Internationalization strategy of Tallinn School of Economics 2021 – 2027

Introduction

The purpose of this document is to define the strategic development directions and activities for the internationalisation of the Tallinn School of Economics (hereinafter referred to as the School).The strategy is a basic document necessary for both the management of the school’s international cooperation and the implementation of targeted activities, and its overarching principle is that international cooperation is not an end in itself, but should be considered as a cross-cutting dimension of the school’s activities, which enriches the teaching and creates additional opportunities for the individual development of both pupils and teachers, as well as for the diversification of school life.

For the period 2021-2027, we plan international activities mainly at five levels: mobility projects for students and staff, cooperation projects, international communication and partnerships, internationalisation of teaching in schools and participation in international networks.

The School’s international cooperation is influenced by the profile of learners and teachers that has developed in recent years.From the 2016/2017 academic year, the school will only be able to study in the 5th level vocational education curricula and from the 2019/2020 academic year only in non-stationary education. Consequently, our learner is an adult, with an average age of nearly 31 years, who needs to be able to combine school learning effectively with both his work and family life. The school employs 10 full-time teachers, but nearly 150 contract specialists from the world of work. It is also important to take into account the fact that level 5 education is classified as both vocational and higher education in different European countries.

Activities and development needs

The year 1994 can be considered the beginning of more active international cooperation, when cooperation agreements were signed with the Vocational Teacher Training Center of the State of Hesse within the framework of the Transform program. As part of this cooperation, a number of curricula were developed and further training of teachers took place both in Estonia and in Germany.

In the period 2007-2016, international cooperation took place at two levels. The school has been awarded the Erasmus+ Charter for Higher Education 2014-2023, and students have both attended courses at partner universities and completed part of their internship abroad.Vocational students were mostly involved in bilateral cooperation projects.

Since the 2015/2016 academic year, we have been focusing on the development of learning migration in vocational training. In the context of the Level 5 restructuring,the school had to rethink the previous cooperation and reorganize the network.

In the course of a long experience of international cooperation, the school has established partnerships with Germany, Slovenia, France, Austria, Finland, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Lithuania, Malta, Latvia, the Netherlands, Belgium, Great Britain, Ireland, vocational education institutions, universities of applied sciences and organizations to offer our students opportunities for internships. for performance in a foreign country and opportunities for teachers and other employees to share experiences. 

Since 2014, we have actively participated in the work of the CHAIN5 network (https://www.chain5.net/) , which unites various organizations that want to contribute to the development of level 5 education at the European level. We have also involved representatives of the Ministry of Education and Science in the activities of the network. In 2020, the network’s annual conference was held in Tallinn under the leadership of the school.

So far, we’ve been mostly focused on sending students abroad for internships. We have also taken in pupils and teachers from partner schools in Germany every year.

The internationalization activities of the school so far have shown that one of the development needs is the clear targeting of the activities according to the expectations and needs of the beneficiaries due to the clearly developed profile of both the school’s students and employees over the past years. In addition to learning migration, it is necessary to develop cooperation projects both to share good practice in schools and to learn from the experience of other schools and to transfer innovation. It is also necessary to extend the network of cooperation with the vocational training establishments that provide vocational training at level 5.

The objectives of the internationalisation strategy

The internationalisation strategy of the Tallinn School of Economics is based on the school’s general development objectives and needs.

Strategic goals of internationalization:

• improving the quality of school management and teaching
• supporting the development of students, including international competences,
• supporting staff development, including international competences.

The internationalization vision of the Tallinn School of Economics:

The Tallinn School of Economics is a valued and recognised partner for schools in its field of competence and other social partners.

The internationalization mission of Tallinn School of Economics:

The Tallinn School of Economics prepares specialists who are competitive on the Estonian and international labour markets and offers lifelong learning.

Activities based on strategic goals:

• Networking and management of cooperation relationships

The school is part of the active and functioning international cooperation network CHAIN5, being an active initiator and implementer of activities. In addition to its own experience internationally, the school also shares Estonia’s experience as an education state and acts as a distributor of the Education Nation brand.

• Providing opportunities for students and education staff to participate in learning mobility

The learning mobility creates the conditions for the multifaceted development of both the participating pupils and the school staff, in particular by supporting the improvement of the following competences:

• professional knowledge and skills
• language and cultural awareness
• independence and self-management, including in another language and cultural environment.

Participation in learning mobility enables students to acquire professional competences in different learning environments.

Participation in the learning mobility encourages teachers to innovate, raising their awareness of trends in the field and the possibilities of teaching methods, as well as of themselves.

• Participation in international cooperation projects

International cooperation projects aim at mutual learning, exchange of experience and the development/ implementation of innovative approaches, solutions and products.

The school actively seeks cooperation opportunities with vocational education institutions, higher education institutions and other organizations both in the EU and outside it, and participates in international cooperation projects with the aim of increasing the quality of the school’s management and teaching and providing development opportunities for both employees and students.

• Supporting internationalization and strengthening the international dimension in the school’s main processes, including offering opportunities for internationalization in the usual learning and living environment (internationalization at home)

Each year, the school plans priorities and development focuses for internationalisation, which are reflected both on the school’s website for potential partners and in the school’s overall action plan.

The school has an open approach to its interactions with foreign partners, including a readiness to receive and organise traineeships for both foreign students and teachers.

In order to increase the attractiveness and efficiency of teaching and considering the limited mobility of school members, the school plans various forms of cooperation with international partners to enable internationalization in the usual learning and living environment, including using digital cooperation forms and opportunities, and looks for opportunities to include vocational teachers and practitioners from foreign countries as guest teachers.

In the coming years, the most likely sources of funding for student and staff learning migration will be the Erasmus+ and Nordplus programmes and grants from the Nordic Council of Ministers, as well as other possible funds.The school actively participates in the application round in order to obtain funding for the implementation of the planned learning mobilities. In addition to the funds requested from the international programmes, the school is also prepared to contribute from the school budget to promote internationalisation.

The school informs students and staff about the possibilities and results of participating in the learning journey. To this end, we organise seminars, information days and other events where participants in the learning journey can share their experiences with colleagues and learners.

The School will report on international cooperation and its results in the media, on the School’s social media channels, on its website and in newsletters for students, alumni, staff and partners.

• Quality assurance and continuous monitoring

International cooperation activities are planned in the school’s action plan and published on the school’s website. Activities will be monitored on a monthly basis and the results will be analysed twice a year to improve further activities.

The quality standards of the Erasmus programme are the basis for the organisation of study visits for students and staff.

For the conclusion of agreements with participants in study visits and for the recognition of study visits, appropriate documents are used: agreements between partners, students and staff (including quality agreements, Memorandum of Understanding), the external partner’s compliance assessment sheet and traineeship documents established by the school, certificates from the host.

On the website, the school lists the partners with whom the cooperation relations have been excellent.

Measures to evaluate the performance of international cooperation

1. The school team participates in at least one CHAIN5 network event each year.
2. The school participates in 2 cooperation projects.
3. The school offers 40-60 students the opportunity to participate in mobilities.
4. The school offers 10 employees the opportunity to participate in mobilities. 
5. The school offers 10-15 students from partner schools the opportunity to complete an internship in Estonian companies and organizations.
6. The school offers internship opportunities to 5-10 staff members from partner schools.
7. The school invites 2-5 external experts to conduct workshops and training for both students and teachers.

The document shall be based on the following background material:

Estonian Education Strategy 2021–2035 

Erasmus+ Quality Standards

Development plan of the Tallinn School of Economics

OSKA Studies