Staff Mobility: organizing an international staff training week

A very efficient form of staff mobility is a staff training week which colleagues from partner institutions are invited to in order to become familiar with the different procedures and work environment of the host institution. A staff training week paves the way for a multilateral and intercultural exchange of know-how, expertise and good practice and serves as a platform for networking. In order for a staff training week to be a successful event, it needs to be planned carefully.

Organizing an international staff training week

The following graphic illustrates the most important steps in the organization of an international staff training week.

Planning

• Check the available budget
• Think about which units and individuals in your institution will be able and willing to contribute to the programme of the training week (see also the tip below)
• Ask colleagues who have participated in staff training weeks at partner universities about their experience in order to collect ideas
• Choose the topic(s) and the target group(s) for the training week
• Set up a schedule for the organization and implementation of the training week
• Design a preliminary programme including information sessions and networking activities
• Pre-book suitable rooms at your institution for the training week activities
• Invite representatives of the management and leadership of your institution to the official opening and closing sessions of the training week; a representative of the Rectorate should welcome the participants on behalf of the institution.

Tip!

It’s important to get a range of units and individuals within your institution on board in order to be able to offer a varied and substantial programme. One way to get people involved is by including a contribution to the training week programme as an additional criterion in the selection of staff for outgoing mobility. For example, when your institution publishes a call for applications for outgoing staff mobility, this call can also be used to request proposals for the staff training week. In the call you should highlight that the commitment to ‘internationalization at home’, which is shown by supporting the training week programme, will be a criterion in the selection of staff for outgoing mobility.

Information

• Announce the training week to partner universities and within your own institution
• Publish information on the training week on the website of your institution and in newsletters
• Make sure to include all relevant information when promoting the training week (e.g. target group(s), dates, contents, application process, selection criteria, accommodation options, contact person)

Application

• Decide on a maximum number of participants, taking into account your institution’s resources
• Choose a format for the application, e.g. paper or online; an online application tool will make data processing easier
• Do not underestimate the time it takes to answer applicants’ questions and review applications
• Take into account that it might be necessary to extend the application deadline, e.g. if you have not received enough applications by the original deadline

Content

While the call for applications is open, you should fine-tune the programme:
• Revise the proposals for workshops, round table discussions and other forms of input you have received from different units/staff members at your institution
• Select the most interesting proposals and arrange the programme around plenary sessions, different thematic roundtables and workshops; depending on how many contributions you have, you can offer parallel sessions so that the participants can choose what is most relevant for them
• Include informal networking and cultural activities in the programme (e.g. visits to museums, guided tour of the host city)
• Arrange a meeting with all of the trainers involved to walk them through the programme/schedule and explain what is expected of them
• Provide the trainers with a template for PowerPoint presentations and ask them to send you their presentations before the beginning of the training week (set a deadline!)

Selection

• Define criteria for the selection (e.g. strategic partners, existing cooperation, maximum number of participants per country/institution, previous mobility experience, relevance of the programme for the applicants’ work, etc.)
• Communicate the criteria prior to and during the application phase (e.g. on the staff training website)
• If you have to reject applicants (e.g. if the number of applications exceeds the number of participants you can accept), explain the reasons for rejection (transparency!)
• Contact selected candidates; they need to confirm their participation and reconfirm the information indicated in the application (e.g. selected workshops, participation in networking activities, input they can provide)
• Assign rooms and facilities to the different sessions, workshops and other activities based on the actual number of participants

Print Material

• Compile an information/welcome package including, for example, the programme, a name tag, directions, maps, interesting facts about the host university and city
• Prepare certificates of attendance which participants will receive during the closing session

Catering and Activities

• Offer the participants a joint welcome and farewell lunch or dinner
• Organize coffee breaks with refreshments
• Ask selected participants if they have any dietary restrictions before you organize catering/meals
• Organize networking activities such as city tours, visits to museums, site visits to different units and campus parts; ask the participants to register for such activities in advance so you can organize tickets and/or guides accordingly