Erasmus+ International Staff Training Week at the Politecnico

An entire week dedicated to “The International Dimension in Erasmus+ 2021-27: actions and priorities” in the frame of the Erasmus+ program took place at the Politecnico, bringing together partner universities from all over the world.  The aim of the International Staff Training Week organized by the International Affairs Area of the Politecnico from the 23rd to the 27th of May was consolidating the participants’ competences in the internationalization of higher education with a focus on the Erasmus+ 2021-27 programme, its International Dimension actions and two of its horizontal priorities: Inclusion and Diversity; Environment and fight against climate change.

The event was attended by 23 administrative and academic delegates of 16 PoliTO partner universities coming from 9 Non-EU countries: Argentina, Canada, Chile, Israele, Libano, Malesia, Stati Uniti, Uzbekistan and Vietnam. The topic of the Erasmus+ International Staff training Week was developed in three interactive workshops focused on the International dimension of Erasmus+ 2021-27, Inclusion and Diversity, Environmental sustainability and green practices at Politecnico and led by the International Affairs Area, Programmazione, Sviluppo, Qualità e Life (PSQL) and the Green Team Office. The workshops stressed the transversal nature of the discussed topics and fostered the exchange of best practices in the contexts of the participating universities.

The week was opened with the speeches of David Chiaramonti, Vice Rector for International Affairs, and Alberto Godio, Rector's Advisor for Student Mobility and Erasmus+. The workshop on the Inclusion initiatives at Politecnico di Torino was opened with the speech of Arianna Montorsi, Rector's Advisor for Gender Equality and Diversity. The workshop on Sustainable campus initiatives and green practices was opened with the speech of Patrizia Lombardi, Vice Rector for Sustainable Campus and Communities. The presentations by some partner universities on inclusion and sustainable actions taken in their campuses allowed to share and exchange good practices on the above-mentioned topics.

The presence of the partner universities at PoliTO was also a networking opportunity for several faculty members. During the week, the training activity was complemented by guided visits of the PoliTO main campus, the historic seat of the Valentino Castle and the city of Torino. The event was finally closed with the speech of the Rector’s Delegate for International Relations with China and Asian Countries, Michele Bonino.

The participants appreciated the quality and the organization of the training activities and considered them very useful for their professional enhancement and for strengthening the relations between institutions. Many of them, on their first visit of the Politecnico, also greatly appreciated the city of Torino and PoliTO as a valuable destination for their exchange students.

The realisation of the International Staff Training Week was possible thanks to the funds available in the frame of the EU Erasmus+ International Credit Mobility (KA107) project financed by the Italian Erasmus+ National Agency INDIRE. All participants were granted an Erasmus+ scholarship for Staff Training mobility.