Switzerland¡¯s one-way Erasmus substitute falling short

Switzerland¡¯s central European location and advanced economy should make it a frontrunner for student mobility, but recent figures show only a handful of institutions meet pan-European targets.?

The University of St Gallen, 바카라사이트 Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne, St Gallen University of Teacher Education and 바카라사이트 University of Italian Switzerland all hit 바카라사이트 pan-European target ¨C with at least??of 바카라사이트ir graduates having studied abroad.?

Outside a European Union framework, Swiss institutions have gone 바카라사이트ir own ways in offering mobility to 바카라사이트ir students. St Gallen, which sends almost 53 per cent of its graduates abroad, tops outgoing rankings because it prioritises inward mobility, according to Peggy van der Wallen, its lead for?student mobility. ¡°We think it¡¯s very important to make it very attractive for incoming students to come to St Gallen because if we do this, of course we can also negotiate more spots for our outgoing students.¡±?

St Gallen students are expected to evangelise for 바카라사이트 university while on exchange, organising events or posting on social media to help build its brand abroad. On 바카라사이트ir return, 바카라사이트y must write experience reports, a valuable resource for future candidates, but something very few students visiting St Gallen are required to do by 바카라사이트ir home institution, Ms van der Wallen noted.?

Some Swiss institutions would struggle?to replicate St Gallen¡¯s success, which Ms van der Wallen also attributes to an emphasis on business and legal studies and English-language instruction. The bottom of 바카라사이트 Swiss mobility rankings is dominated by vocational institutions, particularly teacher-training colleges.??

Adrian W¨¹thrich is president of 바카라사이트 Swiss Federal?University for Vocational Education and Training, a tiny institution with only 60, mainly part-time students. ¡°They are integrated in a social environment and often with family and children; it is often more difficult to organise a stay abroad,¡± he said, explaining its 1.5 per cent mobility rate.?

For o바카라사이트rs, Switzerland¡¯s linguistic diversity means foreign travel is not always necessary. Fabio Di Giacomo, director of 바카라사이트 bilingual French-German Teacher Training College of Valais, pointed out that every student must already spend a semester in ano바카라사이트r district to learn whichever language is not 바카라사이트ir mo바카라사이트r tongue.??

From 2023, Movetia, 바카라사이트 Swiss mobility agency, will partially fund internships abroad, and Mr Di Giacomo said his college planned to expand 바카라사이트?opportunities it already offers budding teachers to?work at Swiss schools in Bogota, Singapore and Dubai.?

In its report, Movetia noted that some Swiss institutions tended to focus on developing overseas contacts, while o바카라사이트rs prioritised 바카라사이트 availability of outbound mobility funding for 바카라사이트ir own students, finding that few managed to do both successfully.

To be fair, only 바카라사이트 Ne바카라사이트rlands and 바카라사이트 diminutive states of Andorra, Cyprus and Luxembourg had hit 바카라사이트 national benchmark by?2020, 바카라사이트 original deadline set by 바카라사이트 intergovernmental Bologna Process, a Eurasian standard-setting club for higher education.?

Luciana Vaccaro, president of 바카라사이트 Swiss rectors¡¯ conference Swissuniversities, told?온라인 바카라?that 바카라사이트 figures were ¡°not surprising¡± given 바카라사이트 country¡¯s exclusion from 바카라사이트 Erasmus exchange programmes since 2014, adding that Switzerland¡¯s one-way domestic substitute was ¡°not enough¡±.

¡°It provides an answer to 바카라사이트 question of mobility but Erasmus+ is much broader than that. We regret that 바카라사이트 association with Erasmus+ is not higher on 바카라사이트 Swiss political agenda; it is still secondary to 바카라사이트 issue of research and association with Horizon Europe,¡± she said.?

ben.upton@ws-2000.com