ADRIA Internship

ADRIA Internship programme: broadening University-Business Cooperation
flagUniversity of Zagreb

  • 07 – Engineering, manufacturing and construction

4. Impact and mission with and for society
  • Research-based teaching and learning
  • Active involvement of students in teaching-related research projects to improve their learning

ADRIA Internship Programme started in 2019 with the objectives: (1) to improve professional opportunities for the raw materials students in the ADRIA region (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Slovenia), (2) to enable early cooperation between the students and the industry, thus familiarising the future young professionals with real-life challenges, and (3) to establish valuable connections between the educational institutions and the industry, thus helping to build more market compliant educational programmes in the future. The following was achieved: (1) Learning outcomes of the Programme have been defined; (2) Online application procedures were developed, including the necessary forms and templates: application form for students can be found at https://www.eitrawmaterials-rcadria.eu/rcadriainternship/application/intern , for organisations at https://www.eitrawmaterials-rcadria.eu/rcadriainternship/application/host; (3) The evaluation and selection procedures were defined, including the evaluation phases, rating system, check lists and procedures related to the communication with the applicants; (4) webinars with instructions for participants have been prepared and published on the Programme website, individually for supervisors and interns; (5) Textual instructions for the supervisors within host-organisations have been written and published; (6) Programme implementation monitoring system has been established within UNIZG-RGNF, including the reporting procedures and templates for the Interns, but also feedback surveys (evaluation forms) for both Interns and supervisors; (7) two permanent annual Calls for applications were launched annually, with additional Call for Virtual ADRIA Internship (as response to Covid19 crises in 2020); (8) Database of students and organisations in the ADRIA region has been created and maintained for the purpose of Internship Programme implementation; (9) 20 students have been successfully matched with 16 organisations in 2019, 24 interns successfully matched with 15 companies in 2020 and 24 interims with 17 companies in 2021, and (10) 100% of participants have expressed satisfaction with the implemented Internships, with major part of them re-applying for the second year in a row.

Methodology
Tools, equipment, technology used
Outcomes and outputs, main results
Lessons learnt
Adaptability and sustainability of the best practice (for other institutions)
Promotion of best practice
Scope and impact
  • Cross-institutional level
  • National level
  • EU/EHEA/International level

6.1 Digitalization
  • Novel digital solutions (tools, frameworks, devices, tasks to enhance efficiency and motivation)

Reasoning: ADRIA Internship programme also resulted in a development of an online tool, designed to foster smooth and transparent matching of best-suited students and organisations. A platform (https://www.eitrawmaterials-rcadria.eu/rcadriainternship/organisations-list) enables the approved organisations to present the company, internship opportunities and related details. Students can apply for internship directly via the platform, seeing how many applicants have already applied for a particular company.


6.2 Internationalization
  • Developing students' multicultural awareness
  • Innovative practices of blended mobility
  • Students engagement in international projects
  • Courses offered to international multicultural students both online and offline
  • International projects/research results embedded into course development and T&L

Reasoning: The exposure of students to different cultures occurs during their internship, through close collaboration with the assigned team and supervisor – both in domestic and international internships, since some companies are multinational. Within the internship, a part of students are directly involved in international projects, providing a report as evidence. Online courses advising students and mentors on how to implement the internship are offered in English to all participants.


6.3 Inclusion and diversity, universal design
  • NOT RELEVANT

Reasoning:


6.4 Sustainability
  • Extra-curricular student activities for sustainability
  • Environmental attitude, skill development and assessment either general or profession-related
  • Sustainability aspects are considered in all phases of the learning practice - "hidden curriculum"

Reasoning: Within this structured internship, students have an opportunity to apply the theoretical knowledge gained through the studies, but also to develop and strenghten the skills needed to enhance their competitiveness on the labour market. This includes also the skills related to envionmental topics. The RawMaterials strategy is strongly focused on the sustainability of the sector, especially circular economy, thus requiring an alignment of each implemented ADRIA internship with Strategy priorities.

3.3 Public contact datas
Name Email address Website
Sibila Borojević Šoštarić rcadria@eitrawmaterials.eu https://www.eitrawmaterials-rcadria.eu/rcadriainternship