Enterprise-University virtual placements.

Since more and more organisations operate internationally, the pressure on education professionals increases to arrange work placements introducing students to an (international) working environment. EU-VIP enhances the quality, efficiency and impact of international work placements by focusing on how to organise these placements, thereby boosting interaction between HEls and enterprises using the advantages of the newest technologies. EU-VIP provides the necessary (technical, pedagogical, organisational) models and services for virtual mobility activities to prepare and follow-up students who go physically abroad for a fully virtual placements. End-users (students, teachers and company representatives) are trained in the use of new technologies for organising (virtual) work placements. They are also brought together at regular meetings to identify (dis)advantages of the models. A guidebook (online and printed) collects all results and provides concrete, validated procedures, guidelines and recommendations. All training materials are published online so they can be used independently by other interested HEls and companies who wish to engage in (virtual) work placements. Virtual follow-up systems enable more knowledge exchange between the HEls, companies and students. Fully virtual placements allow more students who for some reason cannot go abroad to benefit from an international experience, learn a foreign language and acquire intercultural communication skills in a business context.

Keywords:Enterprise-University, virtual placements, follow-up, knowledge exchange

Disciplines:Applied mathematics in specific fields