TAMK – international in new ways
Despite the coronavirus pandemic, TAMK’s year 2020 was more international than ever before. We quickly adapted our diverse international activities, both mobility and education export, to the online world. Our numerous international online educations and events gathered participants from around the world. We used new ways to support our incoming international students in settling and beginning their studies in the exceptional situation.
International events on campus and online
The tenth international week for engineering took place in Tampere in January 2020.
The School of Media, Music and Art reacted fast to the corona situation and implemented TAMK’s first fully digital international week in April. Our partner institutions liked the idea and the number of participants in all events of the week was higher than ever.
High-quality education is known around the world
Our education export customers were particularly interested in fast and effective development of teachers’ digital skills. We organised online education for early childhood education teachers in China, basic education teachers in Barbados and higher education staff in Chile. We also made a new opening in offering degree education for Kenya. A total of 25 Kenyan nursing students came to TAMK to complete their degree. TAMK’s high-quality education is now known around the world. It is good to continue our work.
The number of international degree students continued to grow. We developed their support services in multiprofessional networks. The Study and Stay programme of the International HUB Tampere project gathered regional actors together to promote international degree students’ employment. TAMK recruited international staff to education, RDI and support services.
In 2020, we implemented a development programme to strengthen our international strategic partnerships. We created a definition to support our current strategic partnerships and guide the future work. A strategic partnership is premised on a mutual perception of high investment in the partnership and durable collaboration between institutions. It covers all operations of TAMK: education, research and regional development. In a strategic partnership, the aim is to have a mutual influence over the actions of each other, in order to strengthen both partner’s profile and positioning both nationally and internationally.
We also developed virtual exchange practices with our strategic partners. The starting point was to create a sustainable, environmentally friendly and inclusive internationalisation path alongside traditional exchanges. Through cooperation, we can offer higher education students a more extensive provision of remote studies.
Innovative projects
International projects continued actively. In 2020, we participated successfully in application for more than 60 international projects either as the coordinator or a partner.
In 2020, TAMK awarded the Erasmus+ capacity building projects for the RDI deed of the year.
Text: Kirsi Jokipakka, Head of International Services & Carita Prokki, Director of Continuous Education. Editing: TAMK Communications Services. Photos: Saara Lehtonen
Read more about internationality at TAMK
Events
School of Media, Music and Art’s online international week on 20–24 April 2020.
Projects
The INTENSE project. Utrecht University’s internationalisation project for students. Students and companies from four different countries.
The International HUB Tampere project’s Study and Stay programme promotes international degree students’ employment in Finland.
Impact
TAMK’s 4Steps project helps pregnant women and newborn babies in Vietnam and Cambodia.