Networking in VAMK

The corridors and classrooms Vaasan ammattikorkeakoulu, VAMK, Vaasa University of Applied Sciences was filled up with international teachers on 10.-11.9.2007. During the International Week VAMK hosted teachers from partner universities in Belgium, Germany, Hungary, Lithuania, Poland, Thailand and Ghana.

The lectures were held in the Palosaari campus on Monday and in the campus on Raastuvankatu on Tuesday. Both days were started with an opening session. In Palosaari the keynote speakers were the director of Viexpo, Mr Markus Jussila and former engineering students, Ms Elina Latva-Rasku. In Raastuvankatu campus the keynote speeches were given by Mr Juha Häkkinen from the Ostrobotnia Chamber of Commerce and a former business economics student Mr Anton Salmi. Jussila and Häkkinen highlighted the internationalisation of the business of Ostrobotnia region and the city of Vaasa. The former students told about their international experiences. The message of all keynote-speakers was clear - internationalisation is worthwhile! It brings self-confidence and language skills and it is an important and inseparable part of today's working life.

In the morning the visiting teachers were lecturing on their own topics. The topics varied and the students learned new things e.g. about the economics in Poland, how to do business in Thailand and nursing in Belgium. In the afternoon presentations were given on the home countries and universities of the teachers. The students participated actively in the international days. They learned new things from other fields but also got a possibility to listen to lectures given in English.

Alexandra Zygmunt from Opole Technical University is lecturing about the business life in Poland.

The aim of the International Week was to promote the internationalisation at home at VAMK and bring breaths of international air to the students. But also it offered a good possibility for networking and discussions between the teachers of VAMK and their international. In between the lesions and during the social events discussions on different possibilities for cooperation went on. The representatives for the Faculty of Business Economics were discussing about various possibilities with the representative from Germany and in the field of nursing discussions about a joint teaching module were discussed. The guests were also networking with each other.

The guests got also a chance to visit the archipelago and the World Heritage site. On Saturday some of them could follow the inauguration ceremonies with, among other celebrities, the former president Martti Ahtisaari in Björköby. On Sunday the guests and teachers and staff from VAMK went on a boat cruising in the archipelago of Vaasa.