Recommendations per theme:
T1 – Alignment of PHE with Regional Development Strategies
- Review and develop the policy framework in terms of financial, legal, governance and QA instruments to support regional engagement of PHE
- Embed regional engagement in internal policies and strategies of PHEIs
- Measure the impact of regional role of PHEI against institutional targets
- Recognize and communicate the importance of the proactive role of PHEI in regional development
- Review HR policies in terms of recruitment, rewarding, career progression, staff development for regional engagement
- Innovate T&L methods and develop regional networks in order to engage students in regional-focused knowledge services
- Develop capacity to identify and address changing needs of specific groups within the population
- Facilitate joined-up governance of regional development at national level
- Involve PHEIs into the development and implementation of innovation, regional funding programs, smart specialization strategies
- Facilitate staff mobility between PHE and world of work (open up) – remove obstacles, develop incentives
- Develop/review requirements and the process for selection, promotion and capacity building of leaders at all levels reflecting the PHE and regional role. Engage stakeholders in the process. Promote capacity building of leaders at all levels
- Review governance structures to engage external stakeholders
T2 – Promotion of PHE in Responding to Skill Shortages
- Creating close and meaningful partnerships between the institutions of PHE and other actors from the world of work (both public and private entities, including for-profit and non-for-profit sector) that will envisage all activities such as curriculum design, evaluation, assessment, practical training, permeability between industry and teaching career, research projects and others) of the institution
- Collecting relevant data; analysing and reporting it at institutional and system level with the aim of building a knowledge basis for evidence-based policy-making and for promotion PHE, public awareness, identification of good practices, benchmarking and exploring study opportunities and the world of work
- Increasing the information, transparency and comparability of the provided and recognized qualifications, learning outcomes, learning environments and student experience such as work based learning to all relevant stakeholders, especially to the world of work
- Establishing alliances and synergies between education institutions among different levels and types of institutions to facilitate the sharing of experience, resources, promoting the study offers, joint projects and permeability
- Implementing and supporting new pedagogical approaches, modes of delivery and skills of teaching staff for applying a student-centred learning approach, in particular in the development of civic/transferable skills through work-based learning in traditional/formal programmes as well as in lifelong learning programmes
- Enabling flexible and fit-for-purpose quality assurance procedures that will take into account the specificities of PHE, the diversity of institutions of PHE and institutional autonomy
- Promoting Professional Higher Education to prospective students and non-traditional learners, as well as wider society, by smart communication actions about the role and mission of PHE and opportunities it provides, especially involving current PHE students, recent graduates, career counsellors and the world of work
T3 – Organize and Monitor Student Placements in the World of Work
- Install / nominate a “manager” as an interface between the students, stakeholders and the world of work – in order to make him / her a “key-account manager” for the representatives of industries related to the study program and a “product manager” of the study program
- Involve students in the process of obtaining / applying for work placement and competing for the best practical training – in order to simulate the conditions on the labor market and to give students the responsibility of their own training
- Set up a committee structure at institutional level for strategy development, study programs and quality management, having regular meeting and a rigorous definition of roles – partners from industries related to the study program should be members in this committee
- Provide a framework for learning outcomes tailored for the workplacement, as part of curricula (the learning outcome are usually related to what students study inside the PHE institution, but it is needed to extend them, in order to include activities as the workplacelent as well)
- Create practical and quality tools (handbooks, manuals, data base etc.) for stakeholders, students, mentors and tutors – it is important for mentors and tutors to become familiarized with pedagogical skills and communication skills, in order to be able to pass their know-how; also, students need guidance for acting as team players at the workplacement
- Establish alumni department with dedicated staff to manage alumni data base and keep in contact – Alumni could be instrumental in recruiting pool for future guest lecturer and in facilitating workplacement for current students
- Implement a PR awareness campaign, targeting the employers, about the benefits of student placement
- Increase work-based learning/teaching in PHE institutions by using practitioners as guest lecturers, on a regular base – this measure should become part of a strategy
- Define policies for student’s engagement in companies in order to enable the student to work in different departments during the placement period and, thus, to discover what suits his talents best
- To offer economic incentives (tax reduction, tax exemptions, mentor paying) for companies that are accepting students as interns
T4- Personalise Learning Environments within PHE
- Use competence frameworks & Occupational profiles to allow students to map their way through a personalised learning journey
- Reward good & excellent teachers & use them to inspire change
- Assess students ability to personalise and direct their own learning, and provide instruction to fill gaps
- Record every learner’s personalised learning journey through life, and use these records to empower their learning and career paths
- Provide National PLE Infrastructures (People & Tech)
- Leverage instructional design to identify, teach and assess skills in a personalized environment
Note: These are all preliminary results from the workshops, and should not be considered as final conclusions from the event.
The 7 PROCSEE project partners (Association of Slovene Higher Vocational Colleges, EURASHE from Belgium, Knowledge Innovation Centre from Malta, Agency for Science and Higher Education from Croatia, Association of Schools of Professional Higher Education from Czech Republic, National University of Political Studies and Public Administration from Romania and Hungarian Rectors’ Conference from Hungary) welcome you to the 2nd PROCSEE policy forum, which will be held in Vis, Croatia.
