International

 

Erasmus charter for higher education 2014-2020

The Erasmus+ programme supports, among other policy objectives, the European modernisation and internationalisation agenda in higher education. The Programme covers the period 2014-2020.

 

The Erasmus Charter for Higher Education (ECHE) provides the general quality framework for European and international cooperation activities a higher education institution (HEI) may carry out within the Programme. The award of an Erasmus Charter for Higher Education is a pre-requisite for all HEIs located in an eligible country (the list is published in the call – see the link below) and willing to participate in learning mobility of individuals and/or cooperation for innovation and good practices under the Programme. For HEIs located in other countries, the ECHE is not required, and the quality framework will be established through inter-institutional agreements between HEIs. The Charter is awarded for the full duration of the Programme.

Erasmus Policy Statement

The geographical location and small open economy of Estonia dictates the institution to be actively international. Therefore Estonian Business School has for past 15 years concentrated on internationalizing its student body and faculty. In our institutional strategy (2010-2015) we have stated priorities that are supported with organizational execution plans. 

 

Within the five-year period, Estonian Business School (EBS), will: 

• be an independent, international, specialised, entrepreneurial and practice-oriented private university;
• have at least one EFMD accreditation and remain, according to the Eduniversal ranking, among the 300 best-known business schools in the world;
• provide programmes of a quality corresponding to the level of best international business universities;  
• creates possibilities for researchers to participate in the work of international research organisations, serve on their boards and to review the proceedings of scientific articles as well as international journals;
• provides all possible help in organising international academic conferences;
• cooperates with organisations to create internship possibilities for its students to acquire work experience, therefore react quickly to developments on the labour market;
• have 1 500 students, 50 % of whom are foreigners;
• encourages its faculty to teach and conduct research in partner universities;
• continue to develop its branch in Helsinki and will open master studies there in 2015;
• provide the students with the possibilities to study as exchange students in the best business universities in all parts of the world;
• maintain and value relationships with its alumni;
• contribute in the life-long learning process of our staff, students, alumni and society in general.

EBS is continually motivated to take the necessary steps to become an internationally business university through its membership in specialised international cooperation networks and developing cooperation with universities in different countries. Our university partners are internationally accredited and their programmes or research field have to support ours.  

 

EBS prioritises partners according to nation-wide economic affairs, therefore research fields and programmes are the key indicators that dictate the needed relations between partners in Europe. We have partner schools from all of the EU member state countries and the cooperation exchange is faculty and student body based. Faculty mobility is related to our research and programmes specialisation needs: management, entrepreneurship, marketing and finance. On master and doctoral level we prioritise European faculty mobility to emphasise internationality benefits. For broader specialisation reasons in programmes we also do joint and double degree cooperation with our European partners schools. EBS continues to develop joint programmes for fields in deficit in particular region. And as master level students are not that mobile as bachelors than we are in need to develop shorter exchange programmes for internship, joint trainings and study-tours. 

 

We are also expecting to diversify more the student body profile as currently we have students from the countries we have had traditional well-functioning cooperative links with. Therefore we expect to have more national diversification (member state wise) in student body through communication and marketing mechanism promoting the opportunities students would have through our tight corporate links: internships programmes and scholarships. 

 

We plan to concentrate more on student services improvement through staff exchange with the special intention to provide support mechanisms for international internship positions for students and to find for exchange students closer links (through internship opportunities) with Estonian private as well as public and third sector. The aim is to integrate youth with regional labour market or to encourage becoming an entrepreneur in their member state countries by representing our region institutions. 

 

Due to the geographical location we consider important for neighbour country students to continue their master or doctor level studies in our country to promote specialized economic cooperation. These special interest countries are: Sweden, Norway, Latvia, Finland and Russia. 

 

Concerning non-EU regions EBS mapped additional target countries for student enrolment as well as research due to economic relations of our business community. Therefore we are motivated to seek for prospective business students from China, India, Turkey and Georgia to diversify our student body. Our main intention in non-EU countries for CIS region is to provide our programmes, research and consulting that we could offer in cooperation with our partner universities when compiling the expertise.    
 

Increase the number of higher education graduates
To increas the number of higher education graduates we need to stimulate the preparational instituions such as secondary schools. To find and prepare candidates in the region it is nessesary to participate and/or support schools in their daily activities with: guest lecturing, study materials, laboratories, fairs and information seminars where we could use international (exchange) students to promote the orientation of mobility in the study process. Another perspective to that in personal consulting during the studies in HEI for which we have orientated in our strategy to empower the student services. 

 

To improve the quality and relevance of teaching and research training, to equip graduates with the knowledge and core transfareable competences they need to succeed in high-skill occupations 
Staff and faculty exchange promotes the exchange of competences between different regions. As history is the backbone of culture the culture is the backbone of education and the differenet regional competences give the variety of tools to operate in multinational environements and take over the methods from other cultures to stimulate the successful study process. High-skill occupations requires specialisation and in our case in the small community the specialisation preparation is limited and the quality relies in synergy driven coperation with othe HEIs to offer high-end specialisation programs compiled in coperation with partners abroad.   

 

To provide more opportunities for students to gain additional skills through study or training abroad, and to engourage cross-borader co-operation to boost higher education performance. 

Staff exchange program will emphasis synergic cooperation between HEI network to develop service procedure elements and councelling for students to get internship integrated studies that generate motivation during their studies, whilest balansing the academic programm with international real-life challenges in practise. 

 

To strenghten the „knowledge triangle“ linking education, research and business to create effective coverenance and funding mechanisms in support of excellence. 
Estonian Business School serves its community: private, public and third sector. Student and faculty exchange promotes the competitive excellence in all activities of our society serving program. The international twist for knowledge triangle empowers the mentioned institutions to seek more synergic coperation with HEIs as we are one international network working for their belhalf. The corporate partners of ours are well interested in working together with the exchange students as well as exchange faculty in different forms. The interest for university services increases the funding, therefore generates more effective governance.
 

Signed by Arno Almann, 
Rector
May 2013, Tallinn, Estonia
 

Estonian Business School's award of ECHE

Erasmus+ student charter  ERASMUS+ Üliõpilasharta

 

This project is funded by the European Union