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Querrec Emmanuel

International Business (IB) Degree Programme

www.tuas.fi www.tuas.fi

PRACTICAL TRAINING (PT)Experiences and challenges

PT in the curriculum• Components:

– Basic Practical Training (BPT)– Professional Practical Training (PPT)

• In ECTS, historically 12/18, currently 10/20 and in practice 15/15 (due to funding).

• Monitored by the Tutor Teacher.

Tutor Teacher competence• PT follow-up was centralised, now a new task since 2014.

• Not necessarily an expert in work contract.

• Different work regulations abroad.

• Difficult to assess the validity of the training place and reliability of the partner company.

• Distance makes things different, potentially complicated, both for student and teacher tutor.

Process in Finland/abroad

Student population• Differences among Finnish and International Degree

student population.

• Professional Background: some students may never have worked, regular among International Degree student.

• New generation: no letters, less formal writing skills, no visit to company, just internet of things. Closing some opportunities?

Student Objectives• Finnish student may target US, e.g. embassy or

headquarters of a multinational.

• An International Degree student, who initially wants to stay in Turku Region, needs to comply with graduation regulation, and because no access to valuable training in Finland, goes abroad.– ”Are there enough opportunities for International Degree

student PT in Finland?”

Contract issues• Substance (unclear description of tasks)

• Law aspects

• Lack of maturity or professional experience may be a problem in reading work contracts.– This is a risk that tutor teachers need to address.– The risk is even bigger for international degree students.

Funding

• No funding outside EU for International Degree student.

Risk / insurance

• VISA risk.

• Approach to risk may differ between students.

Insurance status check diagram

Brighest success stories so far

• MASAR

• Netherlands

• Business Idea competition winning team, 4 students create the company and leave together for PT.