Erasmus Declaration on Higher Education Policy of PHT

The Erasmus Policy Statement (EPS) briefly describes the cooperation strategy of PHT within the Erasmus+ program. The current EPS was submitted to the Executive Agency in 2020 with the new Erasmus+ University Charter application.

Erasmus Policy Statement 

According to the institutional strategy for modernisation and internationalisation – "Strategy 2030" – of the University College of Teacher Education Tyrol (PHT), the university sees itself as

"[...] a cosmopolitan campus of learning for all pedagogical professions and stands for research- and practice-led education, and further and continued training. It designs its meeting spaces in a diversity-sensitive manner and is guided by "education for sustainable development".

 

Planned links with the activities of the Erasmus Programme

Erasmus university mobility will make a significant contribution to the cosmopolitanism of the University College of Teacher Education. It promotes the international mobility of students and university staff so that experiences and skills in the educational field can be further developed.

The University College of Teacher Education Tyrol will follow the recommendations of the University Mobility Strategy/National Strategy for High-Quality Transnational Mobility and Internationalisation of Teaching at Austrian Universities and, in particular, will promote the further expansion of high-quality transnational mobility for all university members (students, teachers, general university staff).

Two fields of action named in Strategy 2030 explicitly refer to international networking and lifelong learning.

• International networking
  International networking contributes significantly to the development of a professional profile and the personal development of both students and employees, as well as to the attractiveness of the educational institution. It enables the initiation and implementation of joint (research) projects.
  • PHT cooperates with national and international partner institutions and develops and designs educational programmes and research projects with them.
  • PHT supports intensive exchange between its students and employees and educational institutions in Europe and outside of Europe.
     
• lifelong professionalisation
  The importance of lifelong learning for individuals and organisations is undisputed. The increasing diversity of learners and the digitisation of work and education represent important challenges and opportunities. In this context, lifelong learning at PHT must be made fit for the future.  

 

As part of the education and further and continued training it offers, PHT has set itself the collective task of providing educationalists with scientific, research-based and practice-oriented training and support throughout the entire continuum of their professionalisation (initial training, starting out in their professional life, career development).

PHT is an active ambassador of lifelong learning in the educational field for its own employees, students, graduates, educational institutions and their managers, as well as for business and society in specific cases. It communicates and emphasises the importance and effects of lifelong learning at all important points of contact.

PHT thus supports those measures that were developed to achieve the goals of the European Education Area at the European level. The key skills for lifelong learning (literacy, multilingualism, numerical, scientific and engineering skills, digital and technology-based competences, interpersonal skills, and the ability to adopt new competences, active citizenship, entrepreneurship, and cultural awareness and expression) are taught at PHT – supported by activities of the Erasmus Programme.

Another focus is placed on the expansion of internationalisation@home, including through virtual mobility and blended mobility. The current range of courses offered at PHT are to be rated as first and second-cycle mobilities. The mobility agreements are designed with this in mind. PHT endeavours to continue to have the closest possible network of partner universities in Europe (north, south, east, west) and beyond, and to promote mobility in all geographic areas. When selecting partner universities, care is taken to ensure that they also focus on training in educational professions.

 

Contribution to the development of the European Education Area

PHT is committed to the basic idea of the European Education Area: to harness the full potential of education and culture as drivers for jobs, economic growth, social fairness and active citizenship, and as a means to experience European identity in all its diversity. The priorities of the renewed European agenda, which was renewed in 2017, comprise four priority areas, to which PHT believes the following are relevant:

• Tackling future skills mismatches and promoting excellence in skills development;
  PHT sees participation in activities of the Erasmus Programme as an essential contribution to the development of the basic skills for future teachers. The development and improvement of teaching skills as well as getting to know innovative and best-practice models are a part of this development of competences.
   
• Creating inclusive and networked higher education systems;
  PHT builds on a stable network of international partner universities, paying particular attention to the quality of the partnership. The Erasmus learning mobility of university teachers and staff helps prepare for diversity and heterogeneous student groups.
   
• Ensuring higher education institutions contribute to innovation in society;
  PHT recognises the knowledge transfer that is gained through Erasmus learning mobility. University members participating in activities of the Erasmus Programme are those who integrate topics such as (global) citizenship, civic education and civic engagement in practice and teaching.
   
• Supporting effective and efficient higher education systems.
  PHT provides for carefully planned and tailor-made mobilities as part of the planned activities of the Erasmus Programme. PHT is committed to the requirements of the ECHE.