, Head of the International Relations Office.
ERASMUS CHARTER FOR HIGHER EDUCATION (ECHE)
The University of Applied Sciences Kufstein Tirol is again part of the European education program Erasmus+ through the “Erasmus Charter for Higher Education” awarded by the European Commission. Important criteria that the EU Commission examines in awarding the ECHE are compliance with and implementation of the ECHE guidelines, the quality of the administrative structures of an institution, as well as their declaration of support for the Erasmus+ higher education policy, the Erasmus Policy Statement (EPS).
The ECHE award constitutes the general quality framework for all European and international cooperation activities that a higher education institution carries out within the framework of Erasmus+.