CIMO approved TAMK's Erasmus functions

Centre for International Mobility (CIMO) thanked TAMK International Services for good governance of Erasmus functions. CIMO audited the Erasmus budgets, figures and Intensive Programmes (IP) of academic year 2010 - 2011 on 16 - 17 November 2011.

Erasmus is the EU's education and training programme enabling students to study and work abroad. It also funds cooperation between higher education institutions across Europe. The programme not only supports students, but also professors and business staff who want to teach abroad, as well as helping university staff to receive training. CIMO coordinates the Erasmus programme in Finland.

- The big number of TAMK's IPs and International Weeks is impressive: TAMK has more of them than any other Finnish university of applied sciences, said Anne Siltala, the head of CIMO delegation.

TAMK coordinates three IP-courses: CREME (Social Services), DIGISOMEMAR (Business) ja RUSTIC (Hotel and Restaurant Management), and is a partner in 12 other IPs. TAMK International Services administer 33 international mobility programmes.

Siltala said also that TAMK has been the most active institution in the newest function of the Erasmus programme: recruiting professionals from foreign companies to lecture at TAMK. Although the total number of such professionals who have arrived in Finland is small, 16, seven out of them have lectured at TAMK, mainly in the School of Art, Music and Media.

Sanna Tukiainen (left) and Annika Haanpää both did their student exchange in IMC University of Applied Sciences Krems, Austria. Michaela Rezová from Czech Republic is an exchange student at TAMK Media programme. They all talked about their Erasmus expereince to the auditors.

Siltala congratulated TAMK for a strategy in which internationalisation is given a high importance, as well as for accrediting 100% of the studies completed during exchanges.

CIMO wished TAMK would advertise the option of going for short (less than three months) student exchanges, and also share better the outcomes of teacher and staff exchanges.

CIMO will publish the final report by Christmas.

Text and photo: Mirja Onduso, International Services