International Erasmus+ Staff Training Week: Returning to the essence of internationality

On December 13–17 at Vilniaus Kolegija (VIKO) there racketed the International Erasmus+ staff training week.

According to the Head of the Vilniaus Kolegija International Relations and Projects Department, Jolanta Preidienė, the proposed extensive and varied personnel training programme aroused great interest among the participants. “We have received about 200 requests to participate in this event. Unfortunately, due to the limitations of the pandemic and the specifics of the training, we were only able to invite a small number of applicants. The event was attended by 26 participants from 11 countries and 18 higher education institutions. The participants of the International Week came both from neighbouring countries and from all over Europe. It is gratifying that the live meetings in the faculties and departments that took place after the two-year hiatus have attracted a large number of members of the Kolegija‘s community”.

The participants in the International Staff Training Week studied according to the Creative Platform methodology, a unique methodology developed by researchers at Aalborg University in Denmark that strengthens individual and team creativity. The participants also visited the business enterprise and VIKO faculties, where they discussed cooperation opportunities in the areas of student and staff exchange and competence development in the research and project activities. Cultural awareness of the country is an integral part of the training programme. The participants learned several phrases in the Lithuanian language, walked in the Old Town of Vilnius, produced Christmas decorations with the Head of VIKO Flora Tomas Čižokas and got in touch with the musical heritage of Lithuania together with the dance and song ensemble “Voruta” of Vilniaus Kolegija.