International guests were trained as trainers

The more you stretch, the more you can grow, and it all happens outside of your comfort zone. Intercultural communication is about challenging your own and other people's beliefs; learning, sharing and, while doing so, having a lot of fun together.

These were some of the takeaways from Marina Casals Sala's and Marina Vives Cabré's workshop during the “Train The Trainers” staff week. The international staff mobility event was organised by the University of Glasgow, but held on the premises of Stockholm University in late January. Around twenty people from eight different universities within the CIVIS Alliance participated.

Marina Vives Cabré from Universitat Rovira i Virgili was one of the workshop leaders. Photo: Karin Persson

“It’s my first time in Stockholm and I love the climate here”, Amy McCreadie, Outreach and External Engagement Coordinator at the University of Glasgow, said. “This kind of workshop is so motivating. You can’t wait to get back home and start practising everything you’ve learnt here.”

Amy in front of a Stockholm University banner.

Amy McCreadie from the University of Glasgow. Photo: Karin Persson

Empowering administrative staff

Focus for the whole week was a specific programme that has been developed at Universitat Rovira i Virgili in Spanish Tarragona. It is part of the Systemic University Change Towards Internationalisation (SUCTI) project which aims at empowering administrative staff by providing them with knowledge and skills related to their university’s internationalisation process. Marina Casals Sala and Marina Vives Cabré led all the workshops during the week.

Peter Mayr from the University of Salzburg. Photo: Karin Persson

Peter Mayr, Head of the International Office at the University of Salzburg, was as enthusiastic as his fellow participant Amy.

“I'm really impressed with the high quality of the Train The Trainers programme and the organisers. This is an extremely important topic. It’s about internationalising our whole university organisations.”

“Being able to take part in a staff week like this is a wonderful opportunity”, Amy added. “It’s an experience that goes beyond what we’re learning in the workshops. You make friends with new people and get to experience a new country and culture.”

Interaction with international colleagues

Erik Rosenberg, International Coordinator, was Stockholm University's main host for the event.

“When the University of Glasgow needed a partner university to collaborate with, my manager and I decided to invite them here. It's been great fun and challenging – in a good way. The main thing with an event like this is that you get to interact with your colleagues from our partner universities.”

Erik and his colleague Claudia, who helped him out during the week, hope to be able to hold some sort of training, based on the learnings of the Train The Trainers programme, for other colleagues at Stockholm University in the future.

“Once the event is finished it's up to everyone what they choose to do at their own universities; how much they are willing and able to invest in this topic”, Erik explained. “I'm looking forward to trying to implement our new knowledge about internationalisation here at Stockholm University.”

The participants lined up on some stairs.

The staff week participants in Studenthuset on Stockholm University's Frescati campus. Photo: Karin Persson

The SUCTI Train The Trainers staff week was held at Stockholm University between 29 January and 1 February. Eight universities, including SU, participated: Université d’Aix-Marseille, University of Bucharest, Universidad Autonoma de Madrid, Université libre de Bruxelles, Paris Lodron University of Salzburg, Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen and University of Glasgow.