Why international academics?
There is an established lack of skills supply for employers in the Linnaeus region (Kalmar County and Kronoberg County). This is particularly true in, for instance, industries like IT and technology. Linnaeus University wants to contribute to meeting this shortage by, among other things, helping the region make the most of the academics that are here and make them stay. In the two-year project "Tillvarata internationella akademiker i Linnéregionen" the university will now, in collaboration with local and regional actors, work to find methods to promote making the most of the international skills that come to the Linnaeus region in the form of international students, doctoral students and newly-arrived academics.
The aim is to help establish and develop contact between employers in the Linnaeus region and Linnaeus University's international academics in order to help ensure that the right skills are located, and to make it possible for more international academics to stay and work in the Linnaeus region. The project is funded by Region Kronoberg, Regionförbundet in Kalmar County and Linnaeus University, and runs from January 2017 to December 2018.
Beneficial for international students as well as Swedish students
During the project, focus will be on testing different approaches and methods for skills management, through, for instance, information campaigns and new ways of working, in order to create a better match through outreach ventures, relation-building, and communication. These ways of working are also to benefit the Swedish students. The starting point is a number of challenges highlighted through workshops and dialogues with the trade industry, organisations and students; language, cultural confusion, communication, and social integration.
A few ventures that will be tested in the project are, for instance, internship activities, employers as ambassadors, arrangement of study visits and labour market events, development and promotion of arenas/opportunities for meetings, bridge-building mentor relationships, and knowledge concerning the needs and conditions of the target groups.
Further information about the activities will be disclosed at Linnaeus University's career portal MyCareer.
