Education
A new alliance of eight European universities has set itself the objective of promoting so-called dual training. The Graz University of Applied Sciences Joanneum is the only Austrian university involved.
01/18/2023 08/13
Online since today, 8:13 am
FH Joanneum pioneered the development of dual study programs in Austria, in which students are trained equally at the university of applied sciences and in commercial companies. “At the FH Joanneum, the first dual study program in Austria started in 2002 with ‘Technology and Production Organization’. Today there are already four double bachelor’s courses and two double master’s courses at our university”, said Karl Peter Pfeiffer, scientific director of FH Joanneum. “We can see that this form of training is more relevant today than ever”, Pfeiffer evaluated the current situation in the higher education system.
FH Joanneum first “Dual European University”
Together with eight European universities, FH Joanneum is now also the first “Dual European University” in the “EU4DUAL – European University Alliance For Dual Education” (EU4DUAL) project. The purpose of this association is to strengthen cooperation between universities, cooperation with companies and student exchanges in the EU area. Cooperation will be intensified, especially in the research areas “Healthy Living”, “Green Economy” and “Future of Work”.
The alliance is led by the University of Mondragon in Spain. For the Styrian university, participation in the alliance is also “a very important project for future development”.
Official launch in early February
The official launch of the alliance will take place at Savonia University, Finland, in February 2023. The focus then shifts to nine project work packages: FH Joanneum leads the “Quality and Sustainability Management” package and is the co-leader in the packages “Academic Coordination of the Great Innovation Challenges” and “Promotion of New Learning Paths”. Among other things, this involves making curricula more flexible and the issue of “micro credentials”.
3.2 million euros for the FH Joanneum
The “European Cooperative State University” is funded by the European Union through the “European Universities” program line. The total budget is €18 million for four years. The FH Joanneum accounts for around 3.2 million euros. The Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research (BMBWF) supports the efforts.
In addition to the FH Joanneum, there is the DHBW Duale Hochschule Baden-Württemberg (Germany), Savonia University (Finland), ESTIA Institute of Technology (France), John von Neumann University (Hungary), PAR University College (Croatia), MCAST Malta College of Arts, Technology and Science (Malta) and Koszalin Technological University (Poland). The leader of the consortium is the University of Mondragón (Spain).